May Catalogue Log

May 2013 represents the fifth consecutive month to show a decline in the number of catalogues promoting a sale or discount. Of the 86 catalogues we logged last month, only 23 (26.7 percent) featured a price promotion on the front page, compared with 33.6 percent in April 2013 and a whopping 50 percent in May 2012.

Discounts take a dive in May

At the same time, the popularity of free delivery continues. Eighteen out of the 86 catalogues (20.9 percent) offered free shipping—closing the gap between the two most popular offers we track. While that percentage is slightly down on April (23.5 percent), it’s more or less in line with May last year (21.2 percent).  Among the catalogues offering free delivery were Atterley Road, Great Plains, Joe Browns and Patra—and all did so without teaming up free p&p with a discount.

Discussing the issue with colleagues, we believe the continued decline of discounting in favour of offers like free shipping is down to cataloguers seeking to avoid devaluing their brand. With discounts so prevalent last year, perhaps some cataloguers are coming to realise that it’s not a race to the bottom. Offering money off trains consumers to expect to pay a certain price—and no more. Free shipping on the other hand, while still a burden on profits, does not cast the same shadow about how much goods are worth.

Only 7 percent of the catalogues we logged in May offered a free gift with purchase, compared with 8.8 percent last May and 10.9 percent in April 13. Usually the preserve of b-to-b cataloguers and gardening brands, last month we also tallied offers from apparel retailers; among them Witt, Seasalt and Madeleine Fashion.

Another decline we’ve tracked is the overall volume of catalogues we’ve received. At 86, May’s haul is the smallest of 2013 to date and down by a quarter on this time last year. Again, I feel this might be due to cataloguers keeping a close eye on mailing costs and removing unprofitable prospects from their lists. Saying that, we logged 119 catalogues in April 2013—28 percent more than the comparable month last year—so maybe the decline is more a seasonal choice than anything else. --MT

If you’d like to have your catalogue featured in the Catalogue Log, please send it to
Catalogue Log
c/o Direct Commerce
First Floor Offices
155 High Street
Ilfracombe
EX34 9EZ

April Catalogue Log

After four months of heavy discounting, April’s haul of catalogues was a lot less promotional. We logged 119 catalogues in April 2013—a 28 percent increase on April 2012. However, whereas last April saw 63 percent of catalogues feature some sort of special offer on the cover, this year only 54 percent did so.

At individual-offer level, the biggest recorded decline came in the number of catalogues that promoted a sale or discount. In April 2012, 40.9 percent of the catalogues we tracked did so. March 2013 saw a similar level of discounting—41.3 percent of covers. Last month, that dropped to 33.6 percent, the lowest level since November 2012.

Among those using special-price promotions was the spring/summer Bodie and Fou catalogue, which offered customers 15 percent off when they spent £100 or more. Furniture retailer Myakka promised customers 12 percent off their first order, while living-aids catalogue Elderberry encouraged customers to shop and save 10 percent on orders of £45 or more.

Twenty-eight of the catalogues we received in April (23.5 percent) made mention on free shipping on the cover. That’s marginally down on March 2013, but in line with the far more promotional April 2012, proving once again that free delivery is become ever more popular with cataloguers. Of those 28 catalogues, many teamed up free p&p with another offer—a tactic popular among apparel catalogues Gray & Osbourn (20 percent off plus free postage and returns), Figleaves (10 percent off plus free delivery and returns) and Boden (15 percent off plus free delivery and returns), for example.  Those that elected to use free shipping as a solo offer to tempt customers were predominantly b-to-b cataloguers such as Toolstation, Nisbets and Viking. 

Free gifts were less popular in April 2013 than they were at the same time last year. They were also less popular than in March 2013. Just 13 catalogue covers of the 119 we logged last month offered a freebie with purchase—that’s just 10.9 percent. However, putting it into a wider context, 10.9 percent is quite high when you consider that the average for the whole of 2012 was just 7.9 percent.

Looking at the data, free gifts are most popular during March, April, May and August. My theory is that those are prime mailing times for gardening and business-to-business catalogues, which tend to be the most prevalent users of free gift promotions.

On a side note; have you picked up your copy of the Abacus Trends Report yet? The third Annual Trends Report from Abacus is the data cooperative’s most comprehensive to date. This new-look edition features the home shopping revenue trends and mailing volumes of 2012—and makes reference to our very own Catalogue Log data. In addition, it includes interviews with key industry figures including Rosemary Stockdale of Sterling Marketing, More2’s Kevin McSpadden and Direct Commerce editorial director Miri Thomas. Download your copy on the Abacus website.--MT

March Catalogue Log

Over the past few years the Catalogue Log has tracked how, to boost sales, marketers are experimenting with promotions. While price cuts are by far the most common offer, free delivery is creeping up the popularity charts.

I don’t know about you, but there are certain email subject lines that almost guarantee I am going to open the email. The first is Your Order Has Been Despatched, which I click on to check delivery times and status. The second is Free Delivery. No Minimum Spend. Just last week a skincare brand elicited a buy response from me by sending a well-timed email. I was already in the market to buy a cleanser to replenish my depleting stocks and although my preference was for that brand, the delivery charge put me off. I was seriously considering buying a similar item from another online retailer that offers unconditional free shipping on all items instead. That free delivery email won saved the sale.

What is becoming evident from the Catalogue Log data we’ve collected is that the popularity of free delivery on email is filtering into print. We thought February was a record-breaking month, with 27.2 percent of catalogue covers promoting free shipping. March topped that with 28.9 percent, or 35 catalogues. As the chart below shows, the month of March has experienced a steady increase in the number of catalogues touting free p&p, while the use of other promotions has remained relatively constant. 

Overall we received 121 catalogues in March 2013, a staggering 23 percent drop on last year’s haul of 157. A quick glance at the list shows we didn’t receive a mailing from Lakeland or Misco last month, but we did get a Lego catalogue and Tandy Leather buyer’s guide. Other new names last month included Cornwall-based Poppy Treffry, fashion etailer Atterley Road and the Organic Gardening Catalogue.

Still the most popular promotion, 41.3 percent of catalogues promoted a sale or a discount on their front cover. Interestingly, a similar percentage (39.7 percent) featured no offer at all. One offer that stood out was from the Folio Society. It promoted the Times Atlas, a publication the Folio Society says is worth £150, for just £9.95. Is it just me, or does that have the wrong effect on the concept of “perceived value”?

There was somewhat of a resurgence in the number of catalogues offering a free gift with purchase in March. One in eight (12.4 percent) catalogue covers promised a freebie, compared to less than one in 10 (8 percent) in February. The gifts included a free silk tie from Charles Tyrwhitt, free pearl earrings from a Daily Mail reader offers catalogue, mini digital kitchen scales from Fashion World and a “Spring is in the Air” tote bag from The Owl Barn, among others.

I promised last month that I would share my favourite covers of the season. Sadly, no Easter-related covers really grabbed me, but the Spring catalogue from Hotter scores top marks. It features the strapline Shoes to fall in love with immediately drawing the reader in. The cover evokes happy days by the lake, and the addition of a dot whack offering 20% off your first order plus free delivery is a welcome added bonus.

Selling “comfy” shoes, Hotter doesn’t fall into the trap of forgetting about fashion. The models are young and photographed having fun—on swings and hammocks with young children, lazing in classic cars, even exercising. The colour scheme is pastel, reminiscent of spring blossoms and flowering gardens. The copy’s spot on too: The smart heels in our Signature Collection are more than a little out of the ordinary. That’s not just because they come in beautiful brights and soft neutral shades (though they do), it’s because of the Comfort Concept features in every pair! Flexible, super soft, with luxurious pillow soft underfoot cushioning that you’ll feel in every step – bliss! I’m not the target demographic, but this catalogue has me tempted.--MT

January Catalogue Log

The snow and ice we experienced throughout January didn't seem to impact on catalogue volume. We received 114 catalogues at the Direct Commerce offices last month, that’s 50 percent more than December and a whopping 87 percent more than we received in January 2012, when we logged a paltry 61 catalogues.

As well as the usual factors we track—percentage of catalogues featuring a discount, free delivery or free gift offer on the cover—we noted that January is prime mailing time for gardening catalogues. We received catalogues from Chiltern Seeds, Dobies, Marshalls, Pomona Fruits, Unwins, and garden structures specialist Agriframes. January is also a time for thinking about the summer holidays with a bunch of newspaper inserts and standalone mailings featuring travel deals. Now there’s an image of Britishness for you: we’re a nation of gardeners who dream about more exotic climes.

Another major theme of the catalogues we logged in January was, of course, the January sales. I counted 56 catalogue covers, or 49.1 percent, mentioning a special price promotion. Boden was one of the most prolific mailers with three separate catalogues: a 12-page catalogue featuring 10 percent off, free delivery, free returns and £15 off a first order; a 196-page book with 10 percent off, free delivery and returns and a 268-page catalogue also promoting 10 percent off and free delivery and returns. I've since received another Boden catalogue, this time offering 15 percent off, free delivery and free returns.

Given that it’s January, you’d think that the percentage of catalogues touting a discount would be higher than during the run-up to Christmas, but that’s not entirely the case. While 49 percent is higher than we experienced in September, October and November, it’s still considerably lower than the 59 percent we logged in December.

Free delivery was roughly in line with pre-Christmas levels, with 21.9 percent of the catalogues we tracked featuring a free p&p offer on the cover, compared with 18.4 percent in December and 21 percent in November. Apart from Boden, other mailers choosing to tempt us with free shipping were Lakeland (free on purchases of £30 or more), silk-flowers specialist Bloom (on orders of £60 or more) and the Duvet & Pillow Warehouse, which teamed up its free delivery offer with a half-price sale.

January had even more in common with November, with the percentage of catalogues offering a free gift being exactly 7 percent for each month. I liked the tactic from b-to-b mailer Viking which, on the same cover, gave away a gym ball set AND a whole jar of retro sweets.

On a final note, kudos to Bettys for its early-bird approach to February’s biggest retail event, Valentine’s Day. It mailed us an edition titled Celebrations and Valentine’s Day in January, proving it’s never too early to think about cake.--MT

December Catalogue Log

Last year must have been the anomaly. The exception to the rule. We tallied 110 catalogues in December 2011, compared with 66 in December 2010 and just 62 in December 2009. In 2012, we returned to similar volumes logging 76 catalogues last month. That’s the third lowest figure of the year.

I can spend all day speculating why the volume has declined December-on-December. Maybe we’ve dropped off some prospect lists. It could also be that last December was a test, with cataloguers experimenting with the option of mailing Christmas offers later and January sales earlier. Perhaps we didn’t buy as many newspapers last month, and therefore didn’t see as many inserts as last year—or it’s possible that there were fewer inserts altogether. Maybe more cataloguers migrated to email promotions this year—at a quick count I received more than 35 emails from multichannel retailers on Christmas Day, including one titled “Sale - Only 364 Days Until Next Christmas”.

Whatever the reason, while catalogue volume went down, the use of promotions rocketed. Almost two-thirds of the catalogues we received in December 2012 (64.5 percent) featured some sort of special offer on the cover. Incidentally, December was second only to June in the number of promotional cover lines.

December does however take the crown for being the most discount-driven month of the year. Some 59.2 percent of all the catalogues we received promoted a sale on the cover, including a significant number of furniture retailers such as DFS, Debenhams, Tesco, Barker & Stonehouse and Aspace. Other retailers choosing to publish their special price offers on the cover included Hawkin’s Bazaar, JoJo Maman Bebe and Maplin.

In December 2011, we experienced a steep decline in the number of catalogues promoting free p&p on the cover compared to the preceding month—falling from approximately 21 percent to 11 percent. In 2012, we saw no such drama. Roughly 18 percent of the catalogues we tracked promoted free shipping, more or less the same as August and September, and only marginally down on November’s 21 percent. We tallied free delivery offers from fashion label Me&Em, countrywear catalogue Joseph Turner and at gardening brand Thompson & Morgan.

In December, the least popular among the offers we track were free gifts. We counted just three catalogues, or 3.9 percent, promoting a freebie. Christmas not so much a time for giving, it seems…

2012 in catalogues

Here you go fact fans, a roundup of the headline stats of the Catalogue Log:

* In total, Direct Commerce logged in 1390 catalogues in 2012. That’s a 29 fewer than we received in 2011, representing a 2 percent drop. On the bright side, 2012 was up 4 percent on 2010.

* September was the month with the greatest volume, when a total of 204 catalogues were tallied. We received only 61 catalogues in January.
September was also the least promotional month of the year and the one with the highest number of business-to-business catalogues received.

* The most promotional month was June, when more than two-third of the catalogues we received (67.9 percent) mentioned at least one special offer on the cover.

* The most discount-driven month in 2012 was December when 59.2 percent of the catalogue covers we logged touted a price-based promotion. The least popular month for sales was September (23.3 percent)

* Free delivery was most popular in October (26.3 percent) but least popular in January (14.8 percent).

* Free gifts were appreciably less popular in 2012 compared with 2011. The month with the most freebies was April. The fewest number of catalogues promoting a free gift with purchase was recorded in July—just 2.9 percent. --MT

November Catalogue Log

“Catalogues drive online”. That’s the verdict from the chief executive of N Brown Group Alan White, who was speaking at the ECMOD Conference last month.

N Brown is the corporate name behind Simply Be, JD Williams and Jacamo--mail order brands catering for a plus-size or older consumer. The company has a £90 million annual budget for print, and although it wants to shift some of that spend to digital initiatives, White acknowledges that doing so is much easier said than done. Speaking at the Power Panel session, he said that when N Brown’s brands reduce a catalogue’s pagination, “online sales drop too”.

His comments were echoed by Julian Granville of Boden, who admitted his company has had “little success in weaning people off catalogues”. He told delegates, “we are finding that if you take product out of catalogues sales [of those items] drop markedly—at least by 50 percent”. 

This goes some way to explain why we’re seeing an upward trend in the number of catalogues mailed in the run-up to Christmas. Multichannel retailers recognise that catalogues are one of the most effective tools to prompt people to shop online. In November 2012 we received 186 catalogues, a 5 percent increase on November 2011 and an 11 percent increase on November 2010. It’s also a rise of 9 percent on October’s volume, signalling also that Christmas really is getting later every year. 

Mailers in November seemed to hold back on special offers, with 53 percent of all catalogue covers making no mention of free delivery, a discount or a free gift. In fact, we tracked a decline in each one of those promotions. All told, November 2012 shared more in common with November 2011 than October 2012.

A third of catalogues (32.8 percent) featured a discount or sale on the cover. That’s in line with November 2011 (32.6 percent), but appreciably less than the 43.3 percent we recorded in October 2012. Educational toys specialist BrightMinds, the Duvet & Pillow Warehouse and hampers and gifts business GiftsDirect, were among those opting to sweeten the deal for customers with the promise of a special discount in November.
When it came to free delivery, 21 percent of the catalogues we received promoted free p&p on the front cover. Again, this figure was more or less the same as November 2011 (20.8 percent), but lower than the 26.3 percent we tracked in October. Apparel cataloguers Peter Hahn, Outdoor Look and John Banks chose to use this promotion in their November mailings.

A lower than average number of cataloguers promised a free gift with purchase last month—just 7 percent of catalogues. Often a freebie was teamed up with another offer, like in the case of Charles Tyrwhitt, which offered a free silk tie and a saving of £50 on shirts. Or Red House, which gave customers who spent £25 or more a free Gruffalo family calendar and free delivery on their order.
With more and more multichannel retailers reaching out to customers via catalogues at Christmas, is the print medium right for every business? Boden’s Julian Granville believes so. If he was starting from scratch, he told delegates at ECMOD, he would predominantly be an online business—but, he stressed, it will be a “stronger business if it has a paper tool to drive sales... Catalogues are here to stay”. Something to think about in your 2013 planning.--MT

We’ll be back with the December Catalogue Log in January, featuring a stats and insight roundup of 2012. To have your catalogue featured in our 2013 analysis, send your catalogues to:

The Catalogue Log
c/o Direct Commerce
First Floor Offices
155 High Street
Ilfracombe
Devon, EX34 9EZ

October Catalogue Log

I was talking to a former ecommerce director recently who told me of his time at the online retailer he previously worked at. He and his team had been working on a free delivery offer that was supposed to be emailed to only the most loyal segment of the database. Instead, he had hit send to the entire—considerably large—customer list. While he was getting ready to grovel to the boss and apologise for eroding margins, the results of the promotion came in showing a major sales uplift and a healthy ROI. From then on, free delivery became a staple offer.

Perhaps taking a leaf out of the same book, free delivery is also a staple offer on catalogue covers. Consistently throughout 2012, free delivery has featured on around one-fifth to one-quarter of all cover lines.  In October, free delivery was promoted on 26.3 percent, or 45 out of 171 catalogue covers. Not only is that the highest percentage for 2012, it’s the highest percentage we've ever logged, narrowly beating March 2012’s 26.1 percent. Among those promoting free shipping were Cath Kidston (free delivery on order of £30 or more), Dukeshill Ham (free delivery on a first order), Hayloft Plants (free p&p on orders of £50 or more) and Traidcraft, which set no conditions.

As with previous months, many cataloguers teamed up free delivery with another offer. One of the most promotionally heavy mailers during October was arts and crafts books seller Search Press, which offered a free book with orders of £40 or more, free p&p on all orders of £15 or more—extended to free delivery for all online orders, and a free gift with every purchase. Another bookseller, Red House, promoted selected titles at half price or less, free delivery and a free calendar when spending £25 or more.

While we’re on the topic of freebies, free gifts were slightly more popular than they had been in September, featuring on 8.8 percent of the catalogues we logged. That’s slightly higher than October 2011, but lower than the 10.2 percent we tracked in October 2010.

All told, 60 percent of the 171 catalogues we tracked in October featured some sort of special offer. That’s the highest percentage since June and much more promotional than October in 2011 or 2010, which both hovered around the 50 percent mark. It's also worth noting at this point that catalogue volume was up again in October; 171 catalogues compared with 167 in October 2011.

The most popular offer promoted on catalogues last month was still a discount or sale, which saw a resurgence in October. We tallied 74 catalogues, 43.3 percent, touting a special price promotion, including Elderberry (Save 10 percent on order of £40 or more), Evans (20 percent off an order of £40 or more), Lands’ End (25 percent off everything) and Tradewinds Direct (10 percent off everything).

Last year, we tracked a similar percentage (41.9 percent) offering a sale or discount on the cover. It was followed by a steep drop in November (to 32.6 percent) and then back up to 53.7 percent for the final Christmas push. The same pattern was recorded in 2010, with the popularity of price-based promotions declining appreciably in November and soaring again in December. I will be keeping my eyes peeled as to whether the trend continues in 2012.--MT

** Ever wondered how we compile the Catalogue Log? Come along to ECMOD and see for yourself. 

The Catalogue Gallery, sponsored by Warners Midlands is one of the most extensive collections of print catalogues you'll find anywhere. 

Want to feature your work? Be sure to send your catalogues for display. Post them to Catalogue Log, First Floor Offices, 155 High Street, Ilfracombe, Devon, EX34 9EZ** 

September Catalogue Log

Whereas August is traditionally a low volume month, September is one of the year’s best performers and 2012 didn’t disappoint. We received a whopping 204 catalogues last month, eclipsing August’s haul of 85. What’s more, 204 is the second-highest number we’ve tracked to date; September 2009 still holds the record with 212 catalogues received in one month.

To put it in context with the rest of 2012, in March, the month with the second greatest volume, we'd received 157 catalogues. Or, if you look at it another way, of the 957 catalogues logged during the first nine months of 2012, more than one-fifth (21 percent) were received in September.

I have to make an admission here, more than a third of the catalogues we tracked did not come through the post. We picked up 10 catalogues in-store, 22 inserts in the national and local press or magazines, and 39 catalogues were collected at the Autumn Fair or GLEE trade shows. The addition of those 39 trade catalogues contributed to the highest number of b-to-b catalogues we’ve tracked this year, 58 in total. In fact, 58 is the highest number of business-to-business catalogues to cross my desk in a one-month period since we began logging the catalogues for the purposes of this blog. The previous highest number was 49, received in July 2009 (When we received seven different versions of the Viking catalogue and eight versions of the Neat Ideas, now Staples, catalogue—make of that what you will).

While the number of catalogues received in September 2012 soared, the percentage promoting sales and discounts dropped dramatically, from 34.1 percent in August to 23.3 percent in September. Again, that’s a record-breaking figure—the lowest ever. Among those offering a discount were Ashridge Nurseries (5 percent off online orders), Elderberry (10 percent off a £40 spend) and Pia jewellery (15 percent).

Discounts are out, free delivery is in
In contrast to the significant drop in discounting—which has happened for the third month on the trot—the offer of free delivery was on par with the previous month, 18.1 percent in September, compared with 18.8 percent in August. B-to-b mailers Slingsby and Nisbets and b-to-c catalogues Peter Christian and Mint Velvet were among those offering free delivery. Apparel retailer Mint Velvet also teamed up the offer with a 15 percent discount to celebrate the launch of its first catalogue.

The percentage of catalogues offering a gift with purchase was a meagre 5.9 percent in September. That’s down from August’s 10.6 percent and the high, in April, of 14 percent. Among September’s gifts-with-purchase were 40 free Narcissus Hawera bulbs with any bulb order at Unwins, a digital radio alarm clock from Fashion World and a cornucopia of gifts at Fishtec, including a filleting set or a tackle and bait bag.

After tracking declines in our each one of the cover lines we monitor, we also noted that almost 61 percent of the catalogues we received featured no offer whatsoever. As we get closer to Christmas it would be interesting to keep an eye on whether the percentage of catalogues offering a discount on the front cover will rise again, or whether cataloguers will continue their shift away from low prices to other special offers, such as free gifts or free delivery.

It’s also worth noting that a lot of the catalogues we track now put their special offers on a separate insert, this is presumably so they can test a variety of offers but print only one version of the catalogue—a money-saving tactic. This was something online tea shop Bettys (free delivery on orders over £30), apparel marketer Cashmere Centre (free £10 gift voucher), art-inspired gifts catalogue Culture Vulture (10 percent off orders of £40 or more) and Myakka (free elephant wall hook or woollen scarf) all did. I would wager that the trend will continue. Perhaps it's time to add another column to the Catalogue Log spreadsheet.--MT

August Catalogue Log

Since we began compiling the Catalogue Log back in 2009, we’ve found that August has generally been a low-volume month when it comes to mailings. In 2009, we tallied 71 catalogues, compared to the year’s peak of 184 in October. In 2010, August yielded 61 catalogues, which more than doubled the following month to a haul of 185. In 2011, volume was up 42 percent on the previous year. We tracked 87 catalogues during August 2011, which was more than we received in April, June or July that year.

This year, we totalled 85 catalogues in August, down 2 percent on 2011, but up 25 percent on July, suggesting that mailers may be starting to distribute their new-season catalogues earlier this year. Further corroborating that theory is the fact that August had the lowest percentage of promotional cover lines in 2012, signalling perhaps that retailers are reticent to discount on autumn goods this early in the season. 

Twenty-nine of the catalogues we received in August--34.1 percent--featured a discount or sale on the cover, including Brook Taverner, the revamped Cox & Cox catalogue and Wall London. Again, that’s a record-breaking figure for 2012 and the lowest since November 2011. It’s a sharp decline from the high we experienced in June 2012, when 56.8 percent of covers include a special price promotion on the front cover.

Despite discounts being less popular than preceding months August trumped June and July in the percentage of catalogues touting free shipping. Sixteen of the 85 catalogues we logged in August—18.8 percent—promised free delivery, just a smidge higher than June’s 18.5 percent, and July’s 17.6 percent. They included Scotts of Stow, Russ Andrews, and Big Man’s Shop, which in addition to offering customers free delivery on their orders, used the covering letter to introduce the company’s new owner and relocation from Cornwall to Bristol. Knitwear marketer Tulchan sent us two catalogues, both offering free delivery on orders of £50 or more, but only one that offered an additional 10 percent discount to sweeten the deal.

Free gifts also saw a resurgence in August. Boden, Coopers of Stortford and Laithwaites all sought to tempt customers with items such as a free shopping bag, a pen and case set and a slate serving board and knife. Bits and Pieces, a gifts catalogue featuring a “Special Introductory PricesGiant Tortoise Garden Sculpture” on its front cover, promised customers a free 500-piece puzzle on all orders.

We can’t end the August Catalogue Log without mentioning the Olympic Games and their impact on catalogue volume and promotions. Last month, I noticed very few mailers making the most of the opportunity. This was evident again in August. What’s more, at 85 catalogues, volume was more or less in line with last year, meaning the Games had a negligible effect on circulation—much as they appear to have had on sales in general during the period.--MT

July Catalogue Log

An American friend of mine asked me recently whether I had noticed a decline in catalogue volume as mailers cut back or postponed mailings in the run up to the Olympics. Apparently it’s common practice in the US to do so during big sporting events. However, with the Catalogue Log tracking a 6 percent increase in catalogue volume July on July, it doesn’t appear to be the case in the UK.

In fact, looking through the selection of 68 catalogues we received, you wouldn’t know the Olympics were taking place, let alone being hosted in the UK. Some give the Games a cursory nod, such as health and safety products supplier Seton, which places a medal at the top right-hand corner of the catalogue’s front cover with the legend “Olympic Money Off Deals!” Retail supplies cataloguer Morplan takes a more practical angle, making its customers aware that extra charges may apply on large deliveries during the Games. Gracing the Samuel Windsor catalogue is double Olympic gold medallist James Cracknell, but aside from modelling the smart/casual attire, Cracknell’s achievements are not used as a specific selling point, nor are the Olympics mentioned again inside the catalogue.

More of an effort is displayed by packing supplies cataloguer Rajapack, which gets into the spirit of the summer of sport with its RajaCup 2012 competition. For the July catalogue it opts for a suitably athletic cover, which currently leads the unofficial Direct Commerce medals table for best Games-related marketing.

In the silver medal position is Long Tall Sally, whose catalogue arrived on 31st July. Page 74 features Anna Watkins and Katherine Granger of the London 2012 gold-winning women’s sculling squad—both of whom are 6-feet tall. The copy reads: “After months of training hard, our favourite athletes Katherine Grainger and Anna Watkins took some time off the water to get glam on our latest photoshoot. The girls swapped their lycra for LTS Row as they modelled the latest offerings from our exclusive leisurewear range.”

Also on the podium in July is Crew Clothing, taking the bronze medal. I interviewed brand marketing director Sarah Baskcomb for our cover story in July, who described how Crew was actively taking part in the Olympics by sponsoring athletes, including rower Louisa Reeve and the Paralympic GB boccia squad. Although its summer sale catalogue doesn’t explicitly mention the Olympics, it dedicates several pages to the GBR range, flying the flag for all things British.

Record breaking
So if mailers were keeping the Olympics off their catalogue covers what were they pushing instead? It certainly wasn’t free gifts. The July Catalogue Log tracked just two covers, 2.9 percent, touting a freebie, setting a new record. Previously the lowest percentage was 5.3 percent, tallied in February 2012.

Keeping with tradition, sales and discounts were the most popular promotion, with 32 of the 68 catalogues—47 percent—featuring a special price on the cover. That said, the percentage tracked in July 2012 was considerably lower than the preceding month (56.8 percent) and July 2011, when 54.7 percent of catalogues promoted a sale on the cover.

The decline continued with July 2012 also seeing a downturn in the number catalogues offering free shipping—17.6 percent compared with 21.9 percent in July 2011. Among those offering free delivery were the relaunched Rowland’s Clothing catalogue, which set an order threshold of £150 in order to qualify for free p&p and White Stuff, whose high summer mailer generously promises 15 percent off and free delivery.

With all these declines, it didn’t come as a surprise that more than two-fifths of the catalogues we tracked featured no offer whatsoever. Last year August was appreciably less promotionally led than July, which leads me to wonder whether we’ll see the reverse happen this year. As well as the run-up to the Olympics, cataloguers had to contend with an extremely wet July, with dampened demand for summer clothing and seasonal goods. I’m going to predict that August’s haul of catalogues will feature a spike in promotional activity as direct sellers try to shift summer stock ahead of the arrival of the Autumn/Winter catalogues towards the end of the month.--MT

June Catalogue Log

It’s a Catalogue Log first; we received the same number of catalogues in June 2012 as we did in June 2011. There were more similarities between the two months; not least that June is firmly establishing itself as the sales month of choice among cataloguers. 

 

In June 2011 we noted that 59.3 percent of the catalogues we received promoted a sale or discount on the cover, the highest percentage recorded in 2011. Last month we tallied 46 catalogues, or 56.8 percent, promoting a sale—making it the most sales-driven month of the year so far.

Of the 81 cataloguers we received last month, only 26 featured no offer whatsoever on the cover. Of those 26, there were several that sent promotional carrier sheets or included loose inserts to make up for it. Take, for instance, gifts catalogue Nauticalia, which included a flyer for free delivery on orders of £80 and featured cut-price gift ideas on its order form on page 63. Business-to-business catalogue Action Storage hid its free p&p offer on the inside front cover, while homewares brand Cologne & Cotton offered us 15 percent off and free UK delivery on a voucher included with the main catalogue.

The remaining 55 catalogues went all-out to squeeze an order from recipients. The most popular method was using a sale or discount. As mentioned above, 56.8 percent of catalogue covers in June touted a price-based promotion. Among them were Garden Trading (15 percent off), Graham & Green (10 percent off) and Sweaty Betty (up to 50 percent off).

In distant second place was the offer of free delivery, promoted on just 15 catalogue covers. Often it was teamed with another offer; Woolovers, for example, promoted free delivery and 5 percent off a first order. At Tulchan, customers could shop its “up to 60 percent off sale” and take advantage of free delivery. Hotter Shoes made a similar offer: 20 percent off a first order plus free delivery.

It’s worth noting that free shipping was much more popular this year, offered on 18.5 percent of all catalogue covers last month compared with 12.3 percent in June 2011. Is this a sign that catalogues have become more aggressively promotional in order to compete? According to the Catalogue Log, which has been tracking the offers touted on catalogue covers each month since 2009, it appears to be the case. We’ve tracked an overall June-on-June increase in the percentage of catalogues featuring some sort of offer on the cover rise from 60 percent in June 2010, to 64.1 percent last year to 67.9 percent in June 2012.

I was at a conference recently where I was told older consumers responded well to free delivery offers, while the younger generation preferred receiving a free gift with purchase. I’ve consistently found little to support this argument when compiling the Catalogue Log. Most of the catalogues we tracked offering a free gift—a mere 9 titles in June 2012—were aimed at the grey market like Coopers of Stortford and Witt or at business buyers, like 4imprint. All in all, it appears June is not the month for touting a freebie; free gifts were promoted on 11.1 percent of the covers we logged. Although, that’s the second-highest percentage of 2012 and slightly higher than last year’s 9.8 percent, it’s lower than 2010’s 12.8 percent, and lags significantly behind the 17.8 percent we logged in June 2009.—MT

May Catalogue Log

As well as familiar names such as Crew Clothing, Lands’ End, Charles Tyrwhitt and 4imprint, it was great to see the Catalogue Log track new catalogue titles last month. It was also interesting to note that more than 60 percent of the 114 catalogues we logged featured a special offer of some sort on their front cover: exactly half of them featured a sale or discount, 21 percent promoted free shipping and almost 9 percent touted a free gift with purchase.

Among the new additions to the Catalogue Log was Swimwear365, the latest title from Freemans Grattan Holdings. Featuring 48 pages of swimwear and hot-weather essentials, Swimwear 365 sought to tempt us into placing our first order with a 20 percent discount.

ILoveGorgeous sent us its Summer 2012 catalogue of girls’ apparel, featuring some pretty cool sparkly plimsolls that made me wish I was eight years old again and able to carry off the look. ILoveGorgeous used free delivery and free returns as its attention grabber--just in case the plimsolls didn’t fit.

Despite having been around since 2006, BAM was a completely new name to me. It mailed us its Summer 2012 catalogue featuring a collection of sportswear made from bamboo. The range includes long-sleeve base layers that promise to be “thermo controlling, antistatic, super soft” and yoga pants that are “moisture wicking, antibacterial, ultra comfy”.  According to the company history on page 38, this is only the company’s second-ever catalogue. I love the friendly copy on the catalogue’s how-to-shop page, in particular the returns information: “Within 14 days ideally, or if you haven’t worn it except to try it on, after that we’re pretty flexible too. We pay for exchanged items to be sent. If we’ve messed up—rare, but we’re only human!—you don’t pay anything”. It seems to be proving a hit with customers; its Feefo feedback satisfaction score is 99 percent for service and 99 percent for product. To further attempt to eke out a first order from us, the catalogue promotes a “4 for 3” promotion across the entire range.

Potentially the most generous of the new titles was Shipton & Co, a jewellery catalogue. As well as a 50 percent off sale, interest-free credit on higher-value purchases, free p&p on orders of £100 or more, the catalogue also promises a free freshwater pearl bracelet with every order. 

Other special offers included a free “calcuruler” from packaging catalogue Rajapack, 15 percent off everything at Great Little Trading Company and 15 percent off at Argento. The jewellery retailer also hid another offer within the catalogue. Tucked away on page 33 of 40 was free UK delivery on all orders over £30. I’m a big fan of free delivery offers and think that if it’s on offer it should be promoted on the cover. It adds another incentive for the recipient to look inside.

In total, 61.4 percent of the catalogues we received in May featured a special offer, roughly in line with May last year, when 62.2 percent of the 90 catalogues we received did so. As usual, a sale or discount was the most popular—promoted on 50 percent of the covers, and only marginally higher than May 2011’s 48.9 percent. Free delivery was featured on 24 catalogues, or 21 percent, of covers in May 2012; again, ahead of last year’s 17.8 percent. But free gifts were less popular, just 8.8 percent of catalogues promoted a freebie in May 2012, compared with 11.1 percent in May 11, and 20.5 percent in May 10.--MT

April Catalogue Log

Compared with March, it seems cataloguers toned down their reliance on discounting in April. However, a look back at the data shows April was actually more promotional than the previous month and appreciably up on the same period last year.

Out of the 93 catalogues that crossed the editorial desk last month, 38, or 40.9 percent, featured a sale or discount on the cover. In March, 45 percent of catalogues did so. The percentage of catalogues promoting free delivery on the cover also dipped, from 26.1 percent in March to 23.7 percent in April. However in total, April just had the edge when it came to overall promotions displayed on the cover. We noted that 63.4 percent of catalogues featured a sale, discount, free shipping or free gift on the front cover in April, compared with 62.4 percent the preceding month.  

Year-on-year we tracked a 12 percent increase in the volume of catalogues received. We tallied 93 catalogues in April 2012, compared with 83 percent in April 2011. And while we didn’t receive a spring edition of William Powell this year, or a sale catalogue from Neat Ideas (Staples Direct), we did get a catalogue from JoJo Maman Bebe, Wall London and Suttons Seeds, which were missing from last year’s roster.

One of the catalogues that stood out last month was Joe Browns, which had undergone a revamp. The new-look catalogue, which I’m told was only mailed to a certain segment of the database, is a 100-page perfect-bound edition. In a really bold move, the refreshed catalogue doesn’t feature a product on the front cover. It’s also slightly larger than previous editions, giving the products inside more room to “breathe”. I rather like it.

As far as promotional cover lines are concerned, April 2012 was significantly more discount-led. As mentioned earlier, 40.9 percent of covers featured a sales or discount in April 12, compared with 34.9 percent in April 11 and 29.2 percent in April 10. Cotswold Collections, Dwell and Graham & Green were among the 2012 catalogues offering a discount.

While in April 2010 and 2011 fewer than one in five catalogues offered free delivery, the promotion was much more popular in April 2012 and featured on 23.7 percent of covers. Catalogues offering free shipping included Tulchan, Soar Mill Seeds and Fashion Union, which combined the offer with a hefty 20 percent discount.

Bucking the trend completely, free gifts were more popular in April than in March, but less so than the same period last year. We counted 13 catalogues—14 percent—offering a freebie in April 2012, ranging from a free silk tie from Charles Tyrwhitt, a free MP3 speaker set from Viking and free chocolates in every order from Bibliophile.--MT

March Catalogue Log

With the start of spring comes an influx of spring catalogues; we counted 157 catalogues crossing the editorial desk last month. What’s more, for the first time in 2012, we actually received more catalogues than last year. 

March is consistently a high-volume month; in March 2010 we logged 141 catalogues, which dipped to 140 in March 2012. This year’s figure of 157 catalogues represents a 12 percent rise on last year and the highest figure since November’s haul of 178 catalogues. 

March was also a super-promotional month. Of the 157 catalogues, just 59, or 37.6 percent, didn’t include a special promotion on the front page. In other words, almost two-thirds of the catalogues we tracked featured a discount, free delivery or free gift offer on the cover.

Consistent with previous Catalogue Log data, a sale or discount was the most popular promotion, offered on 45 percent of covers. Apparel cataloguer Artigiano, department store Debenhams and luxury casualwear brand Me&Em all sought to tempt consumers with money off deals. As the chart below shows, discounts on catalogue covers are becoming more and more prevalent.

In keeping with previous years, March saw a peak in the number of catalogues offering free delivery—conditional or otherwise—on the front cover. I partially attribute this to cataloguers introducing their full-price spring ranges, but sweetening the deal by offering free shipping. More than a quarter, 26.1 percent, of all the catalogues we received carried a free p&p offer, making it the highest rate since the Catalogue Log began. We have to go back to September 2010 for the second highest percentage, 24.3 percent. 

Among those offering free shipping were apparel cataloguer Tulcan, activewear marketer Sweaty Betty and discount apparel cataloguer/etailer MandM Direct. The offer wasn’t limited to clothing retailers either, gardening catalogue Thompson & Morgan, audio equipment catalogue Russ Andrews and catering supplies merchant Nisbets all offered free shipping to customers in March.
The offer of a free gift with purchase also saw a renaissance last month. One in 10 catalogues offered a freebie—double the figure from February and roughly in line with March 2011. The free gifts included a free insect mesh pack from Harrod Horticultural, free seeds from Coopers of Stortford and a free pearl bracelet and earring set or rechargeable key chain from the Good Ideas catalogue.

As with previous months, I suspect many more offers are being kept off the cover. In March I noted that the Bon'A Parte catalogue offered customers 25 percent off using a loose insert included within. Long Tall Sally did the same offering 10 percent off, free delivery and free returns and furniture retailer Myakka offered me 12 percent off my next order. I still suspect this is in order to be able to tailor offers to specific segments of the database. At least I hope it is, because otherwise it’s a missed opportunity to market directly from the cover and to get the catalogue noticed.--MT
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See the Catalogue Log data in action!

I am very proud to announce that the Catalogue Log was featured in the Abacus Annual Trends Report. Extracted from the Abacus cooperative of 600 direct retailers (holding 500 million transactions and around £20 billion in spend), the report is a comprehensive studies into the health of home shopping in the UK. To confirm that Abacus’s mailing trends were representative of the industry, Abacus compared its data with the Catalogue Log and with data insights firm Ebiquity. To find out more, visit www.abacusdirect.com.

February Catalogue Log

After January’s slump of just 62, it was a relief to receive a more respectable 94 catalogues in February. Nevertheless, that’s still 10 percent less than we received last February when we logged 104 catalogues.

A quick glance at the data shows that this year we didn’t receive any catalogues from Staples, Joseph Turner or Toast. We did, however, receive a catalogue from SofaSofa, Pepperberry and Emma Bridgewater. We also tracked several mailers sending us different editions. Crew Clothing, for example, sent us two versions of its Spring 2012 book, plus its new Junior Crew kidswear catalogue. The two Spring catalogues were identical in almost every way. Same front and back covers, same number of pages, but one featured New Collection Offer 20% OFF PLUS FREE RETURNS, while the other went one better with Introductory Offer 20% OFF PLUS FREE DELIVERY & RETURNS. The catalogues were addressed to different Catalogue Log researchers, one of whom had not previously shopped with Crew and one who thought she had, but wasn’t sure. Curiously, the researcher who thought she was a Crew customer received the “Introductory Offer”.

Boden did a similar thing. It also mailed two versions of its Spring 2012 edition. Same front cover and same special offer (15 percent off plus free delivery and free returns), but one was 244 pages and the other just 196--no menswear. In addition we also received a Mini Boden kidswear cataloguer and noted an insert in the Sunday Times with the bumper offer of 15 percent, free delivery, free returns and a free gift for new customers.

We also tracked several catalogues from Charles Tyrwhitt, including ones with special offers for customers of Lands’ End and readers of the Sunday Times.  Overall, catalogue covers in February were slightly more promotional than in January—more than half (56.4 percent) featured some sort of special offer on the cover, compared with January’s 52.5 percent. When comparing year-on-year, February 2012 was far less promotional. February 2011 was one of last year’s most promotionally led months and saw more than two-thirds (67.3 percent) of covers feature a special deal.

In February 2011, 49 percent of all the catalogues we received promoted a sale or discount on the cover. This year, that percentage fell to 45.8, or 43 catalogues. Among the marketers offering a discount were childrenswear brand Frugi, homewares catalogue Peacock Blue and b-to-b merchant 4imprint.

Free gifts really fell out of favour in February. We counted only five catalogues, or 5.3 percent, offering a freebie with customer orders: Boden, Rajapack, RU Craft, Thompson & Morgan and catering equipment marketer Blue U. This represents the lowest percentage since we began compiling the Catalogue Log; previously, the lowest figure was October 2011 (6 percent). 

Much more popular last month was free delivery. Nearly a quarter of all catalogues (23.4 percent) featured a free p&p offer on the cover, including Wrap, Peter Hahn and Traidcraft. Once again, especially with fashion catalogues, free delivery was often teamed up with free returns.

Although we don’t officially track how many address labels, carrier sheets or inserts feature a special deal, we are seeing more special offers kept off the front cover. Gifts catalogue Culture Vulture, for example, took 10 percent off if we placed an order of more than £50, The White Company included an insert for 15 percent off plus free UK delivery, while the back cover of a Viking catalogue promised us a George Forman grill.

Speaking of Viking, it was the only marketer to send us a Valentine’s card this year. The card was passed around the whole office and raised a smile with everyone. We’d like to see more b-to-b marketers take Viking’s lead with event-triggered marketing—it’s surely a step in the right direction when looking to foster customer loyalty and encourage customers to continue coming back.--MT