Business-to-business catalogs require the same attention to design, layout, copy, photography, and organization as consumer books — perhaps even more, given their complexity, density, and typically higher page counts. But though the arsenal of tools used to design a b-to-b catalog — pagination, key-item focus, promotion, copy tone, cover design, product presentation, paper — might be the same as those used on a consumer book, business catalogs have a unique set of issues.
Specifically, while shoppers might browse a consumer catalog and make a purchase based on a romanticized sense of “want,” business customers turn to a catalog when they have a concrete “need” for a specific product. In this type of shopping environment, when the customer arrives at your catalog you must maximize your selling proposition.
You need to ask yourself some questions: Are you creating opportunities for cross-selling and add-on sales? Have you streamlined the order information so that customers can quickly buy via multiple channels? Have you effectively built credibility as a leader in your category? Have you organized your book so that customers can immediately drill down to the items they’re seeking? Are you demonstrating new and innovative ways to use your products?
To provide actionable tactics for designing successful b-to-b catalogs, let’s look at the strategies used in recent creative makeovers of two distinctly different catalogs, and the results these makeovers generated.
Case study #1: Stephen Fossler Anniversary
With a mission to “be your only source for proven promotions all year long,” the Stephen Fossler Anniversary catalog, part of the small family-owned Stephen Fossler Co., sells promotional products to companies celebrating anniversaries and other milestone events. Going significantly beyond a typical ad-specialty catalog, Stephen Fossler offers strategies on how to use its merchandise as part of an effective business-building campaign.
The Crystal Lake, IL-based catalog embarked upon a creative makeover to better convey that it is a customer-service-oriented firm, with quality product offerings. Additionally, the creative makeover team felt strongly that Stephen Fossler’s positioning as “the authority on brand-building promotions” was lost in the existing creative presentation.
For the edition of the catalog that mailed in fall 2001, the following upgrades to the creative were implemented:
- The cover was completely redesigned to show the breadth of merchandise assortment that could be found inside the catalog and to introduce lifestyle photography showing products in use.
- An engaging headline was featured on the cover, “It’s Your Anniversary! You’ve Made It. Make The Most of It,” to compel shoppers to look inside for marketing ideas.
- The opening spread was redesigned to reinforce the cover, again highlighting the breadth of product assortment.
- To lend credibility to the catalog, a letter from the president was introduced on page 2.
- A well-organized table of contents, showing categories in both type and photography, was also introduced, to make it easier for customers to find what they were looking for.
- Price bars were redesigned to be cleaner and with condensed type so they would take up less space.
- A more upscale-looking typography was introduced, to dispel the perception that this was a discount catalog.
- Copy was rewritten with a more direct, contemporary feel that focused on promotional benefits as well as product features.
- Category headers and headlines were incorporated to introduce each product section.
- Product photography was upgraded with beautiful lighting and logical product groupings that more effectively sold the product.
- Imprint options were simplified and consolidated in one area to ease the selection and order process.
- Sales results were analyzed to determine pagination and product placement on the individual spreads.
The results? Stephen Fossler Anniversary enjoyed a double-digit increase in sales and a triple-digit increase in orders from the revamped catalog — even though circulation increased only slightly and the first drop was several weeks after 9/11.
Case study #2: FarmTek
Windsor, CT-based FarmTek, a leading supplier to the agriculture and farming industries, traditionally targeted all of its customers with the same 354-page master catalog. Since this catalog featured merchandise that crossed multiple categories and industries, the book wasn’t generating sales and penetrating key niche markets as effectively as desired. To make its mark in several of those markets, FarmTek decided to develop three niche catalogs, for the construction, electrical, and horticulture markets.
The creative team was hired to look at the brand assets that already existed in the master catalog and to use those in creating the new catalogs. To begin, the team analyzed what was and was not working in the master book, reviewing sales analysis, catalog organization, density, the table of contents, copy, iconography, price charts, use of color, logos, photography, and other elements. Based on this analysis, the team decided that the new industry-specific catalogs would use a consistent creative approach to maintain and build the FarmTek brand positioning and look.
From there, the creative team attended to specifics. Among them:
- The catalogs were paginated by category.
- To make the books much more user-friendly, customer service information (the guarantee, information about the payment plan, a chart explaining the icons used throughout the book) was moved to the opening spread, which in the master catalog featured vendor ads.
- A color-coded table of contents, with small and well-identified sections, was introduced on page 2. In the master catalog, the unwieldy table of contents had been buried in the back.
- Color-coded category headers, keyed to the table of contents, were displayed on each spread.
- Large, clear icons were developed so that customers could immediately spot “New,” “Sale,” “New Low Price,” and “Best Value” merchandise.
- The phone and fax numbers, as well as the URL, were added to the same position on the bottom of each spread.
- To enable customers to quickly locate the desired products, the product name was brought to the top of each copy block, followed by benefit copy printed in color to maximize the selling opportunity.
- Price charts were standardized and accentuated with a color bar, making them easy to identify.
- Wherever possible, hero and subhero treatments were introduced to drive sales of FarmTek’s best-selling and high-margin products.
- To focus on the product and save critical selling space, vendor logos were made smaller, and the placement of logos and icons was standardized in the books.
- Catalog spreads were designed to be more accessible as well as more interesting, with a creative use of the natural graphic shapes of the products, in combination with an organized gridded approach.
The changes paid off handsomely for FarmTek. Sales for the three niche catalogs were up a very impressive 23% from sales of the same product categories in the main book. Response rates soared 19%, and average order size climbed 32%.
To make your business-to-business catalog a more effective sales tool, you must be willing to thoroughly and objectively examine what is and is not working within your current presentation.
What’s more, you can’t be afraid to make changes that will strengthen your brand and better suit the needs of your customers. Whether the changes are subtle or dramatic, whether a new approach is phased in or introduced all at once, there is always opportunity to improve and grow your brand.
Chris Carrington is president of Catalogs by Lorel, a catalog creative agency based in King of Prussia, PA.