Lets get straight to the point: Catalogues are still an important part of the multi-channel retailers armoury. They are a proven, valuable part of an integrated marketing strategy and great at driving online sales. And you’d better start believing it.
Years ago the phrase ‘360º marketing’ was coined, this was revised to ‘clicks and mortar’ and then recently to ‘flick and click’. But however you describe it, essentially it means one thing; getting your name and products in front of prospective customers and allowing them to respond through their preferred channel.
Mailing catalogues regularly, lifts conversion to online sales, encourages more frequent purchases and increases average order value. Whilst many predicted the gradual demise of catalogues in the wake of online marketing, nothing could be further from the truth. Catalogues are more important and relevant than ever and has been highlighted in several research documents including our own (http://startupcitiessummit2020.websiteprog.space/report.php)
Although the web and catalogues are diametrically opposed in their approach, this difference is crucial to their successful integration. Good catalogues are proactive and demand to be read, websites are passive and generally have to be ‘discovered’ or ‘directed to’. Catalogues have the power to reach prospects, and generate sales, like no other marketing piece. And this applies both to B2B and B2C.
Catalogues are a significant investment and need to work hard from the moment they are picked up by the reader. You can’t afford to get it wrong. Over the past thirty-odd years catalogues have been subject to a huge amount of research and we know that good design, exploiting proven catalogue dynamics, can greatly influence buying decisions.
In simple terms, a catalogue has to grab attention, relay your proposition, sell your products off the page and remove barriers to placing the order – simple really! But get any part of it wrong and the catalogue will fail to maximise its selling potential.
Over the next few blogs I will sharing pointers as to how strong covers, use of hotspots, sales-led copy, generating pace, clear navigation, easy ordering, create catalogue that sell. And much more.
Stay with us – you may just learn something!