Catalog printing is a costly process, so catalogs need to be as effective as possible. In general, your catalog needs to work like a good sales person: it should describe product benefits, talk about quality, assure customers they are making a good choice, and make it easy to purchase products. Here are some ways to improve your catalogs so they will generate more sales.
Start Copy with Benefits to the Customer
Product descriptions should start with the benefit customers will receive from the product. People must see that an item will improve their lives before they will want to buy it. Do not assume they will figure out benefits on their own. You should describe benefits for at least your top twenty items. After benefits, then give ordering information and price.
Tell About Benefits in Call Outs
Include call outs in your catalog printing to get the reader’s attention. These are short phrases in large bold print that get attention even if someone is just flipping through the catalog. Just like with product descriptions, call outs should tell about benefits to the customer.
Highlight Best Selling Items
Avoid the temptation to showcase poor selling items to increase their sales. You will increase profits much more by putting best sellers in prominent positions. Also, tell readers that an item is a best seller, because this will reassure them that it is a good product to buy.
Use Presentations that Worked in the Past
Pull out old catalogs and use design elements that worked well in the past. Chances are you stopped using some layouts and techniques simply because the design team got bored. Your customers will most likely respond well now if they did before. Customers are not confronted with your catalog on a daily basis the way your team is, so it takes customers a lot longer to get bored with a design.
Make Purchasing Easy for the Customer
Make sure your catalog design is organized and intuitive. The last thing you need is a confusing layout. Consistently use symbols, such as letters, to match up pictures with product information. Put your phone number and web address at the bottom of each page. Make your order form easy to find by putting it in the same place in each catalog.
Great catalogs are always designed with their customer in mind, as the above tips suggest. So always keep your customer at the forefront when making design decisions, and your products are sure to sell as well as you imagined.
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