What Is Catalog Marketing?

Catalog marketing refers to selling by mailing catalogs to carefully selected consumers or equipping malls with catalogs. ^[1]

Catalog marketing

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Compared with traditional shoppers, catalog shoppers have different characteristics. These differences are manifested in demographics, lifestyles, attitudes to shopping, and other aspects. According to relevant research, catalog shoppers are usually well educated, engaged in professional or management work, have higher incomes, are willing to accept new technologies, and own stocks or bonds.

According to the relevant statistics in the magazine "Direct Marketing", from the perspective of demographic characteristics, women shoppers are more than men, accounting for 58%. Among shoppers, the proportion of married consumers is higher, accounting for 57% of all shoppers. In terms of age, catalog shoppers in the 25-54 age group account for a large proportion.

From a lifestyle perspective, catalog shoppers tend to look more fashionable. A large percentage of catalog shoppers use a variety of new home technology applications, including home computers and automatic answering devices. They like to use ATMs and credit cards, invest in securities, and even keep pets. Catalog shoppers are more proactive and energetic about leisure activities. They like to read, and often go to restaurants to eat, go to cinemas, listen to concerts and watch dramas. Moreover, they are shopping more. Although they have so many activities, watching TV is also a big hobby for them.

In terms of media exposure, catalog shoppers spend more time watching TV, radio and newspapers than non-catalog shoppers each day. They are more likely to listen to telemarketing recordings and read email ads.

Every catalog marketer has a catalog design. Some directories. Highlight a theme or concept as a whole. Whether it is pattern making, copywriting, or color matching and cover design, it all revolves around it. In this way, a certain impression or image can be formed visually for customers or prospective customers. Marketing experts believe that catalog design generally involves the following 6 aspects: 1. catalog specifications and sizes; 2. catalog standards; 3. the way goods are discharged; 4. the visual effects of goods and layout; 5. the design of catalog copy; 6 .Order design.

Catalog marketing is limited. In catalog shopping, because customers do not directly face the company and its products when they buy, they will subjectively have a sense of risk or concern.

Directory marketing financial concerns

Perceived financial risk) involves money. Customer awareness of financial concerns refers to customers' concerns over the possible financial loss of purchasing catalog products. Such possible losses include: the initial cost of the product (that is, the purchase price of the product), potential repair costs, or costs that may be caused by returns. As customers are aware of financial concerns, potential catalog shoppers may consider the following issues:

1.Is the product worth its price?

2.Does the shipping cost, delivery fee, and sales tax added to the product price make the total price of the product too expensive?

3. What other usage and maintenance fees may occur after purchase?

Business Directory Marketing

For the same catalog information, the level of cognitive financial concerns of different shoppers varies, depending on the total price of the product and the socioeconomic status of the buyer. Generally, the higher the price, the greater the customer's perception of financial concerns. However, the awareness of financial concerns decreases with the improvement of customers' socioeconomic status. For those with high income, they will not consider such financial concerns too much. That is, cognitive risk is low. This explains exactly why home shoppers usually have above-average income.

Higher cognitive financial concerns reduce the likelihood of customers shopping in the catalog. Therefore, catalog companies should strive to reduce this risk perception. First, companies can offer customers more competitive prices than retail stores, such as special offers to customers, special discounts, or reduced shipping and delivery costs to reduce customers' perception of financial risk. Second, companies can also use non-price competitive methods to reduce customer cognitive risk, which can be achieved by increasing the cognitive value of the product. The ways to provide product cognitive value include: providing unconditional guarantees to shoppers, giving gifts, or providing customers with a variety of convenient payment options.

Catalog marketing performance concerns

Performance concerns are about product function and quality. Perceived performance risk refers to the customer's concern about whether the product can be used as expected. At this time, the biggest concern of customers is that they cannot inspect the products in person to evaluate the characteristics of product quality, specifications, color, and style. When it comes to technically complex products such as stereo equipment, televisions or computers. This uncertainty manifests itself in concerns about the performance of the product.

Customer performance concerns are related to their past buying experience. For example, for the catalog marketing of apparel products, if the customer has previous experience in buying similar brand clothing, he can use this experience to compare it with the current one. If the previous similar brand can make a difference in size, color and style He is satisfied, then, this will increase his confidence in this purchase. However, when customers do not have this past brand experience, they can only provide information on customer risk reduction through the catalog itself. For example, to provide a guarantee or guarantee to customers, to provide samples or to set a trial period, to put on the catalog the words of other customers who are satisfied with the product or the testimony of experts. In addition, the size or color of the product in the catalog illustration can also help reduce this cognitive performance concern.

Directory Marketing Social Concerns

Social anxiety is derived from the social attributes of human behavior and psychology. Perceived social risk is the customer's concern about how other people view their purchase of the product. From a psychological perspective, customers should consider their social status or identity when purchasing products. Especially like clothing and its accessories, household items, etc., these products are easy to be seen by service friends or visitors. Therefore, customers of this type of products have a higher "cognitive social concern" than other product types. Consumers usually ask themselves, "What do other people think of me when I buy this product?"

One way customers can reduce this perceived social concern is by buying well-known brands that are accepted by society. They can also reduce their perceived social concerns by seeking product and brand recommendations and advisory information from family members, friends or colleagues. If the company can recognize these psychological activities of customers, it can ask their existing customers to recommend their friends to the company as the object of the company's catalog. As a friend or acquaintance, these potential customers may be more willing to accept purchases through the catalog.

In addition, the catalog's connection with well-known companies or retail stores can also reduce customers' "cognitive social concerns". For example, if the catalog is from a retail store with a good reputation, then such social concerns will be reduced.

Directory Marketing Time Loss Concerns

Perceived time-loss risk is the customer's concern about time loss caused by making a wrong purchase. There are two types of such time-loss concerns: one is an early concern and the other is a late concern. Early risk refers to the customer's concern about the possible time loss between ordering and receiving the goods; while later risk refers to the customer's concern about the time loss caused by the unsatisfactory product that may be returned.

For the pre-cognition of time loss concerns, the question that prospective customers may ask is: "How long will it take to receive the ordered goods?" When talking about customers' concerns about time loss concerns, it is natural to associate Mail order to the catalog should provide convenience to customers. In order to better facilitate catalog shoppers to reduce early time concerns. Directory companies can provide free phone ordering services and accept credit card payments from major financial institutions. To reduce customer waiting time. Some directories offer fast delivery services, such as delivering goods through courier companies or postal courier services. Of course, although the use of express delivery methods may solve the customer's concerns about the loss of early time; however, because the express delivery service will increase costs, it will increase customers' "cognitive financial concerns".

When performance or financial concerns are high, customers may also be concerned about late time loss concerns, which may be lost time due to returns. Before finally making a purchase decision, shoppers may ask questions such as "how easy is it to return an unsatisfactory order", "how much time will it cost". In practice, some companies send return instructions to customers with their products. As a result, customers have no access to relevant information before deciding to buy, which affects their purchasing decisions. Therefore, the company should endeavor to release its later time loss concerns before the customer actually purchases, for the customer to make a pre-reaction evaluation.

Directory Marketing Source Concerns

Source concerns concern customer trust in the company itself. Perceived source risk refers to whether a prospective customer trusts a directory company and whether it feels comfortable to trade with that company. Where a message comes from has great persuasive power over the acceptance of the message. The source's credibility is a series of perceptions of the source by the communication object, including the perception of the source's trustworthiness and the company's skills. If this perception is positive, the source of concern is reduced.

The release of source concerns is especially important when the company is looking for new customers. Because these people may lack knowledge about the company and even the directory marketing industry. If the customer is skeptical about the source, even if the company offers the best terms in the catalog, the customer may ignore it. The relationship between the customer's perception of source concerns and other types of risk perceptions is that the customer's perception of source concerns is dominant, and the release of other concerns is only based on the customer's trust in the information source significance. In other words, the company's efforts to reduce several other cognitive concerns are only likely to succeed if source concerns are reduced to a certain level. For example, in order to reduce customer awareness of financial concerns, the company provides unconditional returns and refund guarantees in the catalog, but if customers have concerns about the catalog marketer itself, such refund guarantees will be meaningless. This means that if customers have a high level of awareness of source concerns, several other concerns are also likely to be high. Conversely, if the customer has no doubts about the source, his hesitation in deciding whether to purchase a product may be due to higher cognitive concerns related to the product itself, such as financial, performance or social Factors and so on.

Catalog marketing ^[2]

To mitigate this source of concern, catalog marketers need to establish a "trustworthy" image in the minds of potential buyers. For a potential customer, the first question may be: "Can I trust this company?" And for those shoppers who have no catalog buying experience or less experience, they will even propose a more serious Question: "Does this company exist?" For catalog marketers who also have their own retail stores, they can use the good image and reputation already established by their retail stores to dispel customer concerns about the source. However, if a catalog marketer does not have its own retail store or a limited number of stores, it cannot obtain a "trustworthy" image from the store reputation. under these circumstances. Other methods should be used. For example, some companies have posted a full page of interesting things about their employees in their catalogs to increase the realism in the minds of their customers.

Cognitive source concerns can also be reduced through education. A potential customer usually trusts a catalog marketer who isn't just selling products to him. The catalog community should work together to teach their customers how to be a better catalog shopper and how to make more effective purchasing decisions. Mail-order shoppers often lack sufficient skills to judge product quality from a distance. If a catalog marketer teaches a prospective customer how to identify and buy a high-quality product, the prospective customer may consider the catalog marketer to be a high-quality business, thereby reducing cognitive source concerns, and may even include performance concerns. Directory companies can also increase customer trust by advertising to customers that they belong to an authoritative organization. For example, the United States "Direct Marketing Association" (DMA) is an authoritative direct marketing industry association, a directory company that is a member of the association prints the association's logo on their orders. For a knowledgeable mail orderer, DMA membership will mean that the directory company adheres to a specific set of professional ethics. For those who do nt know what DMA is, and who may do it infrequently or never shop through the catalog, the company should provide information about DMA members, relevant regulations for shopping at home, and other rights as a mail order customer.

Catalog Marketing Catalog Attribute Content

The contents of the directory attributes reflect the cognitive demands of the directory mail order. Although, in theory, the catalog attributes do not have fixed content, there are always some common catalog attributes in reality, and these attributes are usually attracted by customers and direct marketers.

The cognitive demands of catalog mail order can be divided into the following eight types according to their importance:

Convenience; Desire for the products listed in the catalog; Credibility of the catalog; The way the catalog introduces the products, such as the beauty and arrangement of the graphics, and the printing quality; The layout of the catalog is concise and capable Pass the necessary information; (D play the psychological role of color; the timing of mail delivery (appropriate timing); previous mail order business fulfillment experience.

The above eight aspects will affect the effectiveness of directory marketing. Therefore, when designing the catalog, we must fully understand the different preferences of different product or service types and different consumer groups on the attributes of the catalog. For example, as far as women's clothing is concerned, catalog marketing experts have found that eight aspects of attributes reflect consumer preferences. They are:

The catalog is easy to use; Convenience; Company reputation; Diversity of product varieties; (9 good value; The attractiveness of the catalog; Low financial risk; Uniqueness of the product. ^[3]