Print catalogues ‘can boost online sales’
Online retailers are showing that they have not forgotten the value of traditional advertising by making use of print catalogues to drive online commerce, according to a new study.
More than two-thirds of web retailers revealed in a survey by e-commerce association Shop.org that they already track the effect of their catalogue releases in terms of a boost to online sales.
On average, these web sellers claimed that 13 per cent of new customers on their online retail pages were driven to the site by the offline print catalogue.
"For online retailers, catalogues are an incredibly important tool for acquiring new customers and providing current customers with their first look at new products," said Shop.org’s executive director Scott Silverman.
Following such strong results for a tried-and-tested marketing tool in the world of virtual shopping, video marketing and search engine optimisation, it may come as no surprise that some 40 per cent of retailers plan to make the best of what they know by placing more importance on their catalogue in future.
But for the best results from a marketing campaign, it may be advisable to merge traditional offline methods with online strategies organised by a professional web marketing firm in order to reach the widest audience possible.
