The White Company, Matalan And ProCook Reveal Marketing Strategies For The Year Ahead

Working with experts including Carly Chuba, director of marketing at Go Outdoors, and Jack Merlis, head of brand, content and public relations at Majestic Wine, they found that direct mail and catalogs also play an important role in building loyalty and spending with existing customers in maintenance. to be received as new. .

Geoff Howarth, director of omnichannel marketing at Matalan, said: “We send an average of five emails a year to more than 2 million subscribers, making them an important part of Matalan's omnichannel strategy.

"We know our customers respond very well to our seasonal catalogs as it gives them a broad overview of the latest offers and range available in stores and online, which drives additional sales from our large membership of the Matalan Me loyalty program."

Post capacity

For The White Company, brochures have always been an important part of its marketing strategy, which, according to chief creative officer Mark Winstanley, is part of its heritage.

"To this day, they continue to form an important part of our communications and marketing mix and are very popular with our existing customers."

He added that the growing interest in online shopping has not had a negative impact on the media. “The rise of online shopping and digital channels has certainly affected the role of brochures, but not necessarily in the way that many people think.

"The role of brochures has evolved from our primary sales channel to a tool we can use in conjunction with our store, social media, email and a beautiful website to create a 360-degree shopping experience for our customers ."

Angela Porter, head of marketing at Procook, agrees. Let's say catalogs are critical to home improvement retailers and help provide a comprehensive, omnichannel customer experience.

"Our volume has grown in line with subscriber numbers, and while we previously considered moving away from direct mail, we keep coming back to it because we see that our subscribers continue to respond well," he says. .

“In an increasingly digital world, catalogs and direct mail still have a place in the mix and are on the way.

"Recent tests have shown us that customers who receive our catalog by e-mail.

Retailers are also trying to hide QR codes in physical catalogs.

Get innovative catalogs

Porter says the home improvement retailer sees a real benefit from its marketing strategy of combining online catalogs and channels;

“We've seen an increase in demand for easy ways to access content from print to digital, such as QR codes. Again, we focus our marketing efforts on making it easier for customers to find our content and buy our products the way they want.”

Lisa Byfield-Green, director of data and insights at Retail Week, agrees. “Providing a fast and satisfying shopping experience is important for customers, we are very used to QR codes after the pandemic.

“They can actually be used to direct us to a product on the website to get more information, order or check if the product is in stock.

“It's a valuable way to combine online and offline experiences. Technical proficiency is important, but retailers need to consider less tech-savvy, elderly and disabled customers.”

To learn more about what a successful direct mail retail catalog strategy looks like, sign up for free access to Catalogs. Contact with customers in the report. Sales conversions generated are linked to Royal Mail Marketing. you will know

• How a catalog represents a branding opportunity
• Why QR, AR and VR are driving media innovation
• As well as industries from food and grocery to beauty and home