There might have been a time when most players in the retail industry would be flabbergasted and downright shun the idea of going for full paperless when creating and distributing their catalogues. But, as is apparent now, that time is long past, considering the fact that electronic catalogues have long since overtaken their traditional, printed counterparts.
We termed this transition as an inevitability by virtue of these catalogues being quintessential examples of what can be deemed as a solid innovation, one that has undeniable far-reaching and in-depth impacts that are nothing short of transformative. We will be explaining in greater detail why this is the case.
Highlighting Its Undeniable Sales-Boosting Benefits
When most of us encounter the word “paperless”, we almost always think of its environmental benefits and the convenience it brings to consumers. Yet, for companies, it’s actually nothing short of a logical move that optimises plenty of their fundamental aspects, not least of which is revenue.
How? Well, for one, it allows them to update their latest offerings and easily share the information solely online. Any entity, individual, group, or company alike can access it for promotion. There are even sites like Latest Catalogues that serve as virtual repositories of a lot of catalogues of major retail companies in Australia.
For example, Aldi, one of the most popular retailers in the country, has catalogues available there that are consistently updated on a weekly basis. This way, any visitor will be able to know immediately the best deals and discounts of the season (regardless of whether it is Christmas, Easter, New Year, etc.) and gain an overview of every notable product that the company has to offer at present. You do not need to go to store branches personally to gain this information, and that is what basically provides retailers and consumers alike with its unique leverage.
You can only imagine the impacts on sales that the mere ready availability of these electronic catalogues. Quick and efficient information dispensation is one of the keys to getting ahead of the competition, and if retailers often manage to be one step ahead, they almost always enjoy better boosts in sales due simply to improved accessibility [1].
Since it is essentially worldwide (anyone with an Internet connection can access these sites, after all. Then even smaller players can also enjoy the advantage of making their products available to a larger audience as well.
Lastly, it is not just a matter of direct sales as well. After all, retailers promptly gain the benefit of having to make do without allocating funds for buying and printing on paper, besides the need to invest in equipment and personnel that will be responsible for distributing the finished completed catalogues. Reduced administrative costs, then, is also a direct result of retailers relying solely on electronic catalogues as one means of promotion.
Better Freedom to Make Changes to Catalogues
It, in short, streamlines most administrative responsibilities of the manager of the retail business. Unlike in printed catalogues, errors can be addressed quickly and directly. Should you need to add or remove products included in the listing, this can be done digitally and be shared in seconds once all modifications have been done.
The amount of time this can save is substantial, to say the least, leading to better allocation of resources elsewhere, which in turn, leads to greater reductions in cost. This is almost always the direct result of streamlined administration.
Allows Retailers to Form a More Direct and Stable Relationship with Consumers
Even if it may not seem so apparent at face value, it also can’t be denied that having catalogues freely and easily available to consumers only strengthens the relationship between the retailer and its loyal patrons. Why? Well, for the part of the retailer, it leads to drastic boosts in how they respond to the demands of their clients. One way or another, it allows them to easily conduct data analytics crucial to ensuring they deliver what the clients want.
And what results from the prompt delivery and fulfilment of most of your customer’s needs and preferences? Better customer satisfaction is but one of the major benefits the company can gain. What savvy business owner will be willing to skip that chance?
Green Trends Are Continuing to Gain Ground and Momentum
Paperless. The very term is enough to make a lot of us think of the hundreds of trees that will be saved if most – if not all – companies worldwide adopt it. What’s good is that this is fast-becoming a very real possibility if we are going to be looking at present trends. Millennials, the next generation in line to put on the mantle of managing the world’s affairs in the future, are leading the charge [2] in this regard.
To say that only trees will be saved by the paperless movement does not do it justice, though. We also can’t deny that the paper manufacturing industry also contributes to the world’s overall pollution. That might be putting it too lightly, though. Because data can actually prove that the paper manufacturing industry is one of the most major contributors to the world’s carbon emission problem.
This is why scientists are actually encouraging this particular industry to start relying on greener ways of production [3] in order to mitigate its damaging effects. Even so, a better and more efficient solution, of course, can be had by simply going fully paperless. Book printers may have valid reasons to not give up completely on paper, but can the same be said for catalogues, which only ever really serve a pragmatic purpose?
Conclusion
The reasons we listed above fuel our confidence in stating that the move of opting for electronic catalogue is nothing short of an inevitability, which is bound to become an inevitability in the retail industry – if it hasn’t already become one, that is. The administrative, environmental, and financial benefits are just too compelling and too vital to pass up.
Sources:
[1] https://diymarketers.com/6-ways-web-accessibility-can-boost-sales/
[2] https://blog.globalwebindex.com/chart-of-the-week/green-consumerism/
[3] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0306261916306080
Anthony is a passionate food enthusiast living in the bustling food scene of New York City. With an insatiable curiosity for culinary exploration, he loves exploring the city’s diverse eateries, seeking out unique flavors and sharing his gastronomic adventures with fellow food lovers.
