The recent resurgence of print catalogs is both impressive and refreshing for many of today’s consumers. And with catalogs growing in popularity among millennials and other key consumer groups, you can hardly afford not to invest in your catalog production. From their superb versatility to their ability to stimulate buying, the benefits of catalogs are too enticing to ignore. Below are six reasons why catalogs are print marketing gold.
1) Catalogs are a refreshing change for people who are bombarded with email
The average office worker receives 121 emails each day. And the number of unwanted or unsolicited emails continues to rise. Even with the best spam filters and efforts to protect your email address, there sometimes seems to be no way to control the endless receipt of electronic mail.
A home’s physical mailbox seems to do a much better job of screening the mail. The average household receives just over 12 pieces of mail per week. In contrast to opening an office email box, a visit to a physical mailbox is often a pleasant one. Any catalogs received are typically wanted, and many recipients eagerly look forward to receiving them.
2) You can make notes or staple business cards to catalogs
Have you ever been at a trade show and found a product line that you love? You spend a half an hour at the exhibitor’s booth enjoying a product demonstration while making mental notes of the product name and its favorite features. But then upon your return to the office, you may remember one or two key features, but you completely forgot the company and the name of that impressive sales executive you spoke with.
Catalogs are the best means of preventing this from happening. You can grab one catalog for you and a spare one for your product manager. You can circle key features, make a note of relevant specifications, and make a note of promotional pricing. And you can easily staple your favorite contact’s business card to the back of the catalog so you will always know who to call for assistance.
3) Millennials and people of all ages are drawn to catalogs
“Millennials are very engaged by imagery, and the catalog really allows that to stand out. So the response rate there is very different than what you would experience with a display ad, even an email. The response rate for a printed piece has been on the rise as of late.”
– Neil O’Keefe, Senior VP of Marketing and Content, Data & Marketing Association
Millennials now account for one-quarter of our population and combine to spend over $600 billion per year on products and services. They are rapidly gaining market traction as the country’s largest spending demographic.
Researchers who have examined consumers’ response to print catalogs are finding that millennials like catalogs more than any other age group, primarily because they enjoy engaging with mail. Catalogs are also effective with other age groups, with nearly all catalog recipients placing at least one order from those catalogs.
4) You do not need an internet connection to read them
Few things are more exasperating than slow internet speed or lost connections. And today’s consumers are so demanding, that over half of all people will abandon an online catalog or website if the pages take over three seconds to load. Unfortunately, these three problems are commonplace in today’s society and have become the source of much frustration.
Print catalogs are 100 percent resistant to the problems above. You can read through them at any time or location at your own pace. Best of all, you never have to worry about being interrupted by a dropped internet connection or contending with a slow loading page.
5) They can boost your company’s visibility
Catalogs are versatile. They do not consume a lot of space and can be placed on tables, in storage bins, in baskets, and in hanging shelves. Best of all, a single catalog on a table of an office lobby could be viewed by hundreds of people. Here are just a few of the many locations where catalogs are prevalent:
- In waiting areas at doctors offices, hospitals, clinics, dental offices, and surgery centers
- In the lobbies of hotels, beauty salons, automobile dealerships, and other area businesses
- On airplanes, in train stations, on buses, and in other transportation hubs
6) Consumers keep catalogs for future reference
Many consumers will decide to place an order as soon as they find a product or service they like in a catalog. And because catalogs stimulate buying through a number of channels, they are an effective addition to nearly every company’s marketing arsenal.
Catalogs are also valuable because not all buyers decide to purchase right away. But many consumers will hang onto a catalog because they know they intend to make a purchase at a later date. You can easily tear a page out of a catalog, fold it up, and place it in your pocket or purse for safekeeping. You can also earmark or flag the page that contains your favorite items and store the catalog in a desk drawer or your briefcase for easy reference in the future.
What is the best path to a stellar catalog?
As outlined above, catalogs offer a host of different benefits. However, not all catalogs are created equal. The best way to ensure that you end up with a first-rate catalog is to seek the guidance of an expert in the digital printing industry. Selecting an experienced full-service digital printing company can help you avoid missed deadlines and disastrous results that can occur with some fly-by-night printing providers.
We invite you to contact us at Superior Resource Printing & Graphics to discover why we are New York’s most dependable provider of digital printing services. With over 40 years of experience delivering results to top New York businesses, we have the tools and expertise required to design a five-star catalog that will delight even your most selective clients. We look forward to serving as your trusted resource for all of your printing needs!
