Who invented mail order stores

Such correspondence might seem quaint today, but those messages were a serious sales strategy. For many rural consumers, mail-order catalogs seemed risky. In , 64 percent of Americans lived in rural communities, according to the U. The custom for most rural Americans was to buy from local merchants or the occasional wandering peddler. Although mail-order companies offered a wider variety of products and competitive prices, the company was a stranger.

Mail-order companies had to instill confidence that buying from a stranger was safe. Putting a name with a face and adding the touch of personal communication was a sales strategy that worked. Although Richard Warren Sears was not known for sending out the letters that Ward did, Sears insisted his employees handwrite notes instead of using a typewriter—some customers were offended to receive a letter that came from a machine.

Ward also sensed opportunity to build a relationship through the mail. He included photographs of his top executives in the catalog, as well as buyers for specific departments so that customers would know to whom they were writing.

In their return letters, employees offered congratulations for marriages, the arrival of a new baby, or a condolence for the loss of a family member. These messages had meaning for many customers, and some even sent letters thanking employees for their support. The sales strategy helped convince hesitant customers to place an order. But it also had a surprising side effect. Isolated and lonely customers enjoyed the personal correspondence and included with order forms the type of personal letter that one might send to a pen pal.

Customers gave updates on their lives and even explained why they hadn't ordered in a while. One farmer wrote to Mr. Ward, detailing why he hadn't made a purchase since the previous fall catalog: "Well, the cow kicked my arm and broke it and besides my wife was sick, and there was the doctor bill.

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