When it comes to catalogues, there are always so many questions about how they fit into an organisation and how they can benefit them in the long term. Well, the wait is finally over (you can thank us later) we have all the answers!
Here at C4B we conducted our own research and questioned over 100 organisations within the UK about their business in general. The report was drawn from a diverse mix of businesses, both B2B and B2C, and a combination of industry sectors.
Companies within the report stated how catalogues benefit all elements of an organisations functions such as sales and marketing, e-commerce, brand awareness and even driving traffic to their website.
So why even use catalogues?
Catalogues are designed to speak directly to your target audience and further build your reputation and brand. A massive 39% of companies have found that their catalogue helps to build their brand. When consumers have a hard copy on hand, they are more likely to look through it rather than searching online. It makes the company seem more personal and credited.
Other elements of a business that catalogues can help with are various online platforms. Catalogues are seen as a powerful tool for driving traffic to website and web sales. Organisations found that 59% of their sales had been directly attributed to a catalogue and have seen a 29% uplift in web sales. As catalogues are intended to sell straight to your consumer, their design is vital. Catalogues are seen as a more personal and tangible approach compared to generic emails or calls.
Companies who have catalogues also have a better grip on the performance of their sales team. From the report, 30% of sales have been directly attributed to using catalogues and a further 29% say their web sales were being driven from a catalogue.
Companies who are using catalogues as a sales channel are not worried about their distributors or sales team under-performing due to the effect that they have as a whole. Additionally, other various sales channels that are being used by a company appear to perform better when supported by a catalogue.
All platforms of sales and marketing are being used by businesses that are also deploying catalogues such as direct email, email marketing, a field sales force and distributors. The report reflects a huge correlation between high performing web strategies and the use of catalogues. Companies with a big focus on e-commerce are 3 times more likely to have a catalogue and actually saw their web sales uplift by 29% as a result.
In today’s digital age, social media is used as a sales and marketing platform by almost every company. The main question that people always ask, how do catalogues fit with social media? Although it might not seem like a good fit, it makes perfect sense. We found that 50% of companies who use social media also have a catalogue. These two platforms when integrated are practically bullet proof. Consumers like the fact of finding everything online as it is quick and easy however, when it comes to looking at products, they prefer to have physical images and text to look through and decide slowly.
Within the report, organisations which sell via a catalogue are far more likely to have a website with e-commerce, which in turn makes them more likely to deploy SEO and pay per click.
So, what are companies’ plans over the next year? How can we fit? Organisations reported that 27% want to increase sales substantially, 16% want to increase sales marginally and 15% want to maintain their sales. Throughout this, we have found how catalogues significantly help increase not only sales but also most elements of a business, which should be focused on.
Catalogues are further growing in importance, 38% of companies stated that they will be more important in the coming year and a further 17% said that they will be crucial. Many reported that they will continue to use a catalogue as a main sales and marketing tool and 57% are intending to use their catalogue to introduce new products.
Convinced yet?
Ian Simpson is Managing Director of Catalogues4Business who specialise in producing highly effective, marketing-driven catalogues. C4B’s catalogue design offers brands the maximum effect to sell their products. For more information either phone 0845 2300 258 or visit http://startupcitiessummit2020.websiteprog.space