In hopes of hiking average order size 7% and extending the spring catalog’s shelf life, Current Social Expressions, a $100 million-plus stationery and gifts marketer, mailed an overhauled, perfect-bound, 112-page book right after Christmas to more than 2 million customers and prospects.
The spring 1999/Valentine’s Day catalog barely resembles other Current books, which are all 50-80 pages, 8″ x 11″, saddle-stitched, printed on 38-lb. stock, and densely packed with 450-500 SKUs. The new book measures 9-1/4″ x 11-1/2″, is printed on 50-lb. stock, and contains more than 800 SKUs. The new design is also considerably airier; some pages carry only three or four products. “We wanted to make the book easier to use and offer a more attractive presentation with the larger format,” says Jim Frain, vice president of marketing and creative. “So we cut out extraneous copy and opted for a cleaner approach with more white space.”
The redesign is the brainchild of Frain, a Laura Ashley catalog veteran who joined Current last June, and Current president Lee Meyer. (Although Current was sold by Deluxe Corp. in October to North Mankato, MN-based holding firm Taylor Corp., Frain says the new book had been in the works prior to the sale.)
Current mails 18 catalog editions a year, but Frain says the first fall/holiday edition will be the only other oversize version it will produce this year. The new catalog’s considerably higher production costs have certainly influenced the company’s decision; Frain says that mailing two of the new slick books this year will increase Current’s overall annual page count 15% and raise its annual production costs 10%.
Frain will watch the results not only to see if Current can achieve the 7% average order size increase it seeks, but also to see if the sales curve “is more gradual, without the peaks and valleys of the other books.” The book’s size, perfect binding, and wide assortment of products, he adds, should extend its shelf life.-PM