A joint MDM-Real Results Marketing survey revealed that for distributors who have successful catalog operations and e-commerce channels, a majority believe their catalogs help drive online sales. They recognize that using the Web in concert with print efforts can provide benefits on both fronts. In this article, the authors examine the synergies between e-commerce and catalogs. They look especially at how utilizing both channels can result in efficiencies in product data, greater recognition of brand and increased sales.

This is the third in a three-part series of articles examining the state of catalog marketing and e-commerce in wholesale distribution.

Catalogs and e-commerce are critical individual components in distributors’ marketing arsenals. Distributors that have taken advantage of clear synergies between the two are reaping huge benefits, including cost savings in product information management and marketing. What’s more and, perhaps most important, they are making buying easier for their customers by allowing them to purchase when and how they want.

Results from a recent MDM-Real Results Marketing survey highlight the potential benefits of taking an integrated approach: