Uncovering the similarities between a PDS and a supermarket catalogue
/By Erin Weaver
Because we sometimes just like to bring you content that’s ‘just for fun’, today’s article is a comparison piece you never thought you needed in your life. And while you’ve probably never thought of a PDS when flicking through your favourite retail catalogue, you will now. You’re welcome.
We at Mayflower know a bit about PDS management but what makes us able to comment on the supermarket catalogue game. The headline does say ‘insider access’… so, introducing our insider, Jenny Calcott.
Our Operations Director Jenny is an marketing operations gun who came to Mayflower having had a previous career in advertising, notably working with retail clients including ALDI and David Jones.
Despite not having prior experience in PDS management, Jenny has nevertheless smoothly transitioned into her position as head of Mayflower’s PDS management team, drawing largely on her experiences heading production of retail catalogues.
Whilst the end use of a PDS and retail catalogue certainly differ (and a finished catalogue gets to be a lot prettier), there is an overwhelming amount of overlap in the processes getting each to the final, polished copy.
Read on to see how the worlds of PDS and retail catalogues meet … you’ll never look at your weekly ALDI special buys mag the same way again!
Accuracy: This one’s a bit of a no-brainer but it’s not just PDSs where every word must be accurate. Suffice to say, not a single word is there by accident.
Compliance: Just like in financial services, advertising agencies are subject to compliance requirements. Superannuation and fund managers must keep ASIC and APRA happy, retail businesses must stay in line with the ACCC and the Corporations Act.
Legal review: Compliance and legality go hand in hand so no real surprise here that both need to go through thorough legal reviews to check all relevant laws and regulations are being adhered to.
Verification: Every word needs to be accurate and evidence backing that accuracy. For a PDS this could involve evidencing policies, documents and industry practices whilst a retail catalogue could be referencing product information from hundreds to thousands of different suppliers. Try counting the number of products the next time you pick up a catalogue and imagine the verification process there!
High level of stakeholder engagement: there are a LOT of people involved in producing both a PDS and a retail catalogue. A lot of people often sometimes translates to a lot of opinions which can lead to many levels of revision at times, both complicating and delaying the process.
Extensive sign-off process: considering accuracy, compliance and verification combined with the large amount of stakeholders involved, there’s no surprise that sign-off can be lengthy for both. Inboxes certainly stay busy during sign-off time.
Serious penalties: Every part of the extensive and detailed process for both the PDS and retail catalogue production is to ensure that there is never a chance of a mistake being made. Why? The penalties can be debilitating. Retail businesses may have to cease marketing a product or be on the hook for significant financial costs if even a single number is off on a price. Good luck to you if you misplace a decimal point and shoppers are able to buy metal flamingo garden statues for $2.49 instead of $24.99*. And as we all know, there are significant financial penalties and even jail time on the table for misleading and deceptive PDSs.
Process-driven: Taking all this into account, it goes without saying that having a robust process in place is key to success for both PDSs and catalogues, preferably backed up by watertight tech. There are simply too many people, factors and steps involved and everything working to a tight schedule. If a single link in the chain comes loose, the whole chain can come undone. Put simply, the chain had better be strong.
Adaptable: Things don’t always go to plan. Imagine producing a supermarket catalogue during the pandemic, when supply chain issues caused many sections of the shelves to be empty, with little or no notice. Similarly, changes in regulations, product or supplier all warrant quick changes to a PDS.
And finally, just for fun, here are five small reasons by PDSs are WAAAY better than catalogues:
No children
No animals
No toilet paper
No models
Never having to write ‘buy one, get one free’
And the big one…PDSs aren’t redone every week. Can you imagine?!!?!?
*Yes, these are available at ALDI this week. Sarah nearly bought one yesterday but decided she’d rather stay married… And Jenny bought one for a friend.