If you’ve noticed an influx of print catalogs in your mailbox, you’re not alone.
Companies like J.Crew and even digital-first Amazon have brought back their print catalogs, albeit with tweaks to reach younger generations of shoppers who are accustomed to doing these things on their phones. The results are promising and could be enough to influence others in the space to fire up the printing presses or, more realistically, call up their local print supplier and start placing orders.
While originally reported by ASI Media’s Hannah Rosenberger, the resurgence of print catalogs caught the attention of the Today Show, which devoted a segment to the trending topic on Oct. 30.
NBC’s Emilie Ikeda spoke with Dan Brown, ASI’s vice president of distributor services, to dig deeper into why companies like Patagonia and J.Crew are investing in print once again – and how they’ve adapted the design of the catalog for 21st-century marketing.
“They’re more interest drivers,” Brown said. “They’re not just order takers.”
What Brown meant is that the catalogs of today are more than just a picture with a SKU number and a number to call and order. They’re more of a lookbook and expanded brand universe, with actual articles and more artistic photographs than just a well-lit item floating in white space.
Brown noted that now the photos include a model wearing or using the product, inspiring the viewer the same way a high-end fashion magazine might.
One of the key differences is the use of QR codes, which has gained ubiquity following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ikeda, looking through the catalog on the air with the rest of the show’s co-anchors, noted that “you won’t find a single price tag in this,” but rather a QR code that shoppers can scan to go to the website.
“They’re really just trying to use the catalog to wet your whistle, to build some interest to drive you to their website,” Brown said.
It works, too, as the Today Show cited a Harvard Business Review study that found a 125% jump in inquiries from customers who received both email and catalog marketing, showing how both digital and tactile tactics like direct mail can coexist and complement each other.
Ikeda reported that J.Crew alone has noticed a rise in “reactivated customers” – people who had stopped shopping at the company but came back as a result of renewed interest from the catalog.
Pointing out one key benefit that print provides over digital, co-host Savannah Guthrie joked that when you circle something in a print catalog, it doesn’t “stalk you all over the internet” like some items seem to do thanks to user data.
Reach Customers With ASI’s Custom Catalogs
ASI’s catalog collection has been a key part of its promo industry offerings for decades. The Consolidated Catalog, one of the promo industry’s first catalogs, debuted in 1956 to let distributors shop all available supplier products before options like ESP made that easy. A version of that catalog is still around today in ASI’s annual Gift Book, as well as the twice-yearly Idea Showcases, one in the spring and one in the fall, and the annual Spectrum catalog. ASI’s custom catalog services will brand the catalogs with your company’s logo and information and then, with ASI’s comprehensive mailing list program, send them to high-value recipients that will effectively help you reach your target audience.
“Catalogs have always been a cornerstone product of ASI, and it’s exciting to see the rebirth of print as a key marketing channel to drive end-buyer purchases,” says Dan Brown, ASI’s vice president of distributor services. “Having a well-versed marketing plan with a variety of touch points is key to any business’s success, and print catalogs are an ‘old school’ approach that will still deliver sales.”
Contact Jacqueline Cloud if you’re interested in ASI’s selection of promo catalog offerings.
