With the growth of online shopping, we can get whatever we want without having to go to a physical store. Everything is literally a click away. All we need is to own a computer, a tablet or simply a smartphone. The internet, in addition to allowing us unlimited access to products and services, also allows us to evaluate them before buying through the evaluations and comments made by other customers.
Não obstante, apesar da expressão que efetivamente tem, nem sempre o on-line substitui outras ferramentas de marketing consideradas mais convencionais como é o caso da força de vendas, do marketing direto, entre outras, nas quais os catálogos de produtos ou serviços (sim, porque também existem catálogos de serviços) são ferramentas de marketing de grande importância comercial, comunicacional e estratégica.
In this article we are going to talk about some of the advantages of catalogs. We will not mention all of them, but we will focus on those that, in our opinion, are the most relevant.
Draw attention and explain in detail the characteristics of the products or services
A catalog must be visually striking in order to arouse the interest of potential customers.
Companies must create their catalogs carefully, as these are what will show what companies have to offer, that is, the catalog makes it possible to make tangible the products and services that company’s sell.
Unlike brochures, catalogs are structured to highlight content about the product.
Sales catalysts
There are metrics that allow us to say that product or service catalogs are highly effective marketing tools to generate sales not only in person but also online. As an instrument of tangibilization that it in fact is, a good product/service catalog allows people to build an idea about the company and the products and services it sells. This ability of catalogs to influence people's perception makes selling the product or service a much easier task. This is one of the reasons why many companies spare no effort to give their catalogs an innovative and distinctive touch.
An excellent complement to other marketing tools
Another great advantage of catalogs is that they very effectively complement other marketing tools used by companies. This is, without a doubt, another great benefit of printed catalogs as they complement and enrich the shopping experience of buyers as it gives them the opportunity to get to know the brand and its products and services in a more personal and tangible way.
An information aggregator
Catalogs make it possible to aggregate technical information and other detailed data about products or services which are literally impossible to memorize on a single support. This makes the salesperson's task easier when he is using the product catalog to show his company's offer to his customers.
It is important to have in mind that the main function of a salesperson is to sell. Aggregating product and service data/information from different sources within the company and then disclosing it to customers is not something that should be imputed to sales representatives.
That's why catalogs help salespeople to effortlessly share information with their customers and thereby generate sales. This saves a lot of time as all the information they need is available at their fingertips.
Furthermore, a catalog also facilitates the life of the potential customer because, once in possession of the catalogue, he will be able to access all the information about the products or services marketed by a given company without the interference of a salesperson or commercial representative.
Improve conversion rate
The conversion rate is the “comparison” of the number of customers who entered a physical or virtual store and the amount of purchases they actually made.
Product catalogs also have the great advantage of helping companies improve their conversion rates as salespeople and prospects can have contextual conversations instead of wasting time on finding and solving problems. A catalog allows customers to access all the data they need, making it easier for them to make informed decisions and purchase products or services.
Reduce business cycles
Have you ever thought about how tedious and “time consuming” it is to have to exchange lots of emails or phone calls with customers to get them the information they request and need to be able to make their decisions? And when all this “wasted time” ends up not culminating in a done deal? It's frustrating, isn't it?
Here again, catalogs can play a very important role, making information available efficiently thus reducing unnecessary bottle necks in the business cycle.
With this article we hope to have helped you to understand the importance of a good catalog for your company's image and, of course, sales.
If you choose to create a catalog for your brand, understand that this is, in fact, a very good marketing investment hence the importance of being judicious and not sticking with “low cost” approaches, which are often not the most appropriate solution.
