Holiday Catalog Watch Week 2: Lots of Kids and Candy

Posted on by Beth Negus Viveiros

Week 2 of this year’s Holiday Catalog Watch began with two kid related offerings.

Unlike the American Girl catalog I received last week, Lego’s offerings are always a big hit in my house. My youngest son excitedly browsed through the Duplo catalog that arrived, even though the products are too young for him, because he loves the brand so much. (Read our recent profile of Lego Education here.)

After a quick flip through, he deemed the Lakeshore catalog “for little kids” and lost interest, even though there are products like cool science or craft kits that he’d enjoy.

Swiss Colony
Swiss Colony

The next day brought another contrast in branding, with Godiva and Swiss Colony. The former typically gets a lot of my holiday shopping dollars for stocking and basket stuffers and hostess gifts. But interestingly, seeing the two books side by side made me feel more warm and fuzzy about Swiss Colony. While decidedly less upscale in tone, Swiss Colony seemed more festive and fun, while Godiva’s elegance seemed a bit sterile.

L.L. Bean and Lands’ End also swim in similar waters, with Bean making a down jacket the cover star and Lands’ giving that honor to an attractive young woman wearing sweater and holding festive packages.

The last Tuesday catalog was one I’ve always had a soft spot for, Signals. This is one of those great gift catalogs that gives the reader the feeling they’re wandering through a funky little gift shop, with interesting items tucked in every corner, and illustrates why print catalogs are still a valuable tool for marketers. When one shops online, they know what they’re searching for and make a beeline right to it. But when you’re given a catalog like Signals, you browse.

On Wednesday, two more kid-friendly catalogs arrived. My kiddos have pretty much aged out of the Fisher-Price range, although they do collect some of the cool comic book characters from the Imaginext line. I was more interested in the Barbie catalog than my boys—my oldest picked it up off the coffee table, said “Oh my gawd! Howard! The new Bawbee catalog is here!” in his best Mrs. Wolowitz voice (RIP Carol Ann Susi) and started laughing.

The latest from Vosges Haut-Chocolat also arrived. The photography is gorgeous in a food-porn sort of way, but while I love the exotic flavors they’re a little too adventurous for many of the folks I buy gifts for. The last catalog of the week was from Dancing Deer Baking Co., which highlights a lot of the pages with “Under $50” or “Under $75” banners, a great tactic to catch shoppers with specific price points for out of town friends and relatives.

Special Offers This Week

L.L. Bean offered free shipping and 20% off your order, with no minimum purchase required, while Lands’ End promoted their standard free shipping with $50 minimum purchase.

On Godiva’s back cover they touted their seasonal “earn $10 for every $50 spent” offer, which didn’t start until Nov. 21, several days after I received the book. Swiss Colony offered a number of free gifts, including a code to receive free chocolates with your first order on the inside front cover. But if you keep looking forward, there’s an even better code for the free chocolates and free petit fours. A “buy now, pay later” credit plan is also heavily promoted throughout the catalog.

Lego Duplo offered a free shipping code, while Lakeshore’s inside front cover featured discount cards for free shipping over $79, buy one-get one for 50% off or $5, $10 or $15 off $25, $50 or $75 orders. Signals didn’t jump on the seasonal special offer bandwagon, but shoppers could join the Signals Circle club for a $29.95 annual fee to receive discounts, free shipping and priority customer service.

Vosages offered a modest 15% off your first order promotion, while Dancing Deer is giving free shipping on gifts over $29.99. Fisher-Price offers free shipping on orders over $35, while Barbie offers it on orders of $75 or more.

Have you received (or sent) any great catalogs this season? Let me know at [email protected] or @CMBethNegus.

 

 

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