Universal mail order company

Universal mail order companies are mail order companies whose offer is not limited to a certain product line - such companies are called special mail order companies . In contrast to these, universal mailers are well known among the population. The largest providers in the German-speaking region were Quelle , Otto and neckermann.de , of which today (2019) only Otto still exists, whereas international companies occupy top positions.

The German universal mail order companies experienced an enormous boom, especially in the decades after the Second World War; The demand for consumer goods of all kinds was particularly high in the post-war period and the population in the “flat countryside” in particular took advantage of the range of mail-order companies, whose offers were usually significantly cheaper than those of the specialist trade.

The universal mail order companies traditionally offered their products in a catalog , which was sent to interested parties twice a year, in a spring / summer and an autumn / winter edition. The spring / summer catalog was usually the "main catalog" and much more extensive. In the last few years the providers have increasingly switched to also specialized catalogs, such as B. for fashion .

From the 1960s and 1970s, the range of products on offer went beyond consumer goods for everyday use. Travel, financial products such as B. Insurance and even prefabricated houses are offered. The universal mail order companies expanded into groups with numerous subsidiaries, opened their own production facilities as well as sales agencies and department stores, and cooperated with department store chains, tour operators, logistics service providers and other companies.