Lighting retailer Lamps Plus further illuminated its selection of chandeliers, ceiling fans, outdoor lighting and table and floor lamps with the introduction of its first catalog this month.
“We're really following up on the success that we have enjoyed with our Web site, which made it evident to us that we could focus more of our efforts on the direct-to-consumer channel,” said Mark Salek, director of direct/catalog marketing for Lamps Plus, Chatsworth, CA.
Since the 1999 launch of lampsplus.com, the company has learned that it is more efficient to drive customers to its stores and Web site using DTC channels as opposed to TV or newspaper ads, he said.
The 40-page spring 2005 catalog features many exclusive items available only through the company's 45 showrooms in the western United States, lampsplus.com and the catalog. They include the Kathy Ireland Home Lighting Collection, John Timberland Outdoor lighting, ceiling fans from Casa Vieja and tropical-themed lighting from Cabana Joe's.
Circulation for the premiere issue, which mailed earlier this month, is 500,000 to 1 million. Lamps Plus plans six to eight mailings yearly for a total circulation of 7 million to 10 million.
Nearly two-thirds of the first mailing went to current and former Lamps Plus customers. For nearly one-third of the circulation, Lamps Plus rented names from upscale, home décor direct response and publishing files. About 10 percent of the catalogs will be available in Lamps Plus stores.
The company has some customers from outside the West and sees the catalog as a way to connect with prospects in other regions. The catalog also lets Lamps Plus showcase its lamps in room scenes, something that is hard to do on the Web, Salek said.
The catalog “becomes a branding vehicle as well,” he said.
The book contains more than 200 items culled from the several thousand SKUs on the Lamps Plus Web site.
“One advantage of having had a Web site already is that we know what people like to buy in the direct channel,” Salek said.
Chantal Todé covers catalog and retail news and BTB marketing for DM News and DM News.com. To keep up with the latest developments in these areas, subscribe to our daily and weekly e-mail newsletters by visiting www.dmnews.com/newsletters
