Catalogues are a proven, valuable part of an integrated marketing strategy and great at driving online sales. Years ago the phrase ‘360° 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 sales, nothing could be further from the truth. Catalogues are more important and relevant than ever and this was highlighted in a recent report commissioned by the Royal Mail.
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 can be 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. Strong covers, use of hotspots, sales-led copy, generating pace, clear navigation, easy ordering are key areas of any successful catalogue. And remember, catalogues are a specialist marketing tool – specialist skills are required to ensure it is working as hard as it possibly can.
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