Print catalogs are making a comeback. You might be saying: “Everyone is buying online these days. Paper is in short supply, so catalogs are extinct. Right?”
You couldn’t be further from the truth. Sun Print Solutions published a blog outlining reasons for the return of the catalog, but there’s more to the story.
Although the department store catalog of yesteryear is not coming back, the appeal of the printed page mixed with a dash of personalized touch is appealing to a new audience. Weary of buying online and overwhelmed by digital fatigue, these purchasers preferred the tangible feeling of the printed page and wanted to take a breath by refocusing their buying habits.
Printed catalogs have become the antidote for digital overload. Now printed marketing materials are emerging as a remedy for our electronically overloaded brains.
Harvard Business Review published an article entitled ‘How Paper Catalogs Remain Relevant in a Digital Age’. The article referenced research about the side-effects of the pandemic in which customers had more time to read catalogs and welcomed the distraction from constant screen viewing.
The report cited that ROI was 60% higher with a physical, catalog-prone customer than the e-commerce-prone customer. They determined that sending out specially-designed catalogs to a target audience maximizes effectiveness and minimizes waste in both marketing and environmental impact.
With the added value of QR codes, catalog readers can be transported online to explore more details about the item on the page. It’s like having an online, unsalaried sales rep available to provide instant information, help and services – while making the overall customer experience stress-free and much more enjoyable.
Customers can discover more about your products and services while in return you gain more insight into their buying preferences. Read more about this topic in this blog, about why your business needs QR codes.
Did you know that June is world environment month? Kicking off June 5th, the UN General Assembly designated this day, starting in 1973, to raise awareness about addressing the environment and what steps are required to take action to address the pressing issues of the day.
And speaking of the environment, digital media takes more energy to produce than printed materials.
According to a report from CBC entitled ‘Digital data has an environmental cost’, data centers, the focal point of content creation, are estimated to release about 159 million metric tons of carbon back on the atmosphere annually. Additionally, a typical data center is estimated to use between three to five gallons of fresh water for daily cooling. The carbon footprint of computers and monitors to create digital content can really add up.
Two Sides North America, an independent, non-profit organization, was created to foster a better understanding about the paper industry and ensure the paper industry remains an essential medium of choice. One of the largest myths about using paper is that some say ‘paper is bad for the environment’.
The truth is that paper is one of the few truly sustainable products. According to the AF&PA 2020 report, about 40% of the fiber used in paper making in the U.S. is obtained through recycling.
The remaining paper is typically obtained through thinning of forest stands being grown to larger diameters to provide raw materials for lumber and plywood. Download Paper & Print: Myths & Facts guide.
It’s vital that you know Sun Print Solutions is committed to sustainability as part of our ongoing relationship with our paper suppliers. We base our entire print workflow on an environmentally conscious initiative of a sustainable product system. From the eye-catching ink to the multitude of paper materials, Sun Print Solutions is committed to being a responsible corporate citizen.
The paper catalog has been making waves with a variety of big-name companies. For example, L.L. Bean, a legacy catalog company, and others including J. McLaughlin and even digital-native brand UNTUCKit, have embraced catalogs to reach out to their customers directly – using the power of print.
There are many more benefits of printed catalogs. This blog offered even more reasons to provide customers with catalogs to bolster marketing efforts. From branding tools to data and customer segmenting, catalogs offer a multitude of visuals and styles to appear to a wide variety of product or service purchasers. And on top of that, the printed catalog is easily shareable with others, extending the brand experience with their friends and family.
Call us today and we’ll start planning for the best printed catalog for you – and your customers.
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