The Revival Of Catalogues

The evolution of online technology and its adoption into every form of media has meant a shift in purpose for others. Ellen Brush, publishing director at Axon Publishing, explains the change in strategy for catalogue marketing, and its flourishing future despite competition from the internet…

When it emerged, many pundits believed that the web would be the death of catalogues. Of course, the same pundits also believed that the web would replace books, magazines, television programmes and newspapers. In fact, what has happened is that each medium has re-examined its strengths and, in many cases, cemented and even developed its role. Now, it seems this is happening to catalogues.

Far from being eliminated by the web, catalogues have taken on a new and more exciting role. Recent Royal Mail research indicates that the internet, previously considered to be a strong threat to the catalogue industry, has now created a significant retail revival. The survey of over 20 retailers including John Lewis Direct and Firebox.com revealed that catalogues are not only used to drive traditional sales but also to generate online orders. The research showed that nearly two thirds of the retailers (60%) now send catalogues or brochures to customers to drive online sales – double the number from five years ago.

What has happened is an understanding of the way in which the two media can complement each other – and the role which catalogues can play once ‘order from’ product shots move on to the web.

The origins of the catalogue industry lie in shopping from the book. Whether they were shopping from catalogues for geographic or economic reasons, customers had to be able to select products directly from the page – the result was clear, straightforward photography which illustrated every detail of a product.

But this role has now been taken over by the web. It’s on-line that you now find those crystal-clear, cut-out shots of items for sale. This means that catalogues have been freed up to perform new and much more creative roles – reflecting a lifestyle, inspiring customers and creating desire.

Many of these roles have been traditionally performed by magazines. Of course, retailers had to cede control over style and content to the magazine editors, but if their products were featured, they would appear in a desirable, lifestyle context, styled to meet the prevailing mood and presented in a manner designed to create desire. Would retailers not like to control that opportunity for themselves?

This is the function which catalogues are increasingly performing. Publishers like Axon have a background in creating magazines, and in taking the skills and the personnel from newsstand publications across to meet client needs. For years that has been achieved through customer magazines; now, with this new shift in thinking, those skills are being transferred to catalogues.

This principle lies behind the successes we have achieved for Marks & Spencer Home, and for Conran. In the case of Conran, there was a natural transition from Axon’s work on their customer magazine, Live it, to the pages of their catalogue. Since we were fully immersed in their image and their target market, we could translate that thinking, and re-brief photographers and design teams, in order to project that within the sales imperative of a catalogue. The move from magazine to catalogue was seamless.

For Marks & Spencer, Axon works with their Home team to gain an understanding of their product themes and target markets. These are interpreted as they might be for a magazine feature, but with the prime objective of turning inspiration and desire into purchases from the page. Magazine stylists, photographers, designers, editors and other creatives are briefed to use their skills to achieve this sales objective – it’s a straightforward progression from the work they have done for us on customer magazines.

The imperative to sell from the page has not gone away, but the idea that a catalogue is the only sales channel certainly has. A modern catalogue generally promotes three ways to buy – by phone, online, or in store, once the page has done its job. As that online channel develops, so catalogues are increasingly taking on this new, inspirational role, designed to drive customers online to complete their purchase. It’s a valuable role, increasingly recognised by retailers as the research demonstrates – and an extraordinary revival in the status of catalogues themselves.