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 The parent of the in-flight shopping magazine SkyMall said on Friday that it had filed for bankruptcy protection, citing in-flight Wi-Fi access as one of the factors luring shoppers away from its quirky catalog of travel products, pet toys and garden gnomes. 
 
 The company, Xhibit, said that it would sell off its online retail business and other assets. 
 
 “Historically, the SkyMall catalog was the sole in-flight option for potential purchasers of products to review while traveling. With the increased use of electronic devices on planes, fewer people browsed the SkyMall in-flight catalog,” Xhibit said in a filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission disclosing its Chapter 11 bankruptcy. 
 
 Founded in 1990 to cater to airplane passengers with time and money to spare, SkyMall catalog’s often featured wacky product offerings and provided comic relief for travelers riffling through the seat pockets for light reading. 
 
 Its 2014 holiday catalog offered a Santa Claus Sculptural Glass-Topped Holiday Table for $129; and $1,000 Serenity Pods for cats and dogs, fitted with a wireless sound system and LED lights, which promised to gently rock them to sleep. More sensible offerings included travel-related items like passport wallets or wrinkle-free resort wear. 
 
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 SkyMall’s eclectic lineup contributed to its downfall, its bankruptcy filing suggested. 
 
 “Because SkyMall historically did not narrowly tailor its product offerings, SkyMall faced well-established competitors in every market vertical, as well as competition from significant, broad-based e-commerce providers, such as Amazon.com and eBay.com,” the filing said. 
 
 Many of SkyMall’s competitors have greater, or vastly greater, resources, longer histories, more customers and higher brand recognition.” 
 
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 The costs of carrying printed SkyMall catalogs also made them increasingly unattractive to airlines, the company said. Delta’s contract with SkyMall ended Nov. 30, and Southwest Airlines told Xhibit in December that it would not carry the catalog beyond April of this year, according to the filing. By the end of December, SkyMall faced “a severe liquidity crisis,” it said. 
 
 Sales from Southwest travelers alone made up about 7 percent of its overall merchandise sales and the negative impact on its bottom line could be even greater, the company had warned in an earlier statement. 
 
 Still, Paul Swinand, an analyst for Morningstar who covers the retail industry, called the bankruptcy filing surprising. 
 
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 “That would seem like it’s a monopoly business,” he said. “Nobody competes with them. Where the SkyMall fell flat was with mobile. If people are on their phones, they’re not browsing the SkyMall catalog.” 
 
 Scott Wiley, Xhibit’s acting chief executive, said in a statement that he was “extremely disappointed in this result.” Mr. Wiley replaced the former Xhibit chief, Kevin Weiss, who resigned from the company last year as its woes mounted. 
 
 He said Xhibit was “hopeful that SkyMall and the iconic ‘SkyMall’ brand find a home to continue to operate as SkyMall has for the last 25 years.” 
 
 In its filing, Xhibit listed assets of $1 million to $10 million, and liabilities of $10 million to $50 million. Delta, American and US Airways were listed among its creditors. 
 
 The SkyMall business generated revenue of about $33.7 million in 2013 and $15.8 million for the nine months ended Sept. 28, according to the filing. Debtors estimate that total creditor claims are approximately $12 million, according to the filing ||||| SkyMall, whose in-flight shopping catalogs have long been a staple of airline travel, has filed for bankruptcy protection, blaming changing consumer habits and the loss of contracts from two major carriers, Delta and Southwest. 
 
 Xhibit Corp XBTC.PK, SkyMall's parent, on Friday said it hoped to sell its main assets, including the SkyMall online retail business, in April through a court-supervised auction, and then complete an "orderly wind-down" of its affairs. 
 
 It also said it suspended its retail catalog operations on Jan. 16, laying off 47 of its 150 employees. 
 
 Xhibit and SkyMall filed for Chapter 11 protection from creditors on Thursday night in the U.S. bankruptcy court in Phoenix, their hometown. The debtors, including several affiliates, face $12 million of creditor claims. 
 
 Founded in 1989, SkyMall said it sold more than 30,000 products it calls "cool stuff," including novelty items ranging from personalized socks to dog beds to a $2,499 football helmet signed by Notre Dame players and coaches. It says it reaches 650 million air travelers a year. 
 
 But in a court filing, Chief Financial Officer Scott Wiley said financial strains grew as travelers spent less time in the air browsing catalogs and more time on their smartphones and laptops, and amid increased competition from online rivals such as Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) and eBay Inc (EBAY.O). 
 
 Wiley also said Delta Air Lines Inc (DAL.N) ended its contract with SkyMall on Nov. 30, and Southwest Airlines Co (LUV.N) planned to stop carrying the catalog on April 1. 
 
 SkyMall revenue totaled $33.7 million in 2013, but only about $15.8 million in the first nine months of 2014, a court filing shows. 
 
 The case is In re: SkyMall LLC, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of Arizona, No, 15-bk-00679. 
 
 (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York) ||||| SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch)—There’s still time to get that special tortilla baby blanket from SkyMall, of course, but the in-flight catalog’s bankruptcy filing is just the latest black eye for an industry that has lost ground for more than a decade. 
 
 The mail-order industry generated $71.4 billion in revenues last year, down 6% from five years ago, according to estimates from analysts at IBISWorld. The analysts predicted a drop to $61 billion in revenues, or 14%, by 2019. 
 
 The main reason? A dwindling customer base and the relentless competition from the likes of Amazon.com Inc. AMZN, -1.29% and other online retailers. 
 
 After all, that same resin yeti sculpture some may consider adorning their lawn with can be found at Amazon. In many cases, e-commerce companies offer more convenience, quicker transactions and more thorough product information than traditional mail order catalogs, IBISWorld analysts said. 
 
 Not to mention price: the yeti sculpture is actually cheaper at SkyMall’s site than on Amazon, but broadly speaking, e-retailers’ prices are “highly competitive,” the analysts said. 
 
 Mailing costs have also increased, coinciding with a growing consumer backlash against unsolicited mail and concerns about paper waste. 
 
 SkyMall and parent company Xhibit Corp. US:XBTC executives couldn't be reached for comment. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Thursday, and in filings in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Phoenix, acting Chief Executive Scott Wiley cited e-commerce as one of the reasons for his company’s financial dire straits. 
 
 In addition, air travelers increasingly snubbed SkyMall’s catalogs in favor of their electronic devices, he said. SkyMall is looking for a buyer and will attempt to a scaled-down business operating during the process. 
 
 Don’t dismiss mail-order businesses just yet. The industry has thrived for decades, and some companies have embraced online retail and mobile platforms to expand their customer bases, IBISWorld said. 
 
 Survival will hinge on their ability to identify a target audience through demographic data and advertise their niche products to specific customers through catalogs and digital methods, the analysts said.
– It was just a matter of time: The company behind SkyMall, the inflight magazine that pitched air travelers stuff they didn't need, has filed for bankruptcy. It could go no longer compete now that people are allowed to fire up their smartphones and tablets on the plane, especially against the likes of Amazon. Xhibit Corp. has suspended the catalog but hopes it might survive in a bankruptcy deal. Business writers can't resist picking out their favorite items for sale: Wall Street Journal: "If a bankruptcy deal doesn’t happen, some flyers will be sad to see the seller of Bigfoot Garden Yeti statues (which retails for $2,250 for the life size model) and Litter Robots (a robotic self-cleaning cat litter box for $359.99) go the way of other now-defunct retailers." MarketWatch: "There’s still time to get that special tortilla baby blanket from SkyMall, of course, but ..." Reuters: "(N)ovelty items ranging from personalized socks to dog beds to a $2,499 football helmet signed by Notre Dame players and coaches." New York Times: Its story mentions "a Santa Claus Sculptural Glass-Topped Holiday Table for $129; and $1,000 Serenity Pods for cats and dogs, fitted with a wireless sound system and LED lights, which promised to gently rock them to sleep." USA Today: The company "that entices airline travelers with offers for iFetch ball launchers for dogs and mini clap-on alarm clocks, is ..." Wired: This is more of an ode, and apology, from SkyMall adorer Emily Dreyfuss. "I’m sorry I paid $7 for inflight Wi-Fi instead of reading you, little shopping catalog. Forgive me. "