Brands are testing direct mail catalogs for the holidays

Despite print’s waning influence, catalogs remain a powerful marketing tool during the holidays in particular, as they allow brands to more easily showcase their entire collections, build a story around their brand and drive impulse buys.

For years, Amazon has sent out millions of copies of its toy catalog to Prime members. Now, more digitally-native brands like Draper James and Burlap & Barrel are testing out holiday booklets to reach customers through analog storytelling. According to these startups, multi-page lookbooks allow them to reach a different audience through a longer form of marketing. At this time of year, print catalogs are also much cheaper to produce and mail than many social platforms’ expensive CPMs. 

This holiday season, fashion and lifestyle brand Draper James is testing direct mail for the first time since launching in 2015.

Piper Parsley, vp of marketing & e-commerce at Draper James, told Modern Retail the brand decided to test direct mail after launching multiple new products this year, including pets, home gifting and a kids line. It seemed like the ideal time to introduce the brand to new people who could see all its different price points. With Draper James turning 10 next year and having just launched a new website, Parsley said, “It seemed like the perfect opportunity to do a direct mail piece as opposed to testing with a card.”

Since sending out the catalog on October 21, Parsley said the company “has seen a drastic increase in AOV, so the people it reached spent more than the average customer.” That includes a spike in ROAS on the company’s branded Google Search terms. “It was safe to attribute this traffic increase to the catalog,” Parsley explained.

The Draper James holiday book design is reflective of the brand’s Southern roots and includes a gift guide by founder Reese Witherspoon. It features seasonal products from the brand, like cashmere sweaters and cookie tins, along with a biscuits recipe by the actress and entrepreneur. “That encourages people to hang on to the mailer a little bit longer,” Parsley said.

The catalog’s planning also required working closely with the merchandising team to figure out what pieces to include in the photoshoots. The company first decided to budget for direct mail at the beginning of the year and began planning the book over the summer. 

Parsley said that one takeaway so far is the importance of forecasting inventory based on the catalog’s listed items. For example, she said, “The red dress on the cover of our book has since sold out, and we actually added it in black because it was so popular.”

Draper James isn’t alone. As part of its marketing playbook expansion, this month spices brand Burlap & Barrel is also sending customers a catalog for the first time.

Burlap & Barrel’s co-founder Ori Zohar said the goal of the holiday-themed book is to get existing customers to re-purchase from the brand’s site. The catalogs went out during the week leading up to Thanksgiving to promote Burlap & Barrel’s seasonal sales and encourage customers to stock up on spices for their holiday cooking.  

“We’re just following in the footsteps of King Arthur, which sends millions of catalogs a year to their customers,” Zohar said. He added that the company is still in the midst of its Thanksgiving period promos; “It’s been a really good week, and the catalog was a part of it.” 

The company is still waiting for a full report on conversion to come in. “So far, we’ve received about a dozen messages from customers asking us to keep this new tradition going, as well as from people who didn’t receive the catalog requesting one,” Zohar said. 

Marketing firm Belardi Wong, which works with over 400 brands on direct mail strategy, assisted Draper James with their new catalog. The agency has also worked with other brands, like knitwear company Kilte, to debut holiday catalogs this year. Belardi Wong president Polly Wong did not disclose the specific number of clients launching catalogs this year but said the agency has helped launch “several dozen brands” print mailers every holiday season in the last couple of years.

Wong said that the resurgence of the print catalog is due to the fact that more e-commerce brands are looking to leverage offline channels to increase touch points with potential new customers. A catalog costs about $0.75 on average to produce and mail. “That’s much cheaper than most digital ads these days,” Wong said. 

Increasingly, brands are leaning into more lifestyle and location-based photography as opposed to product shots associated with mail catalogs. “There is an element of aspiration and inspiration in a catalog that you don’t get in a Google search or small digital photo,” Wong said. “There is less item density and copy and more white space for storytelling.”

Due to their lower cost, mail-in print campaigns still represent a small portion of many brands’ marketing budgets. With direct mail, Parsley said it takes consistent presence in prospective customers’ mailboxes to see robust acquisition results. “It’s not something that you just do once, and you stop,” she said. “It’s a medium that has long-term effects in a positive way.” 

Parsley said Draper James is currently tracking the conversion through the catalog’s unique discount code and match back of purchase to the recipient’s address. The goal now is to retarget the new customers who came in through the catalog’s funnel, both online and through direct mail. “We have our next mailer going out in the spring to showcase our spring line,” Parsley said.