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- Pagination Ping-Pong
BY KATIE MULDOON
Who determines what items go on each page of a catalog? Does it matter if it's the catalog artist, the merchandiser or a marketing person? Does it sometimes seem like the one making this decision alternates between responsible parties, too much like a bad Ping-Pong game?
My initiation into pagination came at American Express. Here the merchants not only decided exactly what would be offered in the catalog, but the density of the pages, what went where and at what price. As this was in the days before merchandise analysis, no sales figures influenced product placement; where they landed was entirely up to the merchants' instincts.
Based almost solely on aesthetics influenced by gut instinct, the items' arrangement and order involved no apparent reasoning. One of these mysterious shenanigans was to concoct spreads themed in such a way that individual products complemented, but did not compete, with each other — an important element in successful pagination that had held true for decades.
Even today, with marvelous analytical tools at the beck and call of many, some catalogers wrongly place products in their books based completely on aesthetics. When that happens, however, it's usually the art director who's doing the placement. Why? Most likely because some artist started the rumor that having free reign is the only way to get a truly attractive catalog. After items are selected to be run by the merchant and/or marketer, they're simply handed off to the artist and he or she decides what goes where. This is sort of like letting the decorator design and construct your house to fit the furnishings.
Managers of wisely run catalogs know that sales histories indicate the products that work best on a given page. They take into account the items' position and the amount of space they take up on the page, the season they're likely to be most popular, and even, in some cases, what the merchandise should be shown with.
These catalogers use the results of their analytical tools for well-thought-out pagination that's a team effort between the merchant and the marketer, with the marketer having the final say. The artist's only role in merchandise selection should come when the goods are handed off to the creative group. Here, input regarding any graphic problems that are seen is respected and welcome.
Don't let pagination Ping-Pong affect your catalog. Be clear about who has the final say on products to be shown in the book and where they will be positioned. Though a merchant can have the same tools and qualifications as a marketer, it's the marketer who usually has responsibility for profits and losses — so therefore, the marketer should make the final decision. Moreover, the merchant, as the one who sourced the particular issue's items, can have inherent prejudices about some of those items. Usually the marketer is less biased.
What tools should you be working with during the pagination meeting? This is the time when you make the final selection of what will run in the catalog. Before going into this meeting, the merchant and marketer should have reviewed:
1. Square-inch analysis by price point, category and, if available, position on the page.
2. Overall sales, gross and net, by units and dollars.
3. Sales by spread/page.
4. Returns/exchanges by item.
Make note of any changes made in the presentation of repeat items and the possible effect of those changes on sales. Such changes might include a new photo, rewritten copy, cross-referencing, and new placement on the page or elsewhere in the catalog. In addition, initial conclusions on the products picked to run should be reviewed against competitive data and any written merchandise strategy.
The marketing person will have access to all this information and should know how much a catalog page costs. This information will make it easier to choose products. Those articles not deemed capable of generating enough to pay for their space will not run.
The pagination team reviews all data. The merchant presents all new items. Then the team members, with new item information fresh in their minds, move to agree or discuss the recommended pick-ups as presented by the merchant.
Next, the marketer begins pagination. Goods are selected from samples or photographs. If samples, tables are used to indicate the spreads on which the items will be placed to symbolize their position in the book. If photos, a wall grid representing the catalog spreads will hold photos that are pinned in place.
All items are evaluated for their potential earnings against the cost of the catalog, seasonal influences and mix of customer vs. prospect. Then spreadsheets are written up.
Other relevant data that could be used to direct the creative team: If using a cross-reference (an item description that includes the page number of a complementary product), has it increased sales? Does a particular model seem to help sell certain articles better than other models? Has new copy had a positive or negative effect?
After the spreadsheets are completed, they are reviewed by the team, which determines, based on analysis of similar items, the position and size that's recommended for the item on the spread. As an example, a best seller might be given the prime top right-hand corner, generally a high sales area, and a relatively large space. These are guides for the art team only; they are not absolute. The size, position and density of each spread should be discussed when the merchandise is passed along to creative.
Know before starting pagination who should be in charge. Take advice, but let your marketer be the one who makes the final decisions and helps you avoid the perils of pagination Ping-Pong.
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