Catalog Doctor: Intense, Competitor Analysis

Strive for a readable, easy-to-access printout. Keeping the spreadsheet as simple as possible creates greater efficiency.

Hint: Try to keep all data on a single spreadsheet (even avoid tabs and links); run the competitors in columns across the top and the data in rows down the side.

In tip Nos. 3 and 5, I listed some quant to collect for each competitor. Here’s more:
■ estimated number of mailings per year;
■ trim size;
■ page count;
■ number of products;
■ density (average product count per page);
■ average price point (a big pain to count, but important);
■ average shipping/handling for $X size order to a single address; and
■ average shipping/handling for $X size order to multiple addresses.