The Argos Catalogue

Since it first began in 1973, the argos catalogue has been a part of many people's lives. The growth of the catalogue has occured each and every year, to the point where, in 2008 there are now around about 18 million copies of the argos catalogue available every year. That equates to about one quarter of the population owning an argos catalogue.

This year will see the 70th edition of the catalogue, and from it's rather humble beginnings in the 70's, it has grown into one of the must have accessories in many homes. Back in it's first conception, there were about 4000 products to choose from and approxiametly 400 pages contained there in. Today there are over 1900 pages with almost 19000 products ranging from furniture to toys, and everything in between.

At each new catalogue launch there are over 1 million people visiting the many stores to grab low priced goods as soon as they are available to the public. This kind of shopping rush just highlights how successful argos have become over the years.

There are two argos catalogues published every year, the spring/ summer edition comes out in january and the autumn/winter edition comes out in july. Each page has a photo of the products and a description, along with a unique code for each product, and of course the price. If you visit the argos stores and out of town superstores, the catalogues all have laminated pages, presumably so they will last longer, especially with all the fingers that constantly flick through the pages on a daily basis.

The cost of producing so many catalogues must be very expensive, but argos is advertising its business by doing this, and is in fact advertising all of its stock in one fell swoop. Everything is in one place, and that is the key to the success. It is so easy to just flick a page and find what you want in seconds. This is why mail order catalogues do well. Another way they make vast profits is in the way you pay. I remember using the littlewoods catalogues many years ago, and paying for trainers and clothes on a weekly basis. Of course you end up paying more this way, and it was one of the earliest forms of hire purchase so to speak.

Argos just tell you the price on the page, and you can pay the full amount there and then, or get yourself a store card, much like a credit card, and pay the cost off in instalments. This is where the catalogue companies make their money, on the interest you pay and also on the warranties they always push you to have.

Each new edition of the argos catalogue features more and more products, usually in the region of 2000 per new launch. There are also many price cuts and discounts to be had, especially with a new edition. This year those price drops will equate to nearly £50 million in savings from the last catalogue, so argos is always striving to offer more cheap deals than its competitors. To keep ahead of the game argos expands its products all the time, and makes them cheaper. They can do this because they have massive buying power, more than most.

Finding what you need in the catalogue is simple and effective, with a clear, concise index at the beginning which splits each main category in easy to use chunks. There is also a comprehensive list at the back to give you more help when you need to find exactly what you are after. It all adds up to a quick and easy shopping experience, which you can do from the comfort of your own home if you have a catalogue of your own.

This is why it is so convenient to have. Argos have crept into so many households with their catalogue shopping, that virtually everyone has heard of them, and so they are in the back of your mind even if you don't realise it. Come the time when you need a certain product, you end up reaching for the pages to get some ideas, even if you don't make the purchase through argos. This is a sort of reference point for many shoppers before they head out to buy stuff, and it is all down to the fact that argos has a large presence in out lives. It has become part of our society, whether we realise it or not.

Argos know what the customers want and they give it to them on a colourful silver platter. It is like a kid on christmas morning sometimes, with such a huge selection of goods right in front of you. The placement of the products in the catalogue serves a certain purpose as well. They are not just thrown in by accident, it is all carefully planned out before to get your mind in the right condition.

One thing that is missing from the catalogue is clothes. Argos does not seem to have targeted the clothing sector, and i do not know why this is. Almost everything else is featured on the pages, but very little indeed on any clothing lines. I suppose that companies like littlewoods, kays and grattan have cornered the market share on clothes lines already, and they tailor the this sector, pardon the pun. I believe that argos will go into this market in the future, and their cataloge will instantly help them to advertise this these products, expanding it even further in the future.

Whilst the concept of having a catalogue has not changed much, argos has moved with the modern times and now offers it in digital format via their website at argos.co.uk. They have it so ridiculously easy to get your hands on their goods, and this helps them to be so successful. You can sit in the comfort of your own home and just browse through their products, pick up the phone and it can be yours in a matter of days if you have it delivered, or just check and reserve and nip down to the nearest superstore and pick them up. You can even do it by text now. Argos has moved with the times and by doing this they have kept one step ahead of the rest, who are all trying to copy them in some shape or form.

By advertising the catalogue on television as well, there is no way you can escape the reach and the power of having argos around in our everyday lives. You also see argos vans and lorries on the road every single day, which is further advertising the catalogue and their goods. This is slowly getting the brand into your mind, a bit like subliminal messages, and it works very well.

All the products on show are clearly marked out in large text and very clear pictures, with the price right there where you can see it. They are almost jumping out of the page to get you to buy. In addition to the low prices advertised, their is a new range called the value range where the prices are crazy, like toasters for just over £3. How can they be so cheap? I bet they are made in china and exported over to the UK, this is the only way they can be so cheap.

Catalogue shopping is a very effective method, and argos is the leader of the pack. The huge growth shows no sign of stopping just yet, but there must come a time when it has to, The recent so called credit crunch may just play into the hands of companies like argos because they offer things that are cheaper than anyone else, so shoppers will naturally move towards them. The catalogue continues to grow as well, with more and more savings every time it comes out, and more people than ever searching through it and shopping with argos.