Z Gallerie LLC in November launched a print catalog for the first time—an unusual step for a multichannel furniture and home decor retailer that’s been in business since 1979. But Loren Mattia, the merchant’s social media specialist, says the catalog gives the retailer another way to inspire consumers.
Almost immediately after Z Gallerie mailed its first catalogs, it found a smattering of shoppers, around 30 or so, who had shared images of the catalog in their homes—on their coffee tables, nightstands and elsewhere—on Instagram.
“It was surprising,” Mattia says. “It happened organically. But it was interesting to see the overlap with our catalog and social customers.”
Soon after sharing that information with the retailer’s leadership team, Mattia was tasked with developing an online campaign that aimed to drive more consumers to share pictures of Z Gallerie’s catalog in an effort to boost brand awareness and drive others to sign up to receive its catalog.
Mattia worked with visual analytics and marketing vendor Curalate to design a campaign, called #PagesofStyle, that encourages consumers to share photos on Instagram tagged with #PagesofStyle. To entice shoppers to take part, the retailer each month randomly awards a $250 Z Gallerie gift card to one consumer who shares a post with the hashtag.
The campaign, which launched in March and runs through this month, has helped Z Gallerie boost brand awareness, Mattia says. A month in, the effort had grown its Instagram follower base 6% to nearly 400,000. And the hashtag has attracted 116,000 interactions, including consumers commenting or liking the images.
Making online shoppers aware of the Z Gallerie brand is important because the retailer only has 56 stores. “Many people don’t live near a Z Gallerie,” Mattia says. “Instagram offers a way for shoppers who don’t live near a store to experience the brand.”
A lot of those shoppers are signing up for the catalog. The catalog subscriber list has increased 26% since the Instagram campaign launched (the retailer declines to share specific figures). While it isn’t tracking direct sales from the campaign, Z Gallerie executives say putting as many catalogs as possible in consumers’ hands holds a lot of value.
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