We can all remember what it feels like to leisurely page through a catalog, admiring the product photos and jotting down a list to order. In today’s digital-first world, rising costs have sidelined many classic catalogs. Still, catalogs can be a powerful tool, and the mini-catalog is one way that brands are capturing the power of print without the high costs of old-fashioned catalogs.
The Power of Print Catalogs
Even – or especially – in a digital-dominated marketing world, print pieces like catalogs can still
have a powerful role to play. Put simply: people just enjoy catalogs, with the ability to see beautiful pictures and flip through a physical piece rather than clicking or scrolling through endless web pages. Just as people still enjoy the physical, tactile experience of reading a book, there’s still something to be said for sitting down and paging through a print catalog.
It’s not just anecdotal, either. Research from the USPS shows just how big an impact catalogs can have on brands’ profits and overall success:
- 84% of shoppers say that it’s easier to shop with a catalog in hand.
- 61% of shoppers note that having a catalog nearby while they shop online means they may see additional items they want to buy.
- Nearly 60% of online shoppers say they enjoy receiving catalogs, while 57% say they like to have a catalog on hand when shopping online.
- Catalog recipients purchased 28% more items and spent 28% more money than customers who did not receive a catalog.
- Websites supported by catalogs saw a revenue lift of 163%, versus websites without coordinating catalogs.
- Over 60% of catalog recipients were influenced by the catalog to visit the company’s website.
- 17% of people who received a catalog in the previous month bought at least one item, versus just 11% who didn’t receive one.
Why Print a Mini Catalog?
A mini catalog offers a happy medium for companies who still are committed to print catalogs. These solutions offer the “luxury” experience of a catalog for customers to page through at any time, all while saving you money on production costs. The savings will actually come through at multiple points in the process: fewer pages to design, lower printing costs, and lower costs for postage.
A mini catalog is exactly what it sounds like: a smaller version of your catalog that still allows customers to page through your product offerings. Typically, a mini catalog is fewer pages and printed as a smaller size than a traditional catalog, focusing on a particular subset of products as chosen by your team. The possibilities are as wide as your imagination, as you might choose from a variety of “themes” to highlight in a particular catalog, such as:
- Your most popular products
- Your newest or “featured” products
- Items on sale
- Seasonal items or products that can be tied to a season or event
- A curated selection tied to a specific theme or trend
A mini catalog offers a way for brands to inspire customers to learn more, giving customers an introduction to your brand while encouraging them to explore at their own pace. With a QR code printed on your mini catalog, customers can be quickly sent to your website, where the full range of products is easy to browse and order. This approach streamlines ordering while also allowing customers to see the products not currently highlighted in the catalog.
That combination of digital technology (like QR codes) with vibrant print catalogs not only provides an easy customer experience, but it also offers even more useful insights for brands. With QR codes, you can monitor audience data, like how many people scan QR codes to visit websites and/or how many website visits come from those catalog codes, how many customers who scan go on to make a purchase, whether they purchase products from the catalog or not from the catalog, and more.
At Lithographics, we’re here to make all your print dreams a reality – including mini catalogs! We’ll help you determine the key elements, like your target audience, your product selection criteria, and how to integrate your print and digital channels. With our state-of-the-art HP 100K printer, we can produce a mini-catalog that will make your brand stand out. By print two sides at once and utilizing variable data for customizable info, our technology and expertise can produce a catalog that’s right for you.
No matter what the quantity or the timeline, we’ve got solutions to elevate your brand. Thanks to today’s integrated print and digital technology, your brand can take catalogs into a new era and reap the rewards.