Ideas for a Smarter, Faster World

How many store catalogs did you get in the mail this holiday season?  At home, I had a pile about two feet high-with about 75 or more catalogs from brick and mortar shops such as Brookstone, Eddie Bauer, L.L. Bean, Victoria’s Secret and online/direct mail only brands such as Harry & David, Catalog Favorites, Solutions, Red Envelope, etc.   At work, I had a pile of about 14 from the same brands AND from obscure “how did they get my name” places like Fairytale Brownies.

I reluctantly admit that I read through every single one of those catalogs-I circled items, I compared costs on like objects, and the content became reading material of wishful thinking for me after getting home from a hard day’s work.  I actually enjoyed the time I put aside to look at the mail order catalogs after my son was in bed and my husband was absorbed in the local hockey game.  I’m a busy mom so this downtime, in an effort to not feel unproductive, became “necessary preparatory work” for the holidays.

But what was illuminating to me was that my purchasing behavior only extended down two pathways.  The first was that I ordered online for only a few purchases that I had picked out for gifts from the catalogs.  The second was that I remembered and/or noted specials on my Blackberry memo pad when I was actually in stores where I could handle the items tactiley.  Not once did I reach for a phone to call in my order.  And as strong as my wishful thinking was, it did not translate into actual purchases for many of what I would have bought had I had more money to spend.

As a mom who is also a marketer, I know how valued my attention is to the sales pitches during the holidays.  Like most moms in the US according to the CafeMom/Razorfish study in 2009, I am more apt to research online and receive word of mouth recommendations from other moms before making an informed purchase decision.

So does this mean those catalogs were wasted?  Not in my opinion.  The time I spent with each and getting to know the merchandise available from those brands has now become a file in my brain for future gift ideas.  When I need a gift basket for a relative’s birthday?  I’ll probably remember Harry & David or Figis.  When I need a husband anniversary gift?  Brookstone will be on the surfing list.  I may just be every marketer’s dream - someone who knows their brands well enough to make informed purchasing decisions and recommendations when needed.  The loyalty of my ‘engagement’ with those catalogs will pay off when someone asks me, on iVillage or CafeMom, what my opinion is on a product.

But I think there is also a lesson here for companies that have relied upon the offline behavior solely to increase sales or awareness.  The entirety of a consumer’s journey needs to be a part of any good marketing contact strategy.  Not only will Mom read the catalogs, but she’ll go online, she’ll check consumer reviews, she’ll go to the store, she’ll ask her friends and family and she will advocate and/or complain depending upon the customer service she’s been shown.  Today’s customer has the ability to get the information she wants whenever she wants it-is your company providing that to her wherever she is?

It’s after the holidays now and I’m still getting catalogs-not as many, and now these are more focused on the upcoming spring season. And I may continue my ’special time’ that I set aside in the evenings-wishful thinking, thank goodness, does not go by the calendar.

Tags: 1:1, Catalogs, Integration

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 28th, 2010 at 4:58 pm and is filed under 1:1, Integration. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.