Retailers that market an aspirational product,may want to take a second look at their catalogue and online product pages. The chances are that they are missing an opportunity.
While digital buzzwords abound, the catalogue represents an essential marketing tool. A study by The Australasian Catalogue Association last year found that 88% percent of consumers said they use catalogues to browse and discover products. The impending demise of print has been grossly over stated.
Some companies are taking it even further, finding that customers will spend more time with catalogues when they start taking a magazine-like content and storytelling approach by adding a structured program of editorial copy, high-end design and illustration and lifestyle photography.
Online-only retailers, somewhat ironically, are leading the trend in print versions of these magalogues, which work especially well in selling fashion, tech and premium-priced products. Retailers like Merchant1948, Palmers, Flooring Xtra and Mighty Ape all produce magazines of varying format, to name a few.
While these particular examples are all print products, the experience a magalogue can create for a reader isn’t limited to print. Retailers are using magazine-style editorial planning, articles and photography as part of digital publishing programs that integrate with a print program or stand alone.
So why are these companies turning to the magalogue approach? Here are just a few of the reasons:
Cuts through the clutter. A well-designed and thought out catalogue has a chance to stay out of the rubbish bin and make its way to other household members. It’s the same for a well-crafted digital media program that creates an experience online that people will want to return to.
Increases engagement time. Customers will spend more time viewing a magalogue product compared with a catalogue, and a magalogue gives a company a better chance to present its brand in a controlled environment. It helps to make a brand more human and gather a community of fans that identify with the lifestyle the brand presents.
Allows for browsing. A magalogue lets customers discover new products they didn’t know they wanted until they saw it. Compare that to most traditional retail websites, which are better suited to finding something you already had in mind.
It’s worth keeping this twist on the traditional catalogue in mind whether you are trying to build a brand or drive sales. Particularly if there is an opportunity to inform, educate or entertain, over and above price and product. This new approach can win new converts and turn occasional customers into lifelongcustomers.
Talk to the team at Pumpt about some recent successful case studies in the magalogue and publishing area of our business.