Traditional catalogs have long been a reliable medium for driving sales, but they need a reboot. Rather than a drawn-out collection of impersonal product pages, leading brands are using digital catalogs to guide customers through a curated, narrative experience that speaks to their interests, and sharing stories that embody brand values.

What is a digital catalog?

Digital catalogs are personalized direct marketing communications which artfully display relevant products and content based on the customer’s preferences and buying history. They can be output for digital or traditional (print) distribution, and, when combined, allow marketers to expand their reach, increase sales, and delight their customers. All at a fraction of the cost of their traditional, offline catalog strategy.

Here are 5 Reasons Marketers are adopting Digital Catalogs:

#1: Personalization—

Digital catalogs feature a curated selection of products determined by their customers' preferences and buying behaviors. When compared to a control group, personalized catalogs drove nearly a 12% increase in response among recipients. These buyers also spent about 2x more on average.

#2: Richer customer experience—

Digital catalogs provide a more engaging experience by incorporating rich media like videos, gifs, and direct links to product URLs in digital versions and QR codes in traditional print versions that direct to online content and enable mobile sales conversions.

#3: Enhanced analytics—

Through this engagement, Marketers can quickly assess audience behaviors and key performance indicators. Armed with these insights, they are able to test and refine content more easily.

#4: Expanded reach—

Digital catalogs are fulfilled in the medium that the customer responds to, allowing Marketers to minimize paper, production, and postage costs by only sending printed catalogs to customers that want them. Segmenting recipients in this way lets marketers reach their contacts at a fraction of the cost.

#5: Faster time to market—

Production synergies between digital and print output give Marketers speed and agility when planning and deploying communications. As a result, catalogs can be used to support a wider variety of strategies like flash sales and other special promotions.

The most successful consumer brands know and anticipate their customers' needs, and are producing data-driven, personalized direct marketing content that their customers love. Digital catalogs meet this objective and create empathetic connections with customers that improve sales and build brand loyalty.