Category insight: Homewares
Homewares is the one retail category where AR technology has really taken off in shopping journeys. Consumers can re-imagine and redesign their rooms, see what new paint, decor and furniture would look like in their own home all through simple apps on their smartphones.
Catalogues have a role to play inspiring them with ideas and then signposting them to use the technology to help them make the right purchasing decision.
Most homewares catalogues come from brands the consumer has bought from in the past, with 80% of homewares catalogues looked at immediately, or kept to look at another time.
More than half of homewares catalogues stay in the home for at least a week, and they are looked at for ten minutes on average. Marketreach’s study found at least 15% of homewares catalogues lead to a purchase.
Inspiration for the home at home
Wayfair: expanding into catalogues
In 2016, ecommerce homewares retailer Wayfair launched its own catalogue, recognising the medium could help it reach a larger audience. The 92-page catalogue sells everything from window coverings to rugs, lighting and accessories.
“Wayfair is changing the way people shop for their homes,” noted Wayfair CEO, co-founder and co-chair Niraj Shah at the time of the launch. “Part of that process is helping consumers discover all of the new possibilities enabled by our online retail experience in terms of selection, price, service and inspiration.”
Wayfair’s team of buyers and editors created the catalogue based on proprietary analytics technology developed by Wayfair’s 450 engineers and data scientists. Shah said: “Our focus on technology is expansive to new formats that deliver a positive and immersive retail experience to our customers in the home. We will continue to raise the bar on what is possible in home retail.”
Wickes: brochures online and offline
Home improvement and garden centre retailer Wickes is also active in the catalogue space and has been innovating with QR codes to connect consumers from the catalogue to the online store, more of which is discussed in chapter 5. Wickes head of marketing, showroom, Mandy Minichiello, says: “Our brochures are available both in physical, printed form and as a browseable version online. We feel brochures are an important part of the marketing mix, especially for higher-value purchases where customers want to appreciate our full range and be inspired,” Minichiello says.
ProCook: direct mail success
ProCook’s chief marketing officer Angela Porter says catalogues are essential for the homewares retailer: “Our volumes have increased in line with customer numbers and while we have considered moving away from direct mail in the past we’ve always come back to it as we’ve found our customers still respond well to it.
“In a world that is ever increasingly digital, catalogues and direct mail still have their place in the mix and manage to cut through.
“Recent testing showed us that customers who receive our catalogue along with emails are more likely to purchase, so for us, it’s about sharing our range in the right way for the customer.”
The retailer has also sought to blur the lines with QR codes in physical catalogues.
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