How to drive in-store traffic with digital catalogs

Often, catalogs are printed frequently with the purpose of driving traffic to stores with good deals in a curated format.

While the catalog format is well known among shoppers, the cost of printing and distribution has increased significantly.

New digital channels and “No advertising” stickers also make it harder to reach shoppers with print.

But good deals and prices never go out of style. It’s just that many are looking for a way to view the offer online.

And right now many retailers are in a transition phase toward digital, and haven’t taken full advantage of the online possibilities.

If you take your print catalog online and add the right functionality, then you have a familiar format that, just like print, can drive traffic to your stores.

Increase traffic to your stores

Foot traffic is still crucial for many retailers.

When shoppers go to your store, they get…

• Personal interactions with your staff
• Physical experiences of your products
• Exposed to additional products and promotions
• Instant gratification of their purchase

And this can lead to higher basket value via upselling or cross-selling, and the creation of regular shopping habits, which increase customer loyalty.

So, many retailers want to bring as much foot traffic to their stores as possible.

Here are a few ways you can do so using your digital catalogs:

Add a Store Locator

Obviously, to go to your stores, the shopper must know where the stores are.

With a Store Locator (“Find your nearest store”) feature in your digital catalog, shoppers can immediately find the nearest physical store while browsing the digital catalog.

How it works

1. Within the digital catalog, you create an external link (for example via a News Ticker) to your website where shoppers can type in their zip code and locate the nearest store

2. Alternatively, you can provide direct links to maps or navigation apps, allowing users to get directions in one click.
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Click & Collect

Click & Collect is a popular option for shoppers. It combines the ease of online shopping with the satisfaction of in-store pickup.

And, for you as a retailer, getting the customer to the store for pickup allows for upselling and cross-selling opportunities.

If you already offer Click & Collect, a simple connection between your digital catalog basket and your ecommerce is all that’s needed. It’s a great way to ensure that orders from your digital catalog directly result in increased foot traffic.

How it works

1. Shoppers add products from the digital catalog to the basket

2. When checking out, the digital catalog basket content is transferred to your website basket

3. They pay and choose a nearby store for pickup
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Highlight In-Store-Only Offers

Creating a sense of exclusivity is a classic way to drive foot traffic to stores.

You can use your digital catalog to promote in-store-only offers (such as special discounts, limited-time deals or product launches) that can only be used, experienced or redeemed in the store.

How it works

1. Create sections or modules in your digital catalog labeled “In-Store Only”, for example via pop-ups.

2. Highlight high-value products that are only available in-store

3. Include a discount coupon, countdown or limited time/availability notice to create urgency
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Summary

Store traffic can lead to higher basket value via upselling or cross-selling, and the creation of regular shopping habits, which increase customer loyalty.

With your digital catalog, you can…

• Add a Store Locator
• Offer Click & Collect
• Highlight in-store-only offers

With those features, your digital catalog can turn online visitors into store traffic.

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Need to get the full overview on digital catalogs?

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