Rethinking the analog mindset in retail

What is a digital-first approach?

Retailers use promotional campaigns to communicate offers, attract customers and support sales.

Traditionally, many retailers have relied on printed leaflets, catalogs and circulars to reach customers. As additional channels became available, such as television advertising and digital platforms, retailers expanded their promotional activities to include them.

Many retail leaders still think that digital success is just optimizing ecommerce profits, but they are missing the bigger picture.

A digital-first approach involves more than adding digital channels to existing campaigns.

It means considering digital opportunities when planning and managing activities across the business, including both online and offline operations.

Common challenges when moving from print to digital

Moving to a digital-first approach often requires changes to existing workflows and responsibilities.

As an example, let’s look at how the analog mindset can cause issues when adopting a tool to create digital catalogs based on the print PDF workflow.

1. Unclear ownership and responsibilities

Digital catalogs often involve several teams. Marketing may be responsible for creating the catalog, while ecommerce or digital campaign teams manage its distribution.

Without clear responsibilities and shared goals, digital catalogs can end up being treated as extensions of printed leaflets rather than formats designed for digital use.

What to consider:

• Define responsibilities across teams.
• Establish shared goals for digital campaigns.
• Design catalogs with digital devices, especially mobile, in mind.

2. Workflows designed for print

Traditional print production can take 8–12 weeks, involving multiple teams and approval stages. These workflows can make it difficult to update campaigns quickly.

Digital campaigns allow for greater flexibility, but only if the production process supports it.

What to consider:

• Review existing workflows to identify unnecessary steps.
• Automate repetitive tasks where possible.
• Make it easier to update promotional content when needed.

3. Disconnected product data and reporting

When product information is managed manually or stored across different systems, keeping digital catalogs updated can be time-consuming.

Using connected product data and shared reporting can help teams work more efficiently and measure campaign performance consistently.

What to consider:

• Use product feeds to keep prices and product information updated.
• Reduce manual processes through automation.
• Align reporting and KPIs across teams.

Summary: Rethinking the analog mindset in retail

Moving from print to digital requires more than adopting new technology. Retailers need to rethink their workflows, responsibilities and data management to fully benefit from a digital-first approach.

Three common challenges can slow down this transition:

• Unclear responsibilities
• Print-focused workflows
• Disconnected data and reporting

As an example, we looked at how these challenges can come into play, and be alleviated, when adopting a tool to create digital catalogs from the print PDF workflow.