Where once it was a core part of the business, the print
catalogue is seen to have become an auxiliary sales channel whose
sole purpose is to drive traffic to the website. But far from
being redundant, the catalogue’s role is still key to
multichannel success.
Royal Mail’s Home Shopping Tracker 2009, based on a survey of
1,014 consumers, found that almost two-thirds of shoppers consult
a catalogue before buying products or services-an increase of 9
percent compared to last year. As far as online shoppers are
concerned, the catalogue forms an important part of the
purchasing process. Forty-five percent of consumers consult a
print catalogue before buying online, an 8 percent increase on
2008. What’s more, even consumers who do not shop from home enjoy
receiving catalogues; just 28 percent of them say they don’t like
receiving catalogues at all, whereas 68 percent enjoy browsing a
posted or in-store catalogue-an increase of 12 percent on 2008.
These consumers, according to Royal Mail’s research, use
catalogues for price comparisons, browsing, and for inspiration
and ideas.
British shoppers are continuing to adopt multiple channels: More
than four out of five UK consumers (83 percent) research products
and services through a catalogue or online before making
purchases. Of those 83 percent, the highest adopters of
multichannel shopping are, not surprisingly, 16- to 34-year-olds.
It’s worth noting, however, that the percentage of those aged 55
and older using the internet to purchase goods or services has
doubled in the last four years-in 2009 more than 1 in 5
“grey market” consumers shopped online.
As always, the bottom line has the final say. So before you do
away with your print catalogue, believing it to be an outmoded
method of communicating with your customers, consider this: the
average annual number of items bought through a catalogue has
increased to its highest level for the past seven years, and now
stands at 11.4 purchases per person. Average spend per person
through catalogues has also increased to £511, some
£170 higher than the figure for 2007. Perhaps the strongest
indication that catalogues are here to stay is that an estimated
£4.9 billion was spent via catalogues in 2009, a 23 percent
increase on the previous year.
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