PPB December 2020

suggesting that suppliers instead send a flyer or email spotlighting their top sellers. Isa Cocallas, owner of 3Koi in Kihei, Hawaii, also prefers not to automatically receive print catalogs froma supplier, explaining that a catalog is not going to be a factor in whether or not she chooses that supplier for a project. She says she hasn’t paged through an unsolicited catalog in years andmost of her clients are located far away so she would have tomail the catalog—something she’s not likely to do. “It seems like a waste of investment for suppliers, and I’d rather they spent that money updating information or upgrading their website,” she says, adding that electronic catalogs offers the ability to search, copy/paste and even link to a supplier site. Among those who specifically prefer online catalogs, many say suppliers’ efforts in that media could be vastly improved. “I believe there is room, in this day and age, for tremendous improvements in the way electronic catalogues are developed and presented,” says Graham Murray, owner of RKMAwards in Cottam, Ontario. “The PDF flipbook is already quite dated inmy opinion, and inmany cases not as nice as a paper copy in hand. I hope there are developers out there building the next great platform for catalogs. Electronic copy has the opportunity to bring product in catalogs to life (video, etc.) and they could be far more effective as selling tools.” Jennifer Reissaus, MAS, chief operating officer at Advertising Specialties Alliance/Kaeser & Blair in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, also specifically prefers online catalogs to print. “[Print] is a waste of their resources and mine,” she says. “We are very much paperless, and I prefer a good supplier website, and accurate information and catalog scans in SAGE.” Michelle Hartz, owner of Gebo Promo in Austin, Texas, used to have a wall of file cabinets that held nothing but catalogs, but no more. “Filing them was a chore, and as supplier websites got better, I stopped using [print catalogs],” she says. “I prefer to use a supplier’s website because it’s easier to search. Often the information I need is on that page, or a click away (like artwork specifications, standard imprint colors, etc.). I find it quicker and easier than a catalog.” If a customer needs a print catalog, she’ll request it, but unsolicited catalogs go directly into her recycling bin. Jeryn Freeman, president of LogoPro in Clemmons, North Carolina, says her biggest office issue right now is the pounds and pounds of catalogs that need to be hauled out. It’s a huge, ongoing issue, she says. Print used to be her go-to source but in the age of Amazon and COVID-19, plus sustainability issues, paper catalogs make little sense to her. However, it took Freeman a few years to make the transition to all digital, but she hopes the evolution of digital catalogs will continue. “Investing in better websites would enhance all our efforts,” she says. “Perhaps it’s just me, but I find online flip catalogs hard to navigate. So I hope that isn’t the industry’s solution.” are most likely to use in our searches. • For example, while the color “pine” might describe your pen color, we won’t find it when we search for “green.” You could call it “pine green” and then we all benefit. • Figure out which terms are more likely. Is this pen click, plunge, push or retractable? Bag or tote? Why not put both? Tote bag, duffle bag, drawstring bag—you are covered. Details: Please include the details distributors need to make decisions. Yes, send us to your website for some information, if your website is kept current, but don’t expect us to know what we need to seek out. Remember that distributors work with many suppliers and policies and charges differ. • Always include the usual suspects that apply to each item: item number and name, pricing and quantity thresholds, colors, materials, size, decoration method / size / locations, production time, default packaging, etc. • Some information may apply to many or all items on a page and could be noted on that page with a link to the relevant information in your General Info section. You could make informative icons that note which items may incur other charges. • Additional charges: List which additional charges may apply. For example, Setup and Run charges are commonplace. But for other charges which are not generally the same from supplier to supplier, list those, such as Color Matching, Proof, Exact Quantity, Drop Ship, Less Than Minimum, FOB, Production Time, etc. Hot and worth noting: º Made in USA, Union Made: please don’t list it as a Union product if it is made in a non-union shop and just decorated and shipped by a union shop º Rush Available: we all need it sometime so let us know º Full Color: worth noting º Personalization: it’s extra important these days when we aren’t sharing our things at work or school º Colors: please list the closest PMS color for products, if possible • General Info – This includes valuable details, such as Standard Colors, Stock Art and Fonts, I prefer to use a supplier’s website because it’s easier to search. Often the information I need is on that page, or a click away (like artwork specifications, standard imprint colors, etc.). I find it quicker and easier than a catalog." -Michelle Hartz “ Catalogs | FEATURE | DECEMBER 2020 | 23