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Boost your email newsletter engagement with online catalogs

Email marketing is still as popular as ever before. It's the perfect channel to personally connect with your shoppers and encourage buyers to explore. But today's consumers are busy. It's hard to grab their attention, let alone keep them engaged in your email. However, if you publish an online catalog, you can use this well-known and well-loved format to instantly connect readers to your products. By linking to your catalog in your email, you'll offer an experience designed for browsing. With your catalog you can introduce new readers to your brand, show your products in context and lead them through their buying journey. We've put together three tactics to show you how you can use your catalogs to increase your email click-through rate and keep shoppers engaged.

1
Introduce subscribers to your brand in the welcome email
2
Create habits with consistent catalog promotion
3
Encourage catalog readers to sign up
Computer with email open. Emails contains an advertisement for a furniture and decoration company. Hands are typing on the computer.

Make an inspiring first impression

The welcome email typically has the highest open rate. So it's your opportunity to make an impact from the get go. First-time subscribers to your newsletter may not know a lot about your brand or products, so your online catalog is the ideal first insight.

Readers are then led instantly to your products. Whether your catalog is more promotions-focused or an inspirational product lookbook, your email readers can discover more about your brand and take the time to explore.

Contemporary furniture brand BoConcept promotes its lookbook catalog in its welcome email to introduce readers to its products.

Create a consistent reader experience

Depending on your newsletter tactics, it's often a good idea to keep things consistent. The more familiarity you have in your newsletters, the more your readers will know exactly what to expect. A consistent and trustworthy experience will encourage your readers to make opening your emails a habit.

So, why not add a banner or icon promoting your catalogs in every email? No matter what your email is promoting, your catalogs will remain relevant to your audience. Consistency is key. By ensuring your catalog is accessible from every email, your readers will appreciate the consistency and adopt a new habit. They'll keep an eye on their inbox and know exactly what to do when your email arrives.

Global retailer JYSK has a consistent catalog CTA icon included in all its email newsletters, allowing readers to build new habits.

Bonus Tactic: Turn catalog readers into subscribers

Alongside tactics to use your catalog in your newsletter, you can also change it around, and use your catalog to gain newsletter subscribers.

For your existing catalog readers, encourage them to sign up to your newsletter with an in-catalog pop up or news ticker. Those shoppers that continuously access your catalog on your website will most likely want it directly in their inbox too. They can then adopt the email habit we mentioned above.

Supermarket store Meny promotes its newsletter in the news ticker of the digital catalog, encouraging readers to sign up.

Need to get the full overview?

Explore our Complete Guide to Digital Catalogs (All You Need To Know!)

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