Catalog Design

PATIENT: “Doc, I really need to cut catalog program costs again, but without impacting sales. We've already done the standard things like lighter paper, fewer pages, operational efficiencies, and so on. What's left?” CATALOG DOCTOR: “You've done well so far. What's left isn't as easy as the standard cuts. Most require study and elbow grease.…

Good brands have personality, and frankly, The Kansas City Steak Company lacked one. That was the harsh assessment from John McKinven, president of The K.C. Steak Co.’s direct-to-consumer business, during a keynote presentation at the NEMOA directXchange Fall Conference in Schaumburg, Ill. last week. The purveyor of high-quality meats was suffering from a lack of…

PATIENT: “Doc, we've recently experienced a sales drop and I don't understand why. What's the best way to track down why it happened and how to fix it?” CATALOG DOCTOR: “You're doing right to quickly dig into causes behind the sales drop. The quicker you know why, the faster you can fix things. Here's a…

“Our audience is dying. We need to attract a younger audience to get sales back up.” I've heard this over and over for years from both consumer and business catalogers. Yet their age-range demographic reports usually show counts remaining stable, not declining. What's up? While it’s true for catalogers with older customer bases that a…

Catalog creatives generally feel like they live in a different universe than circulation folks. However, both share the same catalog goals and you'll find you can achieve those goals faster and better by communicating with each other. Here are some tips on how and when to talk. Before You Begin Your Next Design Cycle 1.…

Being bored with your catalog design is a terrible reason for a redesign. Your feelings don’t count; your customers’ feelings do.

Speakers discuss why print still works, how it can be integrated into a multichannel marketing mix, and the future of catalogs.

For years now, critics have been saying the print catalog is dying. Going away. A relic that's being replaced by the internet. It was almost like the word "catalog" was dirty. Something out of date or old fashioned, or so it seemed.

Are your catalog and products unique? Are they loaded with customer benefits? If "yes" to both, are you also telling your benefit and unique story well enough to your customers?

At the center of everything your business does is its brand. It's the core of your existence. A well-defined brand is critical to attracting and retaining customers in today's ultra-competitive retail environment. On the flip side, an aging or stale brand that lacks direction, innovation and creativity will turn customers away.