Its no secret that I've been around for sometime helping a number of the UK/US greatest Home Shopping, Retail and SaaS companies to grow. 

Why I even helped to move a 100 year old mail order company with 64 different trading titles into the world of eCommerce, but that was several years ago now and things have changed quite a lot!.

With the growth of 'free to use' social platforms we've all been given a voice to talk about, and share our passions and interest, which for some has even meant growing some very niche lifestyle businesses by connecting into, and growing their own communities with shared interest. 

So now 'Bobby from Sheffield' can tell you how to make your own Knives and Forks (out of your old ones) in the same manner as the big Sheffield manufacturers did in the heyday. Same as 'Jenny from Shetland' can tell you how to make Vintage Outfits out of your old clothes and curtains. Or 'Pauline from London' can show you how to make amazing bunches of flowers out of wild ones growing out of local hedges.

So I read with delight and intrigue that there are now a number of 'start-ups' who still see the value of printed catalogues (link here) and I have to applaud them, along with wishing them all the best.

But I just hope they also use the medium for something more than just filling the pages with product - something ASOS managed to change back in the day.

"Today the paper catalog has become primarily a marketing tool — one of special importance during the holiday season. And for many, it remains an important sales channel. The most sophisticated retailers are continuously working to build a seamless omnichannel operation and experience that uses catalogs, websites and physical stores seamlessly and interchangeably to help customers shop and make purchases".

So ,just like the doom mongers who were applauding the death of physical media (still a $10bn+ business by the way) and then Vinyl found its way back into the mainstream, we need to learn that its the consumer who's in charge of how they want to interact with a brand, and if a brand can innovate a commercial way to do this in a way that works for all parties then we might just get somewhere.

Are you thinking about adding print into the mix yet?