Mixing Ecommerce and Catalog Sales

Charging Money for those that want a catalog

[lgn1]

We used to send out catalogs free(when people asked for them, we didn't advertise that fact), from our ecom site.

Our major distributer really did a great job this year and came out with a 200+ page catalog, with in addition to being a catalog is also a great resource (helpfull hints, tidbits, planners etc).

The only problem, is that this thing weights almost a kilo, and is to big for favorable mail rates, and have just got to expensive to give away for free.

Im going to start charging $10 bucks for the catalog, and give $10 bucks off, if they spend more than $150
worth of merchandise.

Consumers are expecting everthing free these days, and they don't have a clue about cost recovery. I don't want to raise my overall prices, to pay for all the freeloaders that wont order anything.

I know that sears and radio shack tried this. I just wonder if Im going to receive a large backlash from the consumers on this? None of my competiors even offer a catalog, so I may be alright on this.

[lgn1]

Since, I did not get any responses, I assume people are neutral about charging for catalogs or not.

And I thought I was going to get a backlash.

[jwurunner]

Hi,
Its kind of a toss up. Catalogs are a cost of doing business but at the same time consumers want everything for nothing (the Wal-Mart syndrome) or close to it. If the product line is something that has consistant repeat business I would send buyers a free catalog. For the casual viewer who signs up, I would charge with the coupon.

The only other problem I can forsee is requiring a $150 purchade for the coupon. I would probably lower the minimum purchase to $75 or so depending on the average purchase size.

[Jane_Doe]

I'll tell you what I've noticed J.C. Penney's, as their semi-annual catalogs are quite heavy.......I in the past I've paid $5 for their semi-annual catalog, which comes with a $5 coupon off the first order, with no minimum order.

When I don't order anything or I order just a little bit from them, they send me a coupon to pick up a catalog at their store for free (but I still have to drive to the mall to get it).

Last Christmas I ordered a lot from them and now for the first time they just sent me their semi-annual catalog in the mail for free - no coupon for a catalog - they mailed the whole catalog. So I suspect they may base how much they charge for their catalogs on how good a customer they deem you to be. One of my sons picked out almost all of his Christmas gifts from them, plus I ordered some furniture, so I believe I earned primo customer status this past year.

[luckychucky]

Personally we just don't use a printed catalog anymore. If they have a computer and can get to your site, they already have everything required to buy. Why humor noncommittal, unsure, wishywashy, wimpy weak potential customers who vaguely think they want something to read while on the terlet, because maybe they just might be interested, maybe maybe? If you really must use a paper catalog, then you should charge for it, a tiny token amount. Charge just one dollar, refundable with purchase. That little payment requirement will screen out the idle bored onanists who eat up your time and money because it's all free to them anyway.

Catalog printing + mailing costs are astronomical, and conversion rates on mailings can be quite low. That money's far better spent on advertising to generate more and more traffic. With our constantly-evolving product line anyway, any catalog would be out of date before it even arrived back from the printer...

We have an automatic reject message on our Contact page, which reads:

THIS MESSAGE HAS BEEN TRIGGERED BY A FILTER FOR THE KEYWORD: <<CATALOG>>

WIDGETWORLD IS PAPERLESS. THERE IS NO PRINT CATALOG. EVERYTHING YOU NEED - THE ENTIRE WIDGETWORLD CATALOG - IS ON THE WIDGETWORLD.COM WEBSITE. AGAIN, NO PRINTED PAPER CATALOG EXISTS.

...works okay for us.

[Lovejoy]

1'd just put the whole catalogue online. Nothing pisses people off more than finding what they want online with no price listed and have to send for mailed catalogue
or " please contact us regarding this "

[topr8]

i think its a difficult one.

it depends on your widgets i guess.

we don't give out a printed catalog as the website is fully detailed and illustrated, customers who ask - and they ask a lot get told this (like your idea luckychucky!)

but on the other hand i buy stationary from a well known nationwide supplier whose website i find hard to use/find what i want, so i generally use the printed catalog and telephone!

[topr8]

in specific answer to your question, i think paying for a catalog is ok, i think the voucher should be for any purchase not a high minimum.

like jane_doe i too have noticed that i get (pay for)catalogs sent to me free from companies that i spend a lot of money with. ... i like this and possibly leads to me spending even more.

[luckychucky]

I'd just put the whole catalogue online. Nothing pisses people off more than finding what they want online with no price listed and have to send for mailed catalogue or " please contact us regarding this "

...well known nationwide supplier whose website i find hard to use/find what i want, so i generally use the printed catalog and telephone!

Lovejoy and topr8 I couldn't agree with you more. The best investment is to put your effort and money into creating the most amazing user interface and back-end functionality the world has ever seen. Without that, the no-catalog rule is useless and actually does you harm. But relying on a printed catalog to compensate for a lame website setup is really putting the cart before the horse. If a paper catalog lets your customers shop better than your site does, you've a got real significant site design problem you need to address.

i get (pay for)catalogs sent to me free from companies that i spend a lot of money with. ... i like this and possibly leads to me spending even more.

SnailMail promotional materials sent to previous, proven buyers whose repeat business you're courting - that's something else entirely, often an excellent idea, and according to all conventional sales wisdom is highly recommended.

Also: we do mass snailMailings to lists of potential new customers, but those are simply postcards with fotos of our product, and no contact or address info except our site's URL. We don't want Luddite business; if in 2005 already they aren't online by now, it's like telling us they refuse to own/use a telephone, fer chrissakes.

[topr8]

The best investment is to put your effort and money into creating the most amazing user interface and back-end functionality the world has ever seen.

yes with you on this one, luckychucky.

i do think it depends on your product and your high street presence, for some a printed catalog prob still works as well because they print and distribute in such huge volumes that the unit costs are much reduced, for us and a great many other smaller companies part of the point of having a website was to produce - the most ideal, dynamic, completely up to date, fully illustrated catalog that we could + save money in doing so.

[bears5122]

I still think paper catalogs are still profitible if done correctly. My suggestion would be this:

Give the catalog free to those ordering over a certain amount. I can't tell you how much business I've given companies like Eastbay over the years because they flood my mailbox with new catalogs.

I don't think you will find many people paying for a catalog. I think you should keep it free with a few tweaks to your system.

Make them enter in their information, along with a valid e-mail address. Perhaps have them answer a few survey questions as well. The most important thing will be verifying the e-mail address. Send them a verification e-mail, and when they verify, send them the catalog. You will now have an e-mail address to send promotions to from time to time. Hopefully the new e-mail sales will make up for lost mailing costs.

[newbiz]

In the UK there's a company called Maplin Electronics, who are basically the english version of Radio Shack. They reproduce their huge online catalog in both print form & also on CD-ROM; they sell the CD-ROM at about half the price of their printed catalog.
Perhaps it's worth you following a similar path by reproducing the printed catalog onto a CD & including a printable order form. You current catalog distributor may even offer such a service.

Your catalog in CD form would offer your prospective customers the benefits of offline browsing & access to the extra hints, tips, planners etc, & you would benefit by lower postal charges & reduced catalog reproduction costs. If the CD reproduction is cost effective enough it might also afford you other sales opportunities; by mailing CD's to previous customers, for instance.
Of course, you would still be free to offer or sell printed catalogs if insisted upon.

[luckychucky]

It's absurd to ask, say, Amazon or eBay to mail you a printed catalog.

Nonethless I would be very surprised if they don't receive hundreds of such requests each week.