by Donna Talarico
It’s no secret that I am an Internet addict. If my fingers aren’t striking keys, either on a keyboard or the touch pad on my iPhone, than I am probably showering or sleeping.
But, I am also a traditionalist and, as of late, have been trying to give my tired eyes a break from staring the screen. And it’s a welcome change, because I prefer to read my books and favorite magazines on paper. And, don’t tell the marketers what I am about to say because I cannot possibly handle the surge of mail that will be sent to me, but I am 99% likely to buy SOMETHING from every mail order catalog that gets sent to me. Here’s why.
It’s cozy to sit down and page through as I am eating a quick (usually pre-prepared or microwaved) meal at my kitchen table. I give every item close attention as I turn the pages, whereas online if I am rushed, I will just scroll, click, and maybe miss something that I’d otherwise be interested in. I circle or dog ear items I like. I leave the catalog out on my table or coffee table. A few days later, I page through it again. The catalog is tangible. It’s always top-of-mind. And the best part? I can still order online. But, it’s a more intimate shopping experience. I am definitely an out-of-site-out-of-mind kind of person, so a physical reminder works for me.
The latest mail order sales catalog I received was L.L. Bean’s Christmas Favorites 2009. LL. Bean is a long-time, successful mail order company. These guys have been around nearly a century, first as a store, then a catalog, and has since adapted (well) to the new technology. Now, I must admit that I’ve always been attracted to the ruggedly handsome and outdoorsy guy, so the models they selected? Mm. But now that I got that off my chest, here’s the real point of this blog post: As I paged through this catalog, earmarking fuzzy slippers, warm boots, and maple syrup, I realized L.L. Bean has done a stupendous job of combining their roots of an catalog with the new technology of today.
From L.L. Bean we can learn how print catalogs and eCommerce stores can be combined:
Converging Catalog Selling and eCommerce Tip #1
Publishing product reviews from the website into the print catalog. This was done in a stunning manner and not 
overdone. Certain top-sellers they wanted to push also included a brilliantly-designed full-page ad, complete with a product review. One made me laugh out loud: “Is it wrong to be in love with a door mat?” Bet you didn’t realize how many ways having product reviews could help your business. (I smell another blog post!) But for real. Did you ever think about taking those product reviews and using them in other marketing?
Converging Catalog Selling and eCommerce Tip #2
Encouraging e-mail newsletter sign-up. Sprinkled through this catalog, L.L. Bean encourage catalog readers to visit the website to register for e-mail notifications of sales. This is great because while people, like me, love getting the catalog, they only arrive a few times per year. Signing up for the e-mail will allow for updates year-round. So, while you can’t click on catalog, you can create enticing copy that will encourage someone to visit the website next time they are online. And, you can bet your bottom dollar that if someone took the time to go from paper catalog to the website to sign up for a mailing, they are a highly-qualified person to target e-mail marketing toward.
Converging Catalog Selling and eCommerce Tip #3
Encouraging online ordering. L.L. Bean has all the bases covered. You can mail in your order. You can place an order by phone. Or, you can go online. The same can be said about an eCommerce store. At Solid Cactus, we stress the importance of a toll-free number, so even solely e-commerce stores take phone orders. So offering a variety of ordering options increase conversions.
Converging Catalog Selling and eCommerce Tip #4
Catalogs are still alive. Simply put, for all the reasons I mentioned above, people still love to shop by mail. Perhaps companies aren’t printing as plentiful, and only sending print catalogs to more targeted lists or perhaps only to repeat customers, but it’s still a very viable method. It was recently announced the J.C. Penney isn’t publishing their thick catalog anymore; however, they are still printing their more targeted, smaller, specialized mailers. Catalogs don’t have to be large. If you are a smaller eCommerce store, consider doing a brochure with top-sellers to include in an annual mailer, or to send out with orders.
And, if anyone I know and love is reading this, those Winter Shearling Boots (A) on page 44…. size 8 please.
[...] understand their fears. I, too, am a very tangible person. (I actually blogged about this on my company’s blog today!) I like to hold my books and turn real pages that smell like ink (or a musty basement if [...]