Maximizing the Benefits of Printed Catalogs

With the rise of various online shopping and marketing tools, it’s understandable if you’ve assumed the printed catalog is on its way out in 2019. The truth might surprise you, then: The catalog is actually on the rise in recent years, and is becoming a hugely viable avenue for many business types.

At Sun Print Solutions, catalogs are just one of numerous different kinds of direct mail and digital printing jobs we can help you with. Research has shown that millennials in particular are highly interested in catalogs, and with this demographic only growing and becoming a larger segment of the purchasing population, this is a vital area to look at. Here are some basic tips on how to maximize your printed catalogs in ways that will benefit your marketing efforts.

Uses as Branding Tools

Catalogs are a great way to grab the attention of various recipients, even if not all those people end up directly purchasing products through a given catalog. They often help guide customers to a website or store to learn more, for instance, or serve as great research guides for people looking into certain products.

This is why many businesses that operate both online and print mail services tend to notice big jumps in online orders when they send out catalog blasts. The fact that these areas connect so seamlessly makes catalogs a vital part of your efforts in the modern day.

Data and Customer Segmenting

Catalogs offer you the ability to really optimize the segmenting you’ve done in your overall direct mail campaigns. You can separate out the customers you’ve identified as loyal and most likely to buy a given range of products, then send out more frequent catalogs to these people that are filled with the kinds of products they typically order. Use targeted data to vary up your catalogs by demographics – what’s the sense in sending the exact same catalog to a single millennial as you send to a married person in their mid-50s with an entirely different lifestyle?

Visuals and Style Guide

A big part of the reason millennials and other younger groups are so infatuated by catalogs? Their visual appeal. This means taking the care to use high-quality materials and designs goes a long way – some clients will simply use these catalogs for style and design inspiration, which links them to your brand. Many companies that use high-quality art on the catalogs report great returns from their combination of e-commerce and paper catalogs.

Sharing Benefits

Another great benefit of printed catalogs is the way they can be shared between people in hard form. Think about if your office receives a catalog – it gives a visual aid that helps when it’s passed through several hands before any purchases are made, compared to bland lists that don’t give much information about the products contained. Research has shown that customers spend more time with physical publications they can hold, and have a greater reaction to something when they’ve seen it in print form.

For more on why brochures are such an asset for your business, or to learn about any of our digital printing or other printing services, speak to the pros at Sun Print Solutions today.