Should I Go Bigger? When and Why to Add Pages to Your Catalog

[responsive]Duluth[/responsive]Looking to grow your catalog sales? You can work to increase your circulation or increase your page count according to this great article by Stephen Lett in Retail Online Integration.

Knowing when to increase your catalog page count – and more importantly why to do so – can help you win the game. Lett offers some practical, understandable advice that answers many of the questions we field from catalogers here.

Q: Won’t more pages cost more to mail?

A: “If your catalog weighs less than 3.3 ounces, increasing page count won’t increase your postage cost,” Lett notes. “If your catalog weights more than 3.3 ounces, the incremental increase in postage will be marginal if you add additional pages.”

Q: What about response rates? Do more pages directly equate to more sales?

A: “Any increase in page count (up to a point) will increase response, and therefore sales. In fact, sales will increase by approximately one-half the percent increase in page count,” Lett explains. “For example, a 20 percent increase in pages will increase sales by approximately 10 percent. Of course, this is a rule of thumb.”

Q: I’m looking to save money; shouldn’t I be cutting page costs?

A: No, wrong idea, says Lett. “Don’t reduce page count as a way to save money, especially if you’re a piece-rate catalog (weighing under 3.3 ounces). This will have the opposite effect on what you’re hoping to accomplish. The loss of sales and the gross profit dollars on those sales will be greater than any reduction in costs.”

Lett goes on to talk about the using square-inch analysis to validate your existing page counts, as well as to decide what items to continue to include, and what items you ought to retire from your next catalog. In clear language, he breaks down the math so you can make educated decisions about what to do next.

Still not sure? Talk to us about your catalog and we’ll sort it out with you. There is an art and a science to catalog mailing and this kind of specific information is invaluable.