Glenda Shasho-Jones

A beautiful front cover shot beckons the recipient of Fancy Flours’ Holiday 2007 catalog to open up and browse. Most bakers would be drawn to these cookies, frosted and decorated in the holiday spirit. It has a Martha Stewart feeling, with the soft photography and the celadon coloration. Unfortunately, after the photography, it’s all downhill. First of all, where’s the name of the catalog? Oh, there it is, on the bottom of the cover, in small, hard-to-read script type. Logos belong front and center. A cataloger’s name should be the first thing customers see, hopefully peaking out on the top. In the glut

Below, our annual index of all stories that appeared in Catalog Success throughout 2006, including this issue. (For easy reference, use the print screen.) Cataloger Profiles Cover Stories United Receptacle: “B-to-B Goes ‘Plug and Play’” by Alicia Orr Suman, January Reiman Publications: “The Synergistic Approach” by Alicia Orr Suman, February Boston Proper: “Billion-Dollar Opportunity” by Donna Loyle, May Spiegel Brands: “How Spiegel Recovered” by Paul Miller, June Smarthome Direct: “Growth the Smart Way” by Matt Griffin, July J&L Industrial Supply: “Shaped Up, Shipped Out” by Paul Miller, August Northern Safety Co.: “Safely Ahead of the Game” by Matt Griffin, September AmeriMark Direct: “Steady

By Glenda Shasho Jones &000;&000; A cataloger's job of presenting merchandise is second in importance only to selecting the right merchandise. Readers decide in seconds whether they're going to continue to read about a product or move on. The amount of information readers comprehend "at a glance" isn't limited by their brains; it's only limited by what we put in front of them. Even those interested in a product will skip over it if they don't understand it or they're not "sold" on it. What and how you show product in your catalog makes all the difference in the world. The following

How the right photographer factors into the catalog production equation. In the catalog business, a picture isn't just worth 1,000 words — it can seriously affect your sales. Product photos, therefore, must give consumers an accurate idea of what you're selling, as well as drive them to make a purchase. Choosing the right photographer can make all the difference in how well your catalog is received. "The products being shot have to be well represented, and the photos need to show the subtleties of the fabrics and the things that are important from a consumer perspective," says Chris Price, president of

What does a cataloger do when the products he or she sells just don’t look appealing? That’s precisely the situation for Purity Products, a seller of specialty formulations. Download the complete article (96k PDF)

By Glenda Shasho Jones What's the best way to boost your catalog's response rate? Create a more effective catalog cover. Indeed, it may be your best chance to improve performance. After all, your cover certainly is your most valuable page. An effective cover can mean the difference between your catalog being tossed or getting read. Are you not capturing customers because they don't recognize your company or can't see your logo at a glance? What if they can't tell what you sell? Or what if they're not interested in the product they see on your catalog's cover? Are you giving them enough

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