There are a few things that come to mind when we think of the holidays: trees, presents, family, and catalogs. Holiday catalogs are a staple for businesses. A holiday catalog allows you to showcase your products, inspire shoppers, and stay top of mind throughout the season.
DCatalog specializes in turning your holiday catalog into a digital, flip experience. However, our work begins only after you have a catalog in place. We are here today to provide you with some guidance as you begin putting your catalog together. If you are unsure whether to even produce a holiday catalog, we recommend looking at our earlier post. With that in mind, this article looks to provide you with tips for how to create a holiday catalog.
Look at sales data and trends
The first step is always to figure out which products will be included in your gift guide. One way to decide is to go through the data. If you understand your top sellers and your market segments, you can easily tailor your holiday catalog to meet everyone’s needs.
DCatalog’s flipbooks include advance analytics trends. This means from year-to-year you can see which products are searched the most. You can also identify which aspects of the previous year’s catalog drew the most attention. Overall, the more information you have the better equipped you will be as you start to build. Looking at data about the market from prior years shows why being knowledgeable is so important.
Make it a team effort
Why go at it alone? Your coworkers will often have information that you did not even know you needed. It is helpful to check in with different departments to compile the most information. Your sales team will be most useful, as they can provide qualitative data. Numbers and trends are great, but your sales team knows first-hand what consumers are looking for. When you create, make use of everything that is at your fingertips.
Talk your customers as you create
Who knows what customers want better than the customer? It is never a bad idea to talk to your customers. It can save you a lot of time and headache in the long-run. They can provide insight into their desires as you begin you build your catalog. Customers who engage with brands online, report spending 20% to 40% more on that company’s products. To accomplish this, you will want to use social media. Post a poll on Twitter or ask for comments on your Instagram. For more information on how to best utilize social media, check out our earlier post.
Categorize your products in the holiday catalog
It is no secret that a good design for your holiday catalog is crucial. Categorizing your products is not easy however. It is important to remember who your customers are and why they will be using your catalog. If you are a big-box store it may be best to break up your holiday catalog by department. If you are a specialty men’s store you may want to categorize by type of customer.
When it comes to design, DCatalog tries to make it easy. We give you the ability to replace pages, so you can make small changes without having to create a new catalog all over again. It also means you can reuse catalogs year-to-year and simply replace outdated pages. Check out how organized and clean our customer’s holiday catalog is!
Include bundles in your holiday catalog
Finally, we recommend showcasing bundles. Individual items are great, but bundles are useful for several reasons. It will guide the customer and help them understand which items can be used together. Research suggests that 80% of consumers appreciate customized bundles and are more likely to make a purchase as a result. Bundles will also give you the opportunity to upsell, and who doesn’t love that? For more information on how to best bundle your products check out this great blog post!
Closing Thoughts
You are now well on your way to creating an amazing holiday catalog. Once you have put together a basic catalog, feel free to reach out to DCatalog and we can walk you through the next steps. We specialize in turning catalogs into immersive eCommerce shopping experiences without ever leaving your catalog. Shoppers will have the ability to add items to the cart, in a point, click and shop user experience. You can also provide instant access to your custom-made, digital edition by storing your flipbook’s URL within a barcode. This gives your customers the convenience of accessing your online edition at their discretion. By making mobile access just a scan away, QR codes serve as an effective way to drive traffic to your business. For helpful tips on how to drive users to your holiday catalog, check out this post.
Did you enjoy this article? Do you have any other insights to share on putting together a holiday catalog? Feel free to leave your comments and questions below.
By: Daniel Anaforian – Content Writer