Beyond Offers and Savings Emotion

Seriously competitive tactics, generally in the form of offers, virtually tumbled from the pages of the fall/holiday catalog assortment.

But did the featured ideas really reflect how consumers are thinking these days? Savings were liberally splashed about, but there's no doubt that consumers are value hungry. Still, it's just as safe a bet that we're missing equally compelling motivators.

Authenticity. Honesty. Comfort. Connection. These are some of the words used by J. Walker Smith, president of Yankelovich Inc. and a fellow Direct columnist, to describe consumer needs today. Yankelovich, a marketing consultancy, uses research and other methods to understand the impact attitudinal and lifestyle drivers have on the marketplace. Based on that information, Yankelovich believes that home is now a hive of activity rather than a cocoon of protection. What's more, consumers don't want to be inundated by messages — but they are looking for more emotional resonance.

So how did catalogers fare in answering the need for savings as well as the emotional aspects of authenticity, honesty, comfort and connection? Here are those ideas worth testing.

(I suspect we can all generally agree on the definition of savings and connection, but I thought the others might need the unbiased opinion of a Merriam-Webster dictionary.)

Savings

• Thinking cheap and plentiful: Winterthur noted that its catalog contained “over 200 gifts under $30.”

• Cover listing of savings inside: Improvements, obviously believing it's no longer enough for the cover to just tease with hints of products inside, got in the promotional spirit of the season with blurbs like “$70 less than last year,” “Introductory priced,” and “On sale.”

• Screaming offers: Viking used about a quarter of its front cover to blast “Free gift,” then took the rest of the space to show the gift itself, a handsome travel bag. Then it hit hard again by using the entire back cover to repeat the offer.

• Wrappin': Old-fashioned paper wraps used as the outer signature can still have impact, as shown by Herrshner's Yarn Sale — Dive In, a wrap full of yarn offers and other hobbyists' savings. Eddie Bauer updated the idea with a see-through wrap promoting 20% off that allowed the handsome cover to show through.

• Sale blow-in: Martha Stewart used a colorful blow-in to announce up to 70% savings on the Web site.

• Unbeatable prices: Petsmart trumped competitors with “We'll match any competitor's price.”

Authenticity

(Defined as: 1. Worthy of acceptance or belief as conforming to or based on fact. 2. Not false or imitation. 3. True to one's own personality, spirit or character.)

• Personality plus: Birkenstock reinforced its authentically earthbound image by printing its reason-to-be in paragraph form on the front page (“Even after 200 years, we've never lost sight of a simple fact: The shape of the shoe should match the shape of the human foot…[Birkenstock] nurtures and supports the sole”), plus it had an image-making 800-number (1-800Birks4U) and even offered limited-edition shoe designs.

• “Invented Here”: The Sharper Image capitalized on its product development program by proclaiming its own creations “Invented Here,” effectively giving the customer true originals and reinforcing Sharper Image's personality.

• Forceful copy and tag line: Title Nine Sports didn't just have a spirited, relevant tag line (“Inspired by and Created for Women”), but its copy walked the walk and talked the talk with a totally authentic understanding of what a woman needs in her active life.

Honesty

(Defined as: 1. Fairness and straightforwardness of conduct. 2. Adherence to the facts, a refusal to lie, steal or deceive in any way.)

• The right celebrity: Habitat World knows that if you want your cover to resonate integrity, it's hard to beat Jimmy Carter.

• Real experts: Napastyle's cover tag, “Founded by Michael Chiarello, acclaimed chef, author and TV host,” provided veracity.

• Early orders: Head off out-of-stock problems, help control inventory projections and be honest with your customer at the same time — Crate & Barrel inkjetted the message “The Early Bird gets the gift. Place your order early and we'll hold it until it's time for holiday delivery.”

Comfort

(Defined as: 1. Consolation in time of trouble or worry. 2. A feeling of relief or encouragement. 3. Contented well-being. 4. A satisfying or enjoyable experience. 5. One that gives or brings comfort.)

• “Feel good” cover: Featuring Marshmallow Fluff, a sugary delight of baby boomers. Vermont Country Store created this original, and on-target, comfort-food window to its catalog.

• Bound-in samples: Provide helpful assurance in product selection, making for an enjoyable shopping experience. Exposures bound in four different punch-out holiday card frames so readers could “pick up the perfect pair for [their] photo.”

• Good ol' nostalgia: Bloomingdale's, in my book, had the most dramatically arresting covers of the season, but only one hit high on the comfort meter — a classic sepia-toned photograph of a woman wearing pearls. The lack of color made the cover pop out from the others in the same mailbox.

• Trying before committing: Use a sample kit to help customers become comfortable with a larger purchase. Timewise heralded a free Starter Kit complete with goodies like magnetic letters/shapes, dry and wet markers and assorted magnets with every whiteboard.

• Actually using the word: Birkenstock's cover head said it all: “Shoes Engineered for Comfort.”

Connection

• Simple specificity: Dell's catalog cover lets you know immediately that its products are for your “small and medium business.”

• Getting personal: Signals featured a “Personal Sale Week” on its cover, Marshall Field's had “A Sale Just for You” and Bloomingdale's stated, “It's for Bloomingdale's Insiders Only…Insider's Ticket to Exclusive Savings and Bonuses.”

• Knowing trends: Home Bistro added a starburst, “Low! Low Carb Meals” for the thousands of low-carb diet advocates.

• Inkjetting: Abbey Press inkjetted the recipient's name and date of its one-day sale for preferred customers only.

KATIE MULDOON is president of DM/catalog consulting firm Muldoon & Baer Inc., Tequesta, FL.