December 2009 we were asked to meet with the folks at Wallguard.com to discuss catalog redesign for their wall and door impact protection products. Not sure what an impact protection product is? Never heard of a wall guard?
Picture yourself walking down the hallway of an assisted living facility. See the wide chair rail-style panel on the wall? That’s a wall guard. Now picture yourself in a hospital room. See the vinyl protecting the wall from the bed? That’s a wallguard too.
Wallguard.com is located in Dover Plains and their manufacturing facility is in Wassaic, NY. They provide corner guards, handrails, wall guards, wall coverings and door protection directly to facility managers, contractors, building owners, designers and architects.
After reviewing the previous catalog, Trevellyan.biz offered several suggestions to make the new catalog design more effective.
- Having the reader place an order is the ultimate goal. Our first step to achieving this is will be with a compelling front cover. The artwork should be bold and connect to the reader personally. The publication date should be prominent to reduce the chances that a customer will place an order using old material.
- Wallguard.com has made it simple to inquire about products, request quotations and place orders. Since ease of ordering is their main competitive edge, we will emphasize this throughout the new catalog.
- The inside front cover should include table of contents, promotional text and pictures. This page will be the transition, the supporting information that carries the reader into the catalog.
- To help users find the items they need, we will put important items on the outside edges of the page. The most common items will be placed in the most prominent positions to be found quickly.
- We recommend that the five top sellers occupy more space than less important items. A simple table-style layout may be easier to create, but isn’t necessarily what users finds most helpful or what sells best.
- Add a photo of the manufacturing facility. This will support the buy direct theme and emphasizes that the products are made in the USA.
- Add an order form that is easy to use and useful for fulfilling, shipping and tracking the order.
- Include testimonials and photographs from some of your most satisfied customers. Add lifestyle shots for variety and to convey mood.
The original catalog was eight pages and included less than 100 products. The new catalog became sixteen pages and includes more than 400 items. Sales Manager Rose Davis and I worked tirelessly revising the product line, matching photos to product, organizing and reorganizing. It was an interesting project that required flexibility, patience and excellent record-keeping.
If you need a new catalog for your business, please call us. 518.392.0846.