Baukjen’s catalogue comeback drives sustainable fashion sales
Background
For years, catalogues played a pivotal role in women’s fashion online retailer Baukjen’s marketing mix, offering a beautifully curated showcase of each season’s collection. At its peak, Baukjen mailed between five and seven catalogues per year, using them as a key tool for both inspiration and conversion.
In 2022, as digital marketing became a lower cost way to acquire and engage customers, Baukjen made the strategic decision to step away from catalogues, focusing instead on online channels. However, over time it was noted that some loyal customers, who once relied on the catalogue for their seasonal wardrobe inspiration, had stopped buying. Meanwhile, emails were getting lost in cluttered inboxes, making it harder to cut through and maintain the same level of engagement. It was clear the catalogue needed to make a comeback.
The objective was clear: to test whether catalogues could still deliver the desired uplift against the non-mail control (NMC) and justify the investment.
Solution
In October 2024, Baukjen launched its first catalogue mailing after their hiatus, marking a bold return to a channel that had once been integral to its success.
60,000 customers were carefully selected from their house file using RFM (recency, frequency and monetary) segmentation to ensure the catalogue reached those most likely to purchase. Additionally, they targeted 40,000 cold prospects and lapsed customers (who hadn’t bought for 18m) leveraging their historical success with cold data.
The next step was to mail a 72+4pp A5 catalogue to both audiences – a shift from the 84+4pp format used in previous years. This allowed Baukjen to meet the requirements for paperwrap mailing while qualifying for Mailmark Economy postage, significantly reducing mailing costs. Mailmark Economy ensures delivery within four working days of handover to Royal Mail.
The catalogue was fully integrated with digital channels to drive response and create a seamless omnichannel experience. An email was sent to current customers in conjunction with the catalogue landing - it reinforced the customer offers and nudged customers to act. Social media mirrored the catalogue’s creative, with the front cover image appearing in organic posts and paid social ads. The website homepage also featured the same product as on the paperwrap and catalogue cover, while key catalogue items were given prominent placement across the site.
To incentivise purchases, Baukjen offered a 10% discount for existing customers and 15% for cold and lapsed customers. The offer was stamped on the front and back cover to ensure it caught attention, no matter how the catalogue landed on the doormat.
Finally, Baukjen underscored their strong sustainability credentials by featuring logos from The Fashion Pact, the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), and Baujken’s recognition as a UN Global Climate Action Award winner.
Results
Baukjen’s return to catalogues was a clear success, proving the power of mail to engage current customers and acquiring new ones - driving incremental sales.
The campaign achieved an impressive 5.77% response rate amongst existing customers generating a healthy incremental profit over the control group.
The catalogue also delivered valuable new customers and re-engaging lapsed shoppers, with a response rate of 1.02%. These new customers represent a strong opportunity for future growth, with the potential to become loyal, repeat purchasers.
Overall, the catalogue played a pivotal role in Baukjen’s sales during the key autumnwinter trading period. Brochure recipients equated to 52% of the total gross sales achieved from the 22nd of October to the 2nd of December, cementing its role as a critical driver of performance and proving the power of catalogues in a crowded digital world.