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CATALOGUE FUTURES How the catalogue is


evolving By Andrew Wilson, Direct Commerce Consultant


Everything changes. No matter how much you don’t want it to. Take the mail order catalogue for instance.


It has been in existence now since (arguably) 1881 when Hammacher Schlemmer sent out their first catalogue. (Incidentally for those of you who have not come across this company before, their website, Hammacher.com, shows how excellent product selection can help positively define a brand even when the site is a little out of date.) After the first 120 years or so we got the impression that we


knew all there was to know about catalogues. We were accomplished, for the most part, at the integration


of catalogue marketing with stores, although the capture of retail data is the area where there was and is still most work to be done. We knew how to put together a distribution plan for maximum effect. We could choose a product range that achieved the perfect balance between old favourites and products that the customer didn’t realise that they wanted yet. We had finessed price point plans to provide the best balance between conversion rate and revenue. It seemed there was nothing left to know. Te end of this illusion of omniscience was caused by the


disruptive force of online shopping that started in the mid nineties and moved fully into its stride in the first years of the 21st century. Faced by its implacable progress many retailers began to question the need for catalogues. Some brands dropped them altogether. Te fear that catalogues would become obsolete was felt most


in the companies that served the young, the least in ones that catered for the older consumer. It had become the norm to believe that catalogues were out of date and, if they were to be used at all, they were only appropriate to the elderly. As time would tell this was patently rubbish. One of the reasons for the renaissance of the catalogue is


because of its unique combination of properties that cannot be replicated by any of the other channels. Tese are its intrusive nature, its longevity in the home and its complete flexibility of content.


Tis is a heady package. It allows you to present your products and brand to customers and prospects alike. You will drive traffic to both your website and your stores. You will enjoy the advantage of a prompted response. Instead of waiting for the customer to think of purchasing from you, you will put in front of them pages of reasons to buy from you and buy into your brand. Web customers in particular can get a very narrow view of


what you sell and stand for. Tis can be because that natural or paid for search has driven them to one particular product. Your


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catalogue can show then not only the product that they might associate with you but the full panoply of your range. And often they will keep your catalogue for later referral. If you have read Royal Mail’s excellent “Te Private Life of


Mail” (and if you haven’t get yourself a copy) you will see that not only are physical communications regarded as being of more value, they also make customers feel more important. So how do we take full advantage of this mixture of


abilities? Firstly because today’s catalogue is freed of the obligation to


carry all of the selling load, space is opened up to do things other than sell product. Of course the catalogue still has to feature product but, because now one of the roles of the catalogue is to drive traffic to other channels, the listing of products need not be as exhaustive as in the past. Tis allows greater space to express brand.


Te power of this should not be underestimated. Te


opportunity to remind existing customers and inform prospects of your values, company ethos and brand personality, whilst displaying the breadth of your product range and directing them to all of your channels is the most incredible opportunity. What’s more done properly the consumer is happy to welcome this marketing vehicle into their home and give it plenty of attention. So how do you go about engaging with your customers with


today’s catalogue? When writing this article I was considering using examples of branding carried out by companies who published great catalogues. Whilst much of this is about inventiveness, it is often thought that certain market sectors offer greater opportunity to brand build. So I have chosen a local, offline retailer who operates in what many people would think is an everyday and perhaps even dull market sector which resells other companies’ products. It is without doubt more difficult to build a brand when you sell


other companies’ products rather than your own but it is by no means impossible. Amazon managed to build a global brand based on service levels and range rather than having their own products. On a rather smaller scale, very near me in Bristol, is Cotham


Hardware. Unless you live in the area you will probably never have heard of them. Tey are as the name suggests based on an old fashioned hardware store and they do an utterly and completely brilliant job in brand building. So much so that they were chosen as Hardware Retailer of the Year in 2014.


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