Catalogue apps spell challenge for print

With the popularity of smartphone applications continuing to rise, new start-up companies such as Trolley Saver are launching apps which are transforming the way consumers interact with traditional marketing tools, such as print catalogues. Self-described as ‘Australia’s best supermarket grocery shopping list app’, Trolley Saver was launched earlier this year under its motto ‘goodbye soggy catalogues’. The app collates catalogues from the major supermarket giants such as Coles, Woolworths and Aldi to compare which grocer has the cheapest price of a particular item. Once the app has been downloaded onto a smartphone, the user can enter in their grocery shopping list and the app finds the cheapest prices for the items.

ACA: Catalogue apps will not replace traditional print catalogues

ACA: Catalogue apps will not replace traditional print catalogues

However Australasian Catalogue Association (ACA) CEO Kellie Northwood says this new technology will not replace traditional letterbox marketing. She explains, “They will, like other digital channels do, work hand in hand with the printed piece. Each channel, print, television, outdoor, digital and more have strengths and the skill of marketers and media buyers is knowing when to switch which channel on for the product and the market being targeted. “Online retailers use printed catalogues to push consumers to their ‘virtual stores’ and this sector of Retail is growing in its catalogue and letterbox marketing expenditure. “Tools such as Trolley Saver, Lasoo and others are part of the multi-channel mix working with printed catalogues to deliver multiple touchpoints for consumers in their path to purchase.” ACA’s latest Catalogue Industry Report published in March 2015 supports this view. The report shows print catalogue audience reach has grown from 18.5 million to 19.6 million between 2010 and 2014. In FY14, distribution volumes of print catalogues recorded a 0.3 per cent boost, with levels remaining stable over the past 5 years. Although the impact of apps like Trolley Saver are yet to be felt in the industry, its launch has coincided with supermarket giant Coles slashing its spend on print advertising. Nielson reports the supermarket giant cut its weekly print budget from $150,000 in 2015 to $50,000 this year.

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