To maximize your ROI, it’s essential to dive deeper into various aspects of your catalog to enhance your customer experience, drive more sales, and increase overall engagement:

1. Interaction is key.

Don’t just rely on a replication of the same static imagery from your print version! Here’s your chance to explore different types of content – including multi-media, videos, or animations, and across different social media channels – to discover what works best for you. Over time, A/B testing will help identify what strategies resonate with your shoppers; for example short-form, snackable bites (such as emails, short blogs, or Instagram Reels) vs. long-form content (such as how-to guides or white papers).

2. Make sure your catalog is easy to navigate.

User-friendliness is key to making the shopping process as seamless as possible. Make sure your layout fully showcases each product category, especially your top sellers or ongoing promotions. You’ll want to customize your design even further – including typography, colors, icons, and imagery – based on the type of audience you’re selling to. Research shows that people retain 65% of information that they view for up to 3 days when it’s paired with imagery – so make sure your photos have the appropriate resolution and lighting.

A seamless design will highlight your best-selling products and boost conversion rates, allowing you to make the most out of impulse buys and time-sensitive deals. 

3. Optimize your catalog for mobile users. 

According to OuterBox, over 79% of smartphone users made an online purchase using their mobile device in just the last 6 months. During the last year alone, at least 56% of all online sales were made using a mobile device, a number that continues to skyrocket year over year. That’s why it’s crucial to optimize your shoppers’ mobile experience. This includes fonts, layouts, and formatting to be properly sized across various screens, and making sure your product links are responsive.

Now that your catalog is mobile-friendly, make sure it’s shoppable as well. Customers should be able to easily add products to their cart, make safe transactions, and finish their purchases right there, without bouncing to another website. Minimize the number of steps required to complete a purchase and offer multiple payment options for your shoppers.

4. It’s all about the data.

Make sure you have access to your own shopper data and are consistently tracking how your catalogs and campaigns are performing. These analytics are critical to helping you monitor customer behaviour, track conversion rates, and gain deeper insights into the effectiveness of your catalogs. 

Over time, you’ll be able to pinpoint overall preferences and patterns amongst your consumers. You can further segment this data by season, geography, age, and so much more – allowing you to fine-tune your offerings based on real-time feedback.

5. Make each touchpoint personal.

Ditch the one-size-fits-all marketing, where the same deals, products, and messaging are used for everyone. Leverage your digital circulars to create a dynamic experience that feels customized to each shopper by tailoring their product recommendations and top-of-funnel content based on their interests and purchase history.

This will be critical in staying connected with your existing audience while expanding into new demographics and markets. By using data to personalize your brand experience, you can launch targeted campaigns to your competitors’ shoppers and make sure you’re part of their consideration set.

6. Social media is powerful.

Don’t forget that social media is your friend. Incorporate sharing options so you can easily leverage word-of-mouth marketing and get in front of a wider audience. Many shopping lists are generated from digital circulars that are, then, shared among friends and family. Social media also allows you to create an omnichannel presence by promoting your catalogs across various marketing channels, making it easy for you to re-share your content and for customers to access it on the fly, using their desktop or mobile devices.

7. Keep your content fresh and updated.

Don’t just stick to the same layout every time… Spice it up with up-to-date prices, promotions, and trends! Barbie Fever is a great example right now, with Barbie collaborations taking the global retail space by storm. 100+ brands, including Aldo, GAP, Primark, and Forever 21, have launched limited-edition collections, as you’ve likely seen the recognizable pink color all over your social media feeds. Digital catalogs make it easy to incorporate relevant trends across your omnichannel presence based on what your audience is buzzing about.

Once you’ve established a solid marketing strategy with your catalog, apply SEO techniques to make your catalog even more discoverable in search engines and improve organic traffic to your website. This will help improve your content relevance, tie your catalog to what users are searching for, and improve your overall ranking.

If you’re interested in publishing your circulars online, get in touch with us or request a demo.