After thumping onto door mats in 2010, the 1544 page and largest catalogue has become somewhat of a distant memory for some, although others are still never too far from their ageing “wee beastie”.
So it was then in 1981, when the very first minnow of a catalogue, made its rather gentle landing. Since the arrival of this 28 page catalogue, it has been through numerous (44) iterations which saw it grow to 300 pages in the 90’s, 1000 pages in the 00’s and over 1500 pages in the 10’s.
While the page count has been increasing, the demand for such an “unwieldy beast” has been in decline. In 2006 Canford produced over 30,000 catalogues in three versions.
At the last count the total number of requests for a 2kg printed catalogue was under 4,000. Which makes the cost of producing such a “beast” exponentially greater due to the economies of scale involved in printing and distribution.
Technology has played a huge part in the demise of paper catalogues, not just Canford’s but in other sectors. Product life cycles are shorter meaning entries become obsolete faster, prices fluctuate due to exchange rates as manufacturers look to out-source production and as we look to import exciting products from all over the world.
We also use these new technologies to make our life quicker and easier. Mobile data has gone from analogue 1G, through to WAP (2G). With 3G data came the ability to quickly access websites while on the move and now 4G, coupled with larger mobile devices and tablets gives users the ability to perform nearly any desktop type task from a device that fits in their pocket. Which is certainly more impressive than anything an A4, 35mm thick, 2kg, 1500 page catalogue can do.
So it is, that with some degree of sadness and a ‘heck of a lot’ of deliberation, the faithful and renowned Canford Catalogue has been retired. After 30 years of updates and new products it’s time to let the (relatively) new kid on the block have his time in the spot light. The upstart that was a static html website in 1999 has grown in to a comprehensive site with constant updates, product data, technical resource, live pricing, account ordering and much more. Which is more than a match for a document that is potentially out of date by the time it lands on desks?
“The Canford Catalogue” isn’t the book, it’s the whole collection of information about all our products – which we publish on-line (actually, there’s far more in the on-line catalogue than we could ever include in the printed version).
Environmental Benefits
Not producing a printed catalogue also has an environmental benefit.
