By Samuel Burgess

CIS270WX History of Information Technology

Instructor: Major Sook Ha

Date: 02/10/2016

 

 

History of Information Technology Writing Assignment 2:

The Impact of the Aaron Montgomery Ward’s Mail-Order Catalogue on American Society

 

Aaron Montgomery Ward’s invention of a mail-order catalogue, circa 1872, created a more efficient, less ambiguous, and geographically accessible form of direct marketing to consumers all over America. Americans did not in fact adapt the mail-order catalogue to their specific situation at the time of its creation, in fact, it was an original innovation that was designed to fill an economical need: to bridge accessibility between rural Americans and larger consumer markets. This adaptation, borne out of Ward’s experiences as a travelling salesman, was a major consideration due to the geographical and economical barriers of the time. The mail-order catalogue was then enhanced by these groups, relative to their unique situation, as time went on. Finally, the mail-order catalogue is still in wide circulation in contemporary America.

 

It is hard to imagine the utilitarian need for something like a mail-order catalogue in this day and age, where a multitude of companies will stuff your mailbox (real and electronic) with solicitations and advertisements on a daily basis. However, there was a time when citizens of small towns in America could not simply go online, order items, and expect for them to be delivered in a timely manner. In fact, before Aaron Montgomery Ward introduced the first mail order catalogue in 1872, many Americans had to suffer through the small-selection sizes and high costs of small, local businesses and peddlers (people selling goods door-to-door) (3). Indeed, Aaron Montgomery Ward’s invention revolutionized corporate practices and widened business markets to include rural areas of America. The first mail-order catalogue sent out by Ward in 1872 “consisted of a single sheet of paper with a price list, 8 by 12 inches, showing the merchandise for sale with ordering instructions” (2). Essentially, the concept behind Ward’s innovation involved buying inventory at wholesale prices, sending out mail-order catalogues to rural communities, and selling these towns previously inaccessible goods at fair rates (1). Ward’s innovation was not an immediate success in America, but gradually gained success, and consequently, Ward expanded the catalogue (2). After the mail-order catalogue, often referred to by many rural Americans as a “dream book,” gained widespread popularity, the catalogues “became bigger, more heavily illustrated, chock full of goods” (2). By 1896, Ward’s innovation had become such a revered method of practice that other enterprising merchants (most prominently Richard W. Sears and Alvah C. Roebuck) began copying Ward’s practices on a large-scale (1). Ever since the large-scale corporate acceptance of Montgomery Ward’s invention, the mail-order catalogue has only projected upwards. In fact, “by 1971 catalog sales of major U.S. firms exceeded more than $250 million in postal revenue,” revealing the profitability of the practice in America (1). The mail-order catalogue business today remains a large-scale industry in the United States. However, the technology has adapted and now serves different roles than it once did. For instance, as the technology was once adapted as a method of efficiently and directly opening retail options to rural Americans, it is now used as more of a form of cheap and supplemental advertisement for businesses. Additionally, as the originator of the mail-order catalog concept, as well as an environmental activist, Aaron Montgomery Ward is remembered in his hometown of Chicago through The Montgomery Ward Tower and parks throughout the city (1).

 

 

Works Cited

 

• Kim, Ann. “Montgomery Ward: The World’s First Mail-Order Business.” Illinois Periodicals Online(2000): 42. Northern Illinois University Libraries. Web. 15 Mar. 2016.
• “The History of Mail and Postal Innovations.” com Inventors. About.com, 03 Feb. 2016. Web. 15 Mar. 2016.
• “General Retail Merchandising in America.” American National Business Hall of Fame. 17 Feb. 2013. Web. 15 Mar. 2016.