Catalogues are a significant investment and you can’t really afford to get it wrong. We know that good design, exploiting proven catalogue dynamics, can greatly influence buying decisions.
There have always been preconceived ideas about catalogues and their use within the digital era. Is there still scope for catalogues? Have websites and social media taken over? How do catalogues advantage my business?
Nowadays everybody is seen to read information online via a website or social media platform however, our recent study states that this is simply not the case. Our 2013 business research was conducted with over 100 businesses throughout the UK asking questions about their sales, marketing and overall business approach.
The need for catalogues has increased for many upcoming and popular businesses. There has been an increasing adoption of digital catalogues as well as print. Catalogues are further growing in importance, 38% of companies stated that it will be more important in the coming year and a further 17% said that it will be crucial.
So, in terms of sales and marketing, where do catalogues fit into the mix?
In today’s economic climate, sales and marketing budgets are under pressure, a reported one in five (20%) stated that reaching their sales objectives is going to be tough. An equal number are concerned that sales and marketing are not performing, as they should be. This is where the catalogues come in!
According to our 2013 business report, catalogues are a vital part of a multi-channel strategy for an organisation, they have the power to lift and drive sales by up to 29%. Many companies who are involved with e-commerce stated that catalogues are top priority.
Catalogues are 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.
It has been known that companies, which use catalogues, are far less likely to worry about achieving their sales targets. Other sales channels are better used when supported by catalogues, with 80% of companies expecting their sales to grow this year. Users are also less likely to be worried about rising costs as they are using every sales tool possible to leverage their company or brand, due to today’s competitive market.
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.
If that’s not proof enough, 27% of businesses have stated that a catalogue is central to their business, 70% have had their catalogue for over five years underlining their contribution as a central part of the sales strategy.
54% of companies that we spoke with have had their catalogue for a whopping 10 years and aren’t planning to get rid of catalogues anytime soon! 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
