There are quite a few things in life that I absolutely love and print is one of them, I also love me a little online shopping. What is not to love about looking at beautiful homewares and art I cannot afford in the privacy of my own home and the comfort of my trackie pants?
So when two things that I love come together and prove what we already know (print is awesome) I would be foolish not to write about it.
After 14 years of being primarily an online luxury fashion destination, E-Commerce powerhouse Net-A-Porter recognised that their consumers were magazine lovers, reading about 4 to 5 per month! In 2014 Net-A-Porter moved out of its comfort zone and set about publishing its first print magazine named Porter. A merging of two strong communication mediums saw readers engage with editorial content in luxe print format whilst also giving them the power to instantly purchase products by scanning the item they were drooling over via an app. While this was a risk it was definitely a calculated one. There is a stack of case studies and stats that prove time and time again that not only does print perform on its own but also within a multichannel campaign. A recent study showed that the online component of a typical campaign pays back some 62% more when a printed element is integrated into the marketing mix.
The results showed that publishing the magazine proved worthy, showing continuous popularity with circulation reaching 170,038 in February 2016, with double-digit growth expected for 2016. Since the launch readers have scanned more than 90,000 products with an interaction rate of 80% clicking through to Net-A-Porter.com. Those customers that do subscribe to Porter have increased their spend by 125% and their rate of frequency on the site by 25%. Porter has been successful in both increasing website traffic and sales by introducing print into the mix.
Porter has highlighted that people still get excited about print, especially beautifully designed pieces with high quality content and stunning imagery. The print magazine was able to fill the lacking physical representation of the brand, bringing Net-A-Porter’s online store offline and into the living rooms of their consumers, offering direct tangible contact with customers that the permanent nature of print uniquely delivers. Net-A-Porter has shown that print is an extremely successful tool for businesses if they innovate with their products and continue to integrate print and digital.
This example can be laid across any business model and with any printed product. Paper and packaging is one of the most effective ways to leave your brand in the hands of your consumer. Allows you to reach a board range of people and strengthens the visibility of your brand.
“We’re building a physical temple to our brand – like Apple did with stores. Porter is meant to be a lasting, more intimate look into the minds of fashion’s most interesting people. It will be published six times a year and distributed in 60 countries.” – Natalie Massenet. Net-A-Porter’s founder.