The printed catalog is the main driver of traffic to the web. However, with
all of the other touchpoints available to consumers today, how do we really
know the impact of catalog mailings on web sales? And why do we give so much
credit to the print catalog? There are a few reasons why:
The processes of
matching back order files to mail tapes give companies the strongest sense
of how catalogs drive web business. When looking at your order curves, you will see that online sales spike every time a catalog hits in-home.
Contact strategy testing: My company has done a great deal of testing using holdout panels in mail vs. no mail split tests. The mailed segments always perform better.
A reduction in catalog circulation always results in a reduction of sales from the web.
While the internet has become the preferred way to place an order, consumers still prefer to shop from a catalog. That's why it's important to understand the difference between sales through the web vs. sales from the web. Catalogers often say to me that 70 percent or more of their business is coming from the web. What they really mean is 70 percent of their orders are coming through the web, not from the web. Perhaps 15 percent to 20 percent of the orders are coming from the web, but the majority of the orders that came over the web where driven by a print catalog.
