A catalog, precisely a product one is one of the ways marketing companies showcase items from various industries. These highly useful pieces of literature have been around for the longest time. The first one was produced in North America by the famous brand “Tiffany & Co. in 1845, and was known as the “Blue Book”.
Since then this idea has revolutionized communications through direct marketing and since the mid-19th century, numerous companies have continued to use them for their personal benefit. Click here to read about the history of the catalogue.
Since their invention, they have been widely used to highlight specific products and services as a cheap and effective means to the public. This marketing collateral fits into the process of buying decisions for customers and clients. They can include anything from the image of the product to the size, colour, shape, customer reviews about it, availability, quantities and even the price and dimensions of various items.
Two Main Types of Catalogs – Hard-Copy and Digital
They are various types of these marketing collaterals on the whole, and some are physical paper made, while others are available via digital formats, we will look at a few of these below.
Hard-Copy Catalogs
Possibly the most popular type is the hard copy ones, especially which have to do with retail stores, and which the majority of the public would have seen at least once in their lifetime. They are often displayed on tables or shelves in retail stores and showcase their range of products to prospective and current customers.
They are possibly the most convenient way for anyone to look through especially if the shop has a variety of different items. It brings all the information into one place as opposed to you having to walk around the store looking at everything.
As common business to business or business to customer items, these give its people a brief “snapshot” of everything that’s on offer including items that may be on sale as well. In marketing, the “purchasing decision” is one of the most important aspects considered when trying to gain the attention of buyers.
It helps consumers identify a need such as a specific product, or service. From the small decisions like buying toothpaste and shampoo to the bigger ones like buying property, or a car. More about this form of marketing and promotional advertising can be found online too: https://kwhs.wharton.upenn.edu/term/purchase-decision/
These retail catalogs usually have all the relevant information including shipping information and return policies, and essentially promote the company’s brand to its audience.
Digital Directories
Another popular one is the digital version of these brochures. Because of the trend in which technology has moved and the majority of industries have online access, besides the hard copies, the digital ones are also a very lucrative item: https://www.infobloom.com/what-is-a-digital-catalog.htm
Sometimes you as a buyer would subscribe or register on a site and the product catalog will be sent to you directly in your email inbox, and all you need to do is click on it to open and see what’s in store for you. This carries priceless value when it comes to advertising and products or services.
You may have seen these, especially during the festive seasons, like before Christmas comes around, your inbox is flooded with various adverts from different places you may or may not have purchased an item.
Perhaps summer is around the corner and you are not sure what to buy, and all you have to do is either go onto a clothing store website or check your inbox to find everything from different clothing to shoes and accessories of different shapes, sizes, prices, descriptions and more.
Other Varieties of Catalogs
Now that you are aware of the two main types, it may be useful to know the various specifically themed selections that many businesses use in theirs.
Cultural Interest Collections: not your typical ones to think about, but these too are everywhere. You may have seen them in art galleries and museums.
Materials and Inventory: this is used mainly for internal use of a company, manufacturer or business when they can track various aspects of the business such as their inventory or equipment. These are also used by business owners for their suppliers and to show clients in other businesses what they have to offer them.
Media and Library Collections:the age-old library collection is one that most children are familiar with. This holds information like the title of a book and publication that you can use to locate the book within a library.
Magazine Catalogs: a great example of this is those that you see in book stores, for example, the Adam and Eve catalogue or other similar magazines and reading literature. they can be either digital copies sent to your inbox or hard copies found in stores or sent to you via mail.
If you are serious about tapping into all the different avenues of promoting your business or services, these are undoubtedly some of the mostsignificant and indispensable tools that many organizations can benefit from.
Customers love to look at images and short text to describe what’s happening to see what’s in store for them when they are shopping, and not everyone will want to browse through the entire facility to see what’s cooking. Perhaps we have planted a seed to show you the variety that you can introduce into your business if you haven’t done so already.
