While some view the printed catalog as a dinosaur lumbering quietly into extinction, retailers have reinvented the catalog shopping experience to amplify their overall sales strategy this holiday season.
NewPoint Media Group, publishers of The Real Estate Book, Mature Living Choices, Senior Living Choices, New Homes & Ideas, New Home Journal, and New Home Finder, among other titles, recently launched a Catalog Challenge” to illuminate retailers’ embrace of the printed catalog as a vital component in their overall marketing strategy this holiday season.
“Catalogs have always been valuable,” says Scott Dixon, CEO of NewPoint. “There are traits that are inherent to this type of media and this type of advertising that are not viable through other media. For example, the quality of the printed piece adds credibility to the brand. The tactical presence of the page evokes a sensory and emotional connection to the brand and the interruptive nature intersects with a consumer – in their mailbox, on a countertop, or in a rack on the street.”
The Direct Marketing Association estimates that 12.5 billion print catalogs are mailed each year and new interactive features such as QR codes, text codes, and augmented reality have redefined the catalog shopping experience.
“We have always known that one of the top ways to drive traffic to a website was to advertise that site offline. You see web addresses everywhere. Now, the offline and online lines are blurred. It’s about the total engagement in the brand – whether that’s in print, on a website, a social network, or a mobile app,” Dixon adds. “Consumers really expect to be able to interact with a brand through their means of choice – not ours. Online retailers such as Zappos and Amazon are learning what traditional brick and mortar retailers like J. Crew, Pottery Barn, and Macy’s already knew.”
To further demonstrate their point, NewPoint launched a “Catalog Challenge” contest this holiday season, encouraging their customers and prospects to collect the cover of every holiday catalog they receive this season and mail them in by January 15, for a chance to win $1,000.
“People shop catalogs. As a child, did you ever dream through the holiday catalogs, turning down pages, circling items, and making detailed lists based on your extensive research? “Dixon says. “We still do that today – and then go online or in to the store to buy. Some online only retailers estimate that almost half of their online sales come from catalog shoppers.”
For more information, visit www.NewPointMediaGroup.com.
