Catalog Marketing in the Digital Era

The CEO of 1-800 Flowers Chris McCann said, “I don’t think you’ll see us shifting away from catalog anytime soon, that’s too high risk in my mind.” He also adds “But we are working to diligently find the right balance between catalog and digital.” Catalog is basically a mainstay still and usual retailers are turning to digital for better product marketing and to generate sales.

Why catalog in digital era?

There have been too many preconceived notions about catalog usage in the digital times. Merchants are using catalogs today for different purposes but the main is to do the product selling; it’s a medium for trying promotions and creative treatments. There are different methods of prospecting catalogs; there must be more expansion via emails and social media. Catalogs are important investment and there is no getting wrong. We all know that established catalog dynamics, impressive design can very much influence purchasing decisions. Do you think there is still much scope for it? It looks like everyone reads information online these days but according to a research this is actually not the case. There is still need for catalog and now businesses are adopting digital catalogs and print as well.

Role of catalog in marketing

In the recent economic scenario, budget allotted for sales and marketing are basically under pressure. It’s getting tough for companies to attain their sales objectives. Organizations feel that for sales and marketing to perform better, catalogs are crucial. They are a tool for generating web traffic and web sales. Organizations have discovered that about 60% sales are responsible for catalogs. So, it’s clear that organizations relying on this marketing tool would worry less about attaining sales targets. The catalogs are designed in a way that it directly interacts with the target audience and builds brand reputation.

Here are the main points that your catalog must possess:
• Should be able to grab attention
• Must convey your ideas in the market
• Selling capability
• Helps in fading barriers for buyers while placing orders

Customers still love something tangible even in this super digital era, it has a personal touch, they feel invested, makes browsing easier and can take prompt buying decisions. Most companies agree that catalog helps to build a brand and is very important for their business.

Here is a very recent study stating that eCommerce websites and email were in a leading position this year compared to catalogs as a basic way retailers reach their customers. The MCM Outlook Survey 2017 declared that they were using email marketing tools and eCommerce sites but catalog and social media was a bit behind. But catalogs are always important marketing tool.

Smartphones and catalogs

According to a recent survey done last year, about 77% of the U.S population use smartphones and majority of them remain online. So, this can be considered as a digital growth. Catalogs are always meaningful trying to build relationships by linking brands and products with customers. A recent study has shown that most smartphone users were interested in downloading applications to get familiar to a specific brand. More than online buying, it was to know about the brand well and making a decision. Now there are millions of apps and users literally feel overwhelmed with plenty such options. Catalogs may influence customers to use apps that help in searching product information, building a sturdy relationship and buying power through direct email campaigns. This pretty much proves that smartphones can boost catalog sales.

Printed paper catalogs – Not a thing of past

The Ecommerce industry is rising and so are the green marketing initiatives. Now we find less of paper mails but paper catalogs reach our mailboxes during the holiday season. A lot of retailers feel that direct marketing has a good amount of impact on buyers.

Printed paper catalogs help customers to read in a relaxing mood, mark the pages, highlight the items and make a list comfortably. Catalogs do not need access to internet, it’s kept in front of your eyes and keep you reminding that you need to buy that product or avail a particular service. Print is a scope to unite internet browsers, application users, retail shop shoppers and other new audiences. Printed catalogs help organizations grow their client/customer base and gives an exclusive shopping experience with lot of interaction. Studies have shown that sales have gone up with mailing of catalogs.

Final words

To conclude, the digital era and conventional catalogs go hand in hand, they balance each other, motivate brand loyalty and strengthen customer relationships. Digital marketing promoters would leave no stones un-turned to have you believe that direct mailing business is actually no more. It’s because they try selling digital campaigns to clients. The truth is, customers still have their love for receiving catalogs.

As merchants are facing new challenges while marketing to a wider customer segment due to too many sales channels, it good to keep in mind that message optimization, the platform and process of delivery is important in marketing effectiveness. Catalog marketing has already made a comeback and is here to stay.

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