Sears' Wish Book Returns to Mailboxes and Sends Consumers Online

While I've already deposited a few stacks of holiday catalogs in the recycling bin this season, there's one still on its way that I bet will have some staying power. Sears' Wish Book, an old favorite, is back. And not just the same old hefty tome, but a sleeker (since it went away in 1993, the catalog decreased from 700 pages down to 188), restructured, and, I'll say it, hipper version. I haven't received the hard copy yet, but the online version looks promising.

Just the fact that Sears brought Wish Book back shows that Sears recognizes that shoppers don't live all online or off, that we migrate between channels. They also demonstrate this with combined CTAs to go online, call or visit a store. Sears might be a little late coming to this realization, but at least they're there.

I was pleasantly surprised to see how hard Wish Book is working to send consumers online. Featured catalog images include reviews from online customers (good ones, of course). I think that's great, especially how prominent the reviews are. It is a bit odd that the customers aren't named or even described by where they're from or what they buy to help me understand why I should care what they think, or make them believable, but they're engaging and they do remind me of more decision support help online. The intention is a good one. And to book does mention on many pages to checkout online reviews.

Wish Book also lets consumers know (in contextually relevant ways) that they can go online to find more options, fast ordering, and tools like wishlists. In fact, the first page even says, "Before you buy, go to sears.com to check for the lowest new prices and special promotions."

Congrats, Sears fans. Enjoy your Wish Book, your site and the ability to shop them together.