One of my proudest accomplishments at Saks has been turning our catalogs into content-rich fashion books. My goal was to get us out of the mail order mindset, which prioritized logistical information like sizes, colors and store availability (as seen below).

Out went the dry product descriptions. In came editorial commentary detailing the most notable qualities of the merchandise. 

The New York Times wrote that our focus on value was well suited to a post-recession customer, noting, “Saks is beefing up its copy to highlight the reasons why a product is special.”

We worked with designers to include their quotes and insights.

As our customer base became younger—5 years younger, on average, during my tenure—the headlines became more youthful as well.

Fashion tips made the catalogs more useful and translated perfectly to our social media platforms.

Mini articles, beauty tutorials and designer interviews added to the editorial feeling of the catalogs. 

Soon, catalog content was being used to enliven our stores and our website. My writing team became true arbiters of style, and the entire company came to see catalogs as rich opportunities for image advertising. Most importantly, the approach drew rave reviews from our fans...

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     “Customers are coming with catalogs in hand.

      This has never happened before in the 8 years

      I’ve worked here.”

 

               - Raquel, Saks Fifth Avenue Greenwich

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