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CATALOGUE FUTURES
Don’t send me a catalogue!
By By Rosie Freshwater, MD of retail marketing agency Leapfrogg
What would it be like to know that each customer who receives a catalogue truly wants one, enjoys leafing through, and feels as if the retailer has got to know them personally?
Many people don’t want to be sent catalogues in the post, for reasons from the digital switch to environmental concerns, and online versions can be just as irksome if not requested or targeted. So what will distinguish the clever retailers from those who
‘spray and pray’? Exceptional customer data is the holy grail. Indiscriminate marketing was common practice across many
disciplines until recent years. Te common “build it and they will come” perception applied to websites, catalogue distribution where everyone was sent the same book at the same time regardless of their buying habits, through to social media as it became popular. Of course, if you ploughed enough of your budget into general
campaigns you would see an increase in sales, but also an awful lot of wastage and low ROI. Particularly with the high costs associated with print. Direct retailers grew smarter and have become far savvier with
their catalogue mailings, working with data partners to analyse the buying habits and spending patterns of their customers, while tailoring send outs to different segments accordingly. Te same principles are also now being applied online with email campaigns, based on online behavioural data, while websites are constantly refined according to browsing behaviour and transactions. Tis use of data to improve and tailor the customer experience
has been the bedrock of the customer centricity movement. Being able to segment a database and tailor the way shoppers are treated, according to their own preferences, has been the key to effective
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business growth. Only now that retailers’ data capabilities are falling into place
are they beginning to realise this is only half of the picture. Retailers are realising they need to focus much more on
understanding who their customers really are, not who they assume them to be, and use that insight to start to place them at the heart of business decisions. Many are working to understand how their customers want to engage with them throughout the buying journey, refining and tweaking the experience they give them accordingly at each touchpoint. Rational and emotional understanding of customers is essential
to offer the consumer, with their ever-increasing expectations, the experience they want. Rational data is information gleaned based on the experience
you offered them, not the experience they really want when shopping with you. Knowing things like personal values, preferred types of
content, media habits, what inspires and influences customers as well as asking them what they want when shopping with you will present deep new insights. Retailers who can overlay this emotional insight with their
rational data can begin to truly tailor their marketing channels to the right customer, with the right message and experience activated at the right time. Delivering the right experience on a consistent basis will generate all important customer happiness, leading to repeat spend. Tis approach is especially important with catalogues.
FEATURE
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