Pageturnpro Digital Catalog Solution: It’s The Year To Ditch Paper Catalogs

By Author: Sonu
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Paper catalogs had a good run. They have long been the main force behind product marketing, physical, offline, and recognizable. However, with the increasing printing costs, consumer behavior is changing and sustainability demands are being placed on businesses as a whole, a large number of businesses are now questioning, is the paper catalog still worth it? The short answer is no. And when you continue to issue printed catalogs, you are probably wasting more than you should and giving less than your customers require. Digital catalog solution is now more intelligent, flexible, and reasonably priced. This is the reason why the switch is timely.

The Real Price of Publishing Catalog

Making a paper catalog is a costly process--and the expenses increase rapidly. The design, printing and distribution are likely to cost tens of thousands of dollars per run and that is not even the catalogs which never reach the right person or go to the recycling bin.

The problem of lead time is also present. A printed catalog may take weeks or even months to design, print, ...
... and publish. When it reaches the door of a customer, the price might have fluctuated, the product can no longer be available and new products could have been introduced. You are more or less setting your business in stone at a point in time.

And there is the cost of the environment. The process of paper production is a major source of environmental degradation in the form of deforestation and greenhouse gases. People also consider sustainability in their buying patterns, and a printed catalog in a thick paper does not necessarily mean that the company is eco-friendly.

What a Digital Catalog Solution Provides

An e catalog addresses most of these issues simultaneously. Instead of being a set of papers, it is an experience, it is dynamic, interactive and can be updated in real time, you can share it instantly and view it through any device.

The difference in digital catalogs is the following:

• Real-time updates: will help change a price, replace a product picture or add a new item, without any reprinting. And your catalog is never out of date.
• Interactive capabilities: Clickable links, in-built videos, zooming capability and direct add to cart buttons serve to turn passive browsing into active engagement.
• Analytics and insights: Unlike paper, online catalogs will tell you precisely how your customers are engaging with your content; what pages they are visiting, what they can click, and how much time they spend on each of the products. This information is priceless to improving your marketing approach.
• Greater accessibility: A digital catalog is able to be sent through email, social media and through QR codes or embedded within your own site. It does not have a postage charge or a geographic constraint.
• Reduced costs: As soon as you have your digital infrastructure established, the cost of updating and distributing a digital catalog is a tenth that of print.
The Customer Experience Has been Altered
The consumer behavior has changed radically within the last 10 years. Individuals are shopping on their phones, they demand fast-loading pages and want to transition between discovery and purchase with ease. It is not enough to provide a PDF version of a printed catalog but customers expect to have an experience as quality and easy as your site.
In digital catalogs, this is precisely what is provided by modern catalogs. Mobile-friendly, visual and convertible, well-designed digital catalogs deliver. Instead, customers can shop through collections, add faves and make purchases without having to leave the catalog interface. Such a frictionless experience is a source of loyalty and revenue.
The personalization aspect is something to consider, as well. Digital catalogs can be audience-centered, i.e., displaying various products to various categories of customers according to their location, previous purchases, or their online shoppers. Paper simply can't do that.
The General Arguments against the Digitization Process
The businesses are reluctant to get rid of the print catalogs, and the apprehensions are not futile. These are some of the objections that are usually made and why they fail on analysis.
"Our customers prefer print." This might have been the case five years ago, however, tastes have changed. Digital first experiences are now expected by most consumers. With that said, in case some customer segments actually want to use print, you can have a small print run and allocate the majority of your budget to online.

"We've always done it this way." Comfortable: It is not a strategy, familiarity. Businesses that stick to an old way of doing things in the guise of tradition seldom pass those that change.

The initial capital starts at a high cost. There are setup cost but are normally recompensed within a short time through the print and distribution savings. A majority of the businesses recover the investment after the initial year.

How to Make the Switch

It does not have to be difficult to switch the printed one on the digital one. These are some pragmatic steps to begin with.
• Test your existing catalog: What is performing and what is not. What are the most accessed parts by customers? What are the products that cause the most questions? On this base build your online version.
• Select the appropriate platform: We recommend seeking a digital catalog platform that is mobile-optimized, with analytics, e-commerce, and simple content management. A fine catalog to try for free for 15 days is PageTurnPro digital catalog solution.

• Design your content strategy: A digital catalog is not a printed one with hyperlinks. Consider how to incorporate video, interactive capabilities, and customized content to make it richer.
• Educate your staff: It is crucial that the individuals within the management of your catalog should be educated about utilizing the platform, interpreting analytics, and updating their content on a regular basis.
• Inform customers about the change: Inform your audience that you are going digital. Position it as an upgrade- more frequent updates, more convenient navigation and a more environmentally friendly option.

Conclusion

The companies dominating their industries today, are not the ones that are clinging to old-fashioned procedures. It is they who are putting their money into the tools and experiences that follow customers wherever they go- online, mobile and with more demanding expectations.
One of the less complicated changes that a product-based business can undergo is switching to a digital catalog solution. The savings in cost are tangible, the impact of the customer experience is obvious, and the operational benefits are self-evident. It is not really a question of whether to make the switch. It is a matter of getting down to it.