Could Mail-Order Be The Secret Weapon Marketers are Overlooking?

Mail-order catalogues provide inspiration and escapism for customers. Is it time they featured in your marketing plan?

Coronavirus has decimated the physical retail landscape, with non-essential stores being ordered to shut across the globe. Clothing giant Primark, for example, has gone from making £650m in sales a month to nothing as the pandemic has forced it to close in Europe and the US.

But the surge in online sales and click-and-collect orders – also referred to as ‘buy online, pick up in store’ – show that there is still an appetite to spend money; it’s just a matter of getting products seen by customers.

With every retailer vying for attention, that’s easier said than done. That’s where mail-order catalogues can cut through the crowded digital marketplace, by offering consumers a print product they can luxuriate in; digesting it at a time and pace that’s right for them.

If mail-order hasn’t featured in your marketing plan up to now, maybe it’s time to think again.
 

Print magazine spread

Coronavirus has decimated the physical retail landscape, with non-essential stores being ordered to shut across the globe. Clothing giant Primark, for example, has gone from making £650m in sales a month to nothing as the pandemic has forced it to close in Europe and the US.

But the surge in online sales and click-and-collect orders – also referred to as ‘buy online, pick up in store’ – show that there is still an appetite to spend money; it’s just a matter of getting products seen by customers.

With every retailer vying for attention, that’s easier said than done. That’s where mail-order catalogues can cut through the crowded digital marketplace, by offering consumers a print product they can luxuriate in; digesting it at a time and pace that’s right for them.

If mail-order hasn’t featured in your marketing plan up to now, maybe it’s time to think again.
 

Consumers crave content

Make no mistake, people are craving content now more than ever. Global Web Index found that over 80% of consumers in the US and UK say they consume more content since the outbreak. But the content has got to be good to stand out or it will simply go ignored.

With the majority of consumers spending most of their time watching broadcast TV and online videos right now, there’s a strong argument not to try to compete with digital media and, instead, give consumers something they can’t scroll away.

When a mail-order catalogue drops through the letterbox with a reassuring thud, it’s impossible to turn the other cheek. Given the amount of time we’re all currently spending at home, it’s likely to be greeted with a sense of intrigue and curiosity, too.
 

Consumers crave content

Make no mistake, people are craving content now more than ever. Global Web Index found that over 80% of consumers in the US and UK say they consume more content since the outbreak. But the content has got to be good to stand out or it will simply go ignored.

With the majority of consumers spending most of their time watching broadcast TV and online videos right now, there’s a strong argument not to try to compete with digital media and, instead, give consumers something they can’t scroll away.

When a mail-order catalogue drops through the letterbox with a reassuring thud, it’s impossible to turn the other cheek. Given the amount of time we’re all currently spending at home, it’s likely to be greeted with a sense of intrigue and curiosity, too.
 

Catalogues aren’t just for the coronavirus crisis

It would be wrong to suggest, however, that mail-order catalogues are just ‘having a moment’. Sure, they might be able to fill a gap for retailers who can’t greet customers in their usual way, but printed catalogues have been shown to boost sales in any given retail climate.

Catalogue mailings have been steadily increasing since 2015, according to Print Power Europe. What’s more, consumers are surprisingly enthusiastic about receiving them – response rates from catalogues have increased by 170% from 2004 to 2018.


 

woman reading catalog

Catalogues aren’t just for the coronavirus crisis

It would be wrong to suggest, however, that mail-order catalogues are just ‘having a moment’. Sure, they might be able to fill a gap for retailers who can’t greet customers in their usual way, but printed catalogues have been shown to boost sales in any given retail climate.

Catalogue mailings have been steadily increasing since 2015, according to Print Power Europe. What’s more, consumers are surprisingly enthusiastic about receiving them – response rates from catalogues have increased by 170% from 2004 to 2018.


 

In a field experiment conducted with a luxury e-commerce retailer, Harvard Business Review reported a 15% lift in sales and a 27% lift in inquiries from consumers who received a printed catalogue in addition to weekly emails, compared to the email-only group.

In its conclusion, HBR says that catalogues “stand apart from the increasingly cluttered digital inboxes and social media feed”, lingering in consumers’ houses long after emails are deleted, which increases top-of-mind awareness among consumers.

However, their “real power”, it adds, is how they improve a consumer’s ability to visualize product usage experiences.

In a field experiment conducted with a luxury e-commerce retailer, Harvard Business Review reported a 15% lift in sales and a 27% lift in inquiries from consumers who received a printed catalogue in addition to weekly emails, compared to the email-only group.

In its conclusion, HBR says that catalogues “stand apart from the increasingly cluttered digital inboxes and social media feed”, lingering in consumers’ houses long after emails are deleted, which increases top-of-mind awareness among consumers.

However, their “real power”, it adds, is how they improve a consumer’s ability to visualize product usage experiences.

Final word

By using data to inform and refine your distribution strategy, you can target different versions of mail-order catalogues to specific consumers, based on their purchasing history. Personalizing the customer journey like this, according to McKinsey, is a key factor for marketing plan success in the next five years.  

Print has an important role to play in today’s digital-heavy marketing plan – is it time you redressed the balance?
 

 

 

Printed catalogue

Final word

By using data to inform and refine your distribution strategy, you can target different versions of mail-order catalogues to specific consumers, based on their purchasing history. Personalizing the customer journey like this, according to McKinsey, is a key factor for marketing plan success in the next five years.  

Print has an important role to play in today’s digital-heavy marketing plan – is it time you redressed the balance?
 

 

 

printing machine printing a colour patter
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