Old-fashioned, expensive, and irrelevant. Just three of the reasons why retailers chose to discontinue their
printed catalogs when the last recession started to bite. Internet usage and the rise of social media also
convinced many businesses that the days of the printed catalog were over. Ten years on, many of these same
businesses have have returned to using printed media to complement their online marketing. The physical
catalog has made a comeback. Here are the reasons why.
Five Reasons Why E-commerce Businesses Should Consider Physical Catalogs
1. Information overload
2. Look and feel
3. Brand awareness
4. The omni-channel experience
5. Ease of production
It might seem strange to suggest that e-commerce organizations should use printed material. All indicators
show that consumers are spending more time indulging in a digital lifestyle. Consequently, it would be foolish to
focus marketing resources on a purely print based campaign. However, a printed catalog can really add brand
value when combined with effective digital marketing. This is because so much of our time is spent looking at
screens. At work, we stare at our computer screens. In our free time, our phones or tablets often have our
attention. All this screen use can be overwhelming. Everyone likes to take the occasional break.
Flicking through the pages of a magazine or catalog has always been a relaxing and pleasurable experience.
The feel of a physical catalog in your hands is something that digital technology can’t quite replace. Turning the
pages of a visually appealing catalog is an emotional experience. People picture themselves with the products,
and this inspires them to shop.
Retail catalogs are more than just linesheets. A really effective catalog should also have lifestyle pages, which
can promote brand history and ethos. Relevant articles should be included, such as case studies, testimonials,
and how-tos. When a catalog contains great content, it is engaging on multiple levels. When readers are
absorbed in the pages of a catalog, brand awareness and loyalty is increased. Consequently, they are far more
likely to make a decision to buy. And because they look forward to receiving the next catalog with pleasure,
repeat business is also more probable. Above all, the catalog needs to provide customers with a great
experience.
The evidence suggests that the same advertising material is more effective on physical paper copy than it is in
electronic format: Paper Beats Digital In Many Ways, According To Neuroscience.
Paper catalogs have another advantage over email campaigns. Even if the intended recipient throws an unread
catalog straight into the trash, this still requires action on their part. In contrast, many emails are not even seen.
Customers are using ever more effective email filters. Any email that looks like advertising copy stands a very
good chance of ending up in the junk mail folder. And even those emails that do make it through the net may
not necessarily be effective.
Research shows that click-through rates from email can be as low as two percent. When only one out of every
five marketing emails are actually opened, this translates to one in three hundred emails resulting in a visit to a
website. So multi-channel engagement is not just desirable, it is vital. But multi-channel is difficult to implement
successfully. An omni-channel marketing strategy is required.
4. The Omni-Channel Experience
Buyers hold most of the power in today’s marketplace. They have so many choices, and retailers must cater for
all of them. Online, mobile, email, social media, and in-store are all relevant. Businesses must engage with
these customers across all possible channels, or lose opportunities. This is why it is so important to use omnichannel
marketing.
An online catalog is one channel that every e-commerce business should be using, and ideally customers
should be able to download the catalog in pdf format and print it. However, most customers are unlikely to
overwork their printers. This is where the printed catalog can make an impact. Mailing out printed catalogs is
expensive, so they shouldn’t be sent out en-masse to every potential customer. Also, each customer shouldn’t
receive the same catalog. A selectively targeted lookbook will have a much better success rate than a catalog
containing a stores entire inventory. This is where an omni-channel approach comes in. Individual customers
can be targeted based on their buying history and demographics. If a printed catalog matches their
requirements, it should be sent to them.
To use omni-channel effectively, the very least that a business needs is a good CRM (Customer Relations Management) system. Using a CRM enables businesses to capture the necessary information, analyze it, and
act on it. It can store the data generated by the customer’s actions across multiple channels, and help to
automate the entire sales and marketing process.
Producing a catalog has never been easier. Any Shopify or Magento store owner can create a basic catalog
using their existing product collections in just minutes. Adding cover pages, branding, and lifestyle pages is also
simplicity itself. All that remains for you to do is to add some enticing images and well written text, to make your
catalog stand out from the crowd. To find out just how simple it is to create a catalog automatically in minutes by
Shopify collection, click here.
In conclusion, catalogs are an effective selling tool that e-commerce stores should not overlook. If you are
interested in creating a catalog, or have any questions, please feel very welcome to contact us:
support@zination.com.
