Why catalogs are so popular?
A catalog is a powerful marketing tool. A manufacturer wants to sell his products and a basic listing of all items available are the foundation of what we call a catalog. Basically, it could be a boring list of product names and specifications. Most of the time, necessary goods or industrial supply rely on a simple listing of their products to sell them. When you are the only manufacturer of one specific product in need, sure you will be fine running your factory and just provide the customers around you.
Then one day, competition arrives. Having competition is a good thing! Competition forces manufacturer to provide, better products for better prices. But the more competition you have, the more appealing you must make your product. There are many ways to make a product appealing without a catalog. A cake factory could expose their chocolate cakes on a stand in a shopping mall or a fashion brand could rent a podium and hire models for wearing a new collection of clothes in front of a crowd. But all those ways to display a product to make it desirable is based on a visualization. The vision that potential customers are having when they realize how satisfying it can be “to have” the products for themselves or other people they care about. Then, those potential customers consider buying the product…
Any manufacturer would provide a catalog of their products to connect with the customer. And thanks to the competition, catalogs started to be more and more visual with illustrations and/or pictures. The visualization is focused on how the product could make a person look better or how practical and easy to use it is. From sports cars to perfumes, from sewing machines to computers, from insurance plans to bank loan services you can always find, brochures and catalogs on the way!
Casio G-Shock 2015 
NEC Computers 2018
Do catalogs really work?
They are working most of the time for several reasons! The more a manufacturer makes effort on building a dream for the customers, the more customer become emotional and finishes buying the product. The visual of a dream (of acquiring the product) triggers the emotion in people. And the emotion makes the people buying goods because they believe it is good for them. But a catalog is not the only vehicle for a purchase decision.
The other aspect of publishing a catalog is building a brand and/or a reputation. If a manufacturer takes the time for making a convincing product catalog, it means that (first) they believe in their products and that (secondly) they can afford to make a catalog as well. If their products are really that good, they are having enough income to invest in publicity and self-promotion. This is also a big part of the process of building a brand, this is leading to people trusting the manufacturer before even buying any product from them.
It is also a good way to record the legacy of a brand or a retailer. Think about a big collection of Rolex catalogs for example, it’s proof that the brand is having a long history. Even a collection of catalogs from Radio Shack or Toys”R”Us remind that those retailers were trusted a lot and that the products lineup was updated regularly.
Canon EF Lenses 2018 
Canon EF Lenses 2018
Why we like looking at catalogs?
We like to look at catalogs because we like to have dreams. We are always looking for items that can give us a new experience or make us looking better in order to elevate ourselves from others. Purchasing a product is also very satisfying on many aspects. The fact that you can choose a specific item on a catalog and be able to buy it can reassure yourself about your level of life, but also show to the people around you that you can afford it too. Especially items that most of the people can’t afford (a new sport car, a luxury bag or a precious watch). Those kinds of luxury items are the engine of every manufacturer catalog. The “dream to have it” is starting from there. And even if you can’t have the item of your dreams, you will always keep the memory of it for a very long time. Therefore, catalogs bring you also nostalgia. This why we like to keep them sometimes. Some people even purchase old catalogs for remembering those dreams. The quest for the dream item, where it all started…
Please, take time to check our database full of vintage catalogs and don’t hesitate to comment about the items of your dreams and what it reminds you. Here at Catalogism.com we would love to know!
