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Why catalogues are alive and well

Findings from the 2015/16 Australasian Catalogue Association Industry Report

 Digital certainly hasn’t killed the catalogue star. These days we hear all sorts of talk about how print is dying. But thanks to the Australasian Catalogue Association’s recent research, we’ve now had confirmed what we’ve known all along – that letterbox marketing continues to be a “vibrant, dynamic and performing media channel”.

 Over the coming weeks, we’ll be taking a deeper look at what came out of the 2015/16 Australasian Catalogue Association Industry Report and what that means for retailers. First up though, we thought we’d put together some insights into the main findings that came out of the report – including a few surprising results!

Letterbox reach is massive

In the previous financial year, audience reach for catalogues was absolutely huge at 3.88 million. In fact, printed catalogues get read by 70% of New Zealanders in an average four-week period. No other media – whether TV, magazines, newspapers or radio – comes even close to that level of consumption. Increased housing and population (along with strong letterbox distribution) have helped contribute to that reach – and it only looks to grow further.

Unaddressed doesn’t have to mean untargeted

With the ability to get right into people’s homes (without necessarily having had any prior contact with them), flyers and catalogues have traditionally been perfect for those with wide audiences, such as supermarkets, hardware chains and electronics retailers. However, with data and research tools constantly improving, retailers are able to better target their ideal audiences, targeting their marketing to people of specific genders, ages, backgrounds, income levels and other interests. This means that more niche retailers are able to save on costs and reduce the volume of letterbox mailers by being more specific around where they send their catalogues.

It’s not just oldies reading catalogues

Perhaps most surprising is that, after the 40- to 49-year old age group – who make up 24% of letterbox readership – it is 18- to 29-year olds who make up the second largest group of unaddressed and direct mail readers, with 20% of readership falling into that camp. Defying the misconception that younger generations have given up on print, people of all ages are still engaging with catalogues and flyers.

Popular print still beats digital

Despite the digital revolution, consumers are still engaging with print catalogues in much higher numbers than with digital catalogues. 69% of 25- to 54-year olds (generally considered one of the most powerful consumer markets) are reading printed catalogues – a massive 57% more than are engaging with online versions. Once again, young people are disproving those who say they’ve abandoned printed advertising, with 52% of 14- to 24-year olds reading printed catalogues.

Catalogues drive buying decisions

With 79% of consumers having made a purchase after seeing something advertised through unaddressed mail, and 25% of those either having bought something ‘quite often’ or ‘all the time,’ we know that catalogues and flyers work. Even 59% of those described as ‘leavers’ (those who least like unaddressed mail) still report having made purchases due to unaddressed mail. With more and more people going out of their way to avoid ads on other channels, those kind of numbers are certainly reassuring for businesses looking to achieve a good ROI.

So what does it mean for retailers?

In essence, good news all around! Thanks to more effective research and data, we’re now able to better target specific markets, and far from being overtaken by digital, print is still very much consumed and engaged with by Kiwis.

For larger retailers with wide audiences, unaddressed mailers and catalogues continue to provide significant ROI, regardless of the demographic, life stage, household expenditure or location of recipients. In addition, smaller or local businesses are beginning to discover the benefits of using letterbox media as targeting tools and greater efficiencies are found and improved, making it more accessible.

For businesses looking for wide reach, it’s hard to go past catalogues and other unaddressed mailers. Keen to find out more about how unaddressed media could work for you? Get in touch with the Pumpt team now!