The app enables users to browse and shop digital versions of more than 350 catalogs from brands such as Lands’ End, L.L. Bean, West Elm, Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus. App users can receive alerts when a new catalog arrives from one of their favorite brands, tap any product to save it to a shopping list or purchase it and access exclusive promotions and deals.  

“With today’s society becoming increasingly mobile-centric, consumers want and have come to expect the convenience of traditional activities, such as reading catalogs and shopping, on all of their digital devices,” said Arnaud Collin, chief marketing officer at Catalog Spree, Los Altos, CA.

“Tablets are mostly used at home, and by offering Catalog Spree on the iPhone, we are able to offer on-the-go consumers the fun of window shopping wherever they may be – whether it’s waiting at the doctor’s office, picking up a coffee or standing in line at the grocery store,” he said.

“Also, the Catalog Spree app is synced across devices, so with the iPhone app, consumers now have easy access to their favorite products and shopping lists.”

Personalized experiences
Catalog Spree is available via the iPad, iPad Mini, iPod Touch and Web as well as the iPhone, enabling users to shop at home on the sofa or while on the go.

With mobile users increasingly engaging with their devices while they are in physical stores to support their shopping activity, Catalog Spree is launching on the iPhone to make it easy for shoppers to bring their digital catalogs marked with their favorite products and shopping lists into any store to enhance the shopping experience.

In addition to the new iPhone app, Catalog Spree has also updated the app to provide a more personalized experience. Users can now specify the brands and categories they are interested in to create a customized experience that delivers only the catalogs they want to see.

Shoppers will also receive personal shopping recommendations based on their tastes and preferences.

Unsubscribing from print
Catalog Spree is making it easier for consumers to unsubscribe from the print editions of catalogs via a new partnership with PaperKarma. Users will be able to unsubscribe from mailing lists from within the Catalog Spree app.

The company forecasts that 250 million digital catalogs will be distributed in the United States in 2013, and 25 times more catalogs than were distributed in 2011. The growth is being driven in part by the rapid adoption of tablets.

“Catalog shopping is a different experience on a smartphone versus a tablet, with screen size and form factor of course coming into play,” Mr. Collin said.

“While tablet users tend to spend time online from home, on-the-go smartphone users often use their smaller-screen devices as their main source of Internet connection throughout the day. Catalog Spree has addressed the differences in these experiences by optimizing the app for each screen,” he said.

 “The new iPhone app features quicker access to saved shopping lists, as well as full-screen product pages for easy viewing.”

Final Take
Chantal Tode is associate editor on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York