The World's Columbian Exposition opens in Chicago, a world fair where 46 nations participated with exhibitions and attractions. Over 26 million people visited the fair, and for many of them, this was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to discover what lies beyond their own country's borders.
Publisher Charles W Goldsmith seized the opportunity to produce a novelty set of official postcards, showing the pavilions and other interesting sections of the exhibition in color. These were the first commercially produced pictorial postcards to be printed as a souvenir in the United States, and they proved to be a sensational hit. A year later, prominent London journalist James Douglas wrote:. It has secretly delivered us from the toil of letter-writing.
There are men still living who can recall the days when it was considered necessary and even delightful to write letters to one's friends. Those were times of leisure.
Happily, the Picture Postcard has relieved the modern author from this slavery. He can now use all his ink in the sacred task of adding volumes to the noble collection in the British Museum. Formerly, when a man went abroad he was forced to tear himself from the scenery in order to write laborious descriptions of it to his friends at home. Now he merely buys a picture postcard at each station, scribbles on it a few words in pencil, and posts it. This enhances the pleasures of travel.
Many a man in the epistolary age could not face the terrors of the Grand Tour, for he knew that he would be obliged to spend most of his time in describing what he saw or ought to have seen.
The Picture Postcard enables the most indolent man to explore the wilds of Switzerland or Margate without perturbation. In June of , the World Association Kosmopolit was founded in Nuremberg, a postcard collecting club with thousands of members.
The association was active until the First World War, and at its peak counted with more than 15 members in Germany alone. The turn of the century saw the golden era of postcards. An article on the Standard a British newspaper from August 21, read:. With multiple daily pickups and deliveries up to 12 times per day in large cities! It was cheap and convenient to send them, and postcard-obsession reached its peak in the Edwardian era with billions of them being sent every year.
Scenic landscapes, portraits, exhibitions, royal visits, humorous scenes or even current events were quickly printed in postcards shortly after taking place. The many surviving examples of such postcards tell a vivid picture of the time. Sporadic cases have occurred in Britain. Young ladies who have escaped the philatelic infection or wearied of collecting Christmas cards, have been known to fill albums with missives of this kind received from friends abroad; but now the cards are being sold in this country, and it will be like the letting out of waters.
The travelling Teuton seems to regard it as a solemn duty to distribute them from each stage of his journey, as if he were a runner in a paper chase. His first care on reaching some place of note is to lay in a stock, and alternate the sipping of beer with the addressing of postcards.
Sometimes he may be seen conscientiously devoting to this task the hours of a railway journey. Some of these cards, by the way, are of enormous size; and anyone who is favoured with them by foreign correspondents is subjected to a heavy fine by the inland postal authorities, who are not content with delivering them in a torn and crumpled state.
In , the British Post Office allowed messages to be written on one half of the side normally reserved for the address, paving the way for the divided back era of postcards. This left the reverse side of the card free to be completely filled with an image. However, these postcards could not be sent abroad until other Universal Postal Union members agreed to do the same.
An American of German descent, Curt Teich started a publishing company in Chicago in focused on newspaper and magazine printing. A few years later, in , Curt Teich Co. Curt Teich was an early pioneer of the offset printing process, and the first to understand the advantages of using lightly embossed paper to speed up the drying of ink, allowing the finished product to retain brighter colors.
Because of their texture resembling linen, these embossed postcards became known as linen cards. He is best known for the Greetings From postcards with large letters , having successfully adapted the idea of the earlier Gruss Aus cards to the US audience. Dail, a salesman from Michigan, invented the revolving postcard rack. The metal contraption could be placed in a counter and allowed customers to view and select postcards for themselves.
Starting in and well into the s, postcards featuring a white border became commonplace in the US. Seven major sport and fitness companies filed for bankruptcy in In , 24 Hour Fitness was an industry leader, earning more than 1.
Unfortunately, in it had to file Chapter 11 and close around locations. Likewise, Town Sports International had to shut down over sites. IHRSA These fitness industry statistics are unfortunate, and the industry employee count dropped from 3. This affected small-business owners as well, and with extended restrictions, some of these job prospects may never recover.
The infection rate in US gyms was 0. IHRSA According to a study conducted by the University of Florida, thanks to gym patrons abiding by safety guidelines, the number of detected infections was not statistically significant. NPD Some equipment sales experienced impressive triple-digit growth. In , there were around 6. More than However, a significant number of people - 8.
Thanks to that, health and fitness industry statistics show that the average monthly membership is quite high. Working remotely made it easier for people to join online live or pre-recorded training sessions and exercise at home.
Therefore, many were interested in amping up their at-home exercising, either through affordable bodyweight programs, or by decking out entire rooms with workout gear. IHRSA Online fitness industry statistics show that the pandemic forced people to adjust to the new norm, and most Americans tried out fitness apps and video-guided exercises. Just under a third of them also participated in a fitness challenge to keep their exercise regular. Unfortunately, due to the COVID pandemic, remains an outlier year for fitness clubs and gyms.
However, fitness industry growth statistics show that the last two are among the most growing age groups attending health clubs. The 6 to 17 age group had the highest increase in memberships from to - These generations are followed by 55 to year olds at Hispanic people contributed the most to gym and fitness club membership growth, with a Fitness equipment industry statistics show that treadmills are the most popular exercise machine across all ethnic groups, followed closely by free weights.
The largest demographic with health club memberships in the US are Caucasians at US Bureau of Labor Statistics As reflected by gym industry statistics, this is a job where employers commonly accept people with practical experience rather than formal education.
Most people in the industry start on a payroll of a small business. As you continue to work, you can specialize and get appropriate certification for the type of training you are holding. The most common fitness instructor certifications are for strength training, yoga, and kickboxing.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics Fitness industry growth is projected to create around 69, job openings for trainers and instructors yearly on average for the next ten years. A significant portion of those job positions is expected to result from part of the current workforce retiring and moving to other industries.
Before the pandemic, in , the fitness industry served more than Statista The industry almost doubled in the decade preceding , as it grew from The number of fitness and health clubs in the US dropped to just over 32, Statista Before , there were more than 41, fitness establishments in the US. Unfortunately, a significant number had to close down. Statista The European fitness industry includes everything from sports to gyms and even fitness apps. The sector had 63 million customers across the EU in Statista Fitness industry market research shows that Germany and the UK have significantly larger fitness markets than the other European countries.
But the world has changed. Everything about the way we travel, work, and spend looks different today. The latest sales statistics highlight some of the market turmoil caused by the pandemic while showing the acceleration of digital transformation as well as promising growth trends and soaring sales figures in individual industries.
The following stats will walk you through specific sectors and point out some of the more surprising and interesting sales facts. An average of 18 calls is needed to connect with buyers. Salesforce Even before the pandemic, virtual sales were on the rise, with many sales representatives reporting that they touch base with prospective customers and existing clients via video chat rather than traveling to meetings and lunches.
These sales trends tell us that virtual selling is here to stay. Salesforce As is the case in many industries, the acceleration of the digital transformation process is evident in the sales sector. Membrain The substantial increase in both the types and the use of sales technology tools is being fuelled by online purchasing. Sales stats from reveal that most organizations at the time used only two main tools: CRM software and online meeting tools. With six tools in regular use, the sales sector started to see more opportunities for leveraging technology to better cater to customers.
Hubspot A Litmus report dubbed State of Email reveals most respondents feel that only interactive content in marketing emails can get their attention.
Depending on your target audience and relevant sales information and analytics, you can add interactivity into your emails by including an embedded video, animated GIFs, a form, faux video, or carousel. Think about creative SMS content, too, or employ mass text software to help you create one with catchy phrases.
Consumers are generally suspicious when it comes to calls from sales reps and tend to avoid them by hanging up or not answering the phone at all. Likewise, only The sales numbers indicate that more investment is needed into technologies that help locate potential buyers and improve the quality and quantity of communication. Invesp Follow-up calls can make all the difference. Statistics that expose this passive trend among sales reps also indicate that consumers tend to change their minds if called at least four times.
An astounding 60 percent of contacted prospects agree to buy a product or service during the fifth call, according to sales follow-up statistics compiled by the US consulting company, Invesp. Salespeople have a reputation for hassling potential consumers, and these figures show that they would improve their chances of making a sale if they change their approach.
Invesp Prospecting statistics reveal that even though most newly established businesses have to focus on acquiring new customers, the long-run focus should be on retaining them. Namely, it costs five times as much to gain a new buyer than to keep an existing one. The American auto industry was showing signs of recovery in the summer of , with nearly 1. Goodcarbadcar Following a sharp decline that saw sales plummet from 17 million in to just a little over But according to United States car sales statistics, the positive trend failed to extend into the spring, with only , automobiles sold in October.
Those are the lowest monthly sales figures in years. California accounts for the highest number of car sales in the US. Statista Research from shows that the state of California registered more than The state is also the biggest market for electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids, and for used car sales.
Statistics by state reveal that Texas had the second-highest number of automobile registrations, with just over 8. Texas is followed by Florida 7. Statista The US gun industry is having a good pandemic, with Americans buying handguns in record numbers. Gun sales statistics also reveal a spike in handgun sales in June , when 1.
The American trade book market recorded a 9. Association of American Publishers During the pandemic-induced global lockdowns, many people turned to books.
Reading once again became a favorite pastime in many American households, who contributed to the 9. Statista Video games had a huge with more people than ever buying and playing games during the pandemic. Video game sales statistics for the US market in show that the industry is maintaining its upward trajectory. NBWA The forced closures of bars and restaurants during the pandemic had a significant impact on alcohol sales. Toilet paper sales statistics in exposed a somewhat disturbing and equally commercial side of consumer behavior in times of crisis.
Girl Scouts Selling Girl Scout cookies has been a tradition in the US since and has become a lucrative business for many. There are many challenges facing sales teams and managers, especially when it comes to locking down customers and promoting products and services.
On the other hand, some industries are doing better than ever. Business sales statistics show that demand for canned beer, video games, and guns has never been higher.
Despite that, white-collar crime statistics show the seriousness of this problem, which can have devastating consequences on businesses and enterprises. You need to decide on that goal when you create the mailing so you can choose the right message and call to action to include on the card and best mailing list for the campaign. How much of a response do you think the Omaha Steaks company would get if they sent marketing postcards to the subscriber list of the Vegetarian Times?
Mailing to the wrong list is an expensive postcard mailing mistake. In most cases, you in-house mailing list ie, a list of customers and prospects who have identified themselves to you is the best list.
For a fee, you can rent subscriber lists of specialized publications and newsletters read by prospects in your targeted market. Solve the problem by having a clear call to action telling the recipient what you want them to do, and how to do it.
Another big postcard marketing mistake is sending just a single mailing. What you need is a postcard marketing campaign with multiple mailings to the same list. Consistent repetitive mailings are exceedingly more effective than a one-time, shot-in-the-dark mailing. When someone sees your company name over and over again, it builds credibility and familiarity. Although it may take a number of contacts with a customer before it leads to a sale, the eventual increase in revenue usually far offsets the small cost of postcard printing.
You want your postcards to look professional but at the same time contain an affable message that produces a pleasant emotional reaction from readers. Postcards that contain a brief personal message generate significantly more replies than those that read like a cool and formal ad.
Avoid using indicia imprinted postage when possible; i. People associate it with junk mail. A first-class stamp costs a little more per card but looks friendlier and produces more replies. This is a great way to maintain and update mailing lists. Pay attention also to postcard dates of arrival.
Monday, Friday and holiday-time arrivals have been proven to be less effective; Tuesday and Wednesday arrivals get the best results because the volume of mail is generally lighter on those days. Check with your postal service if you are unsure how to gauge postcard arrivals, especially if you are mailing out-of-state. It is not necessary today for a business to spend a bundle on postcard printing. You can print an attractive postcard on your laser or ink-jet printer for just pennies a card plus the cost of ink.
For larger mailings, professional printers charge considerably less per card as the number of postcards increase, and it may actually cost less than doing it yourself.
0コメント