Driving Custom Orders with a Strategic Catalog Overhaul

Smart Living Catalog

Strategic catalog redesign boosts product clarity and drives a 3.5% lift in custom orders.

Role & Context

As Brand and Marketing Manager at Luonto Furniture, I lead all product marketing efforts for our North American business. Each year, I produce our flagship product catalogs in alignment with the High Point Fall Market—one of the furniture industry’s most influential trade events. These catalogs define the product offering for the upcoming 12-month cycle and serve as a central sales and education tool for retail partners, internal reps, and end consumers.

The Challenge

Our previous catalogs lacked the depth, clarity, and user-centered design needed to support both retail sales and customer self-education. As Luonto’s product line evolved, our sales team and partners needed clearer guidance on product differentiation, customization options, and updated SKU structures. Simultaneously, end customers required a more intuitive way to understand sizing and design selections without relying on alternate resources.

The Approach

I led a full lifecycle refresh of our catalog strategy, balancing design precision with customer and rep usability:

  • Conducted ongoing feedback loops with sales, customer service, and retailers to understand catalog pain points
  • Redefined the visual hierarchy and content structure to prioritize product education and usability
  • Introduced side-by-side presentation of Made-To-Order (MTO) SKUs alongside Stock items, supporting customization upsells
  • Commissioned new product visuals and developed consistent, simplified data tables to showcase detailed dimensions like seat depth and arm height
  • Overhauled SKUing framework and developed a quick-reference cheat sheet to support rep training
  • Aligned catalog release with High Point Fall Market, providing in-person walkthroughs and training to reps and partners

Key Contributions

  • Owned end-to-end catalog development, from vendor procurement and layout design to content strategy and messaging
  • Created both a 72-page Complete Catalog and a 60-page Stock Catalog, including 4 customer-type pricing variants
  • Designed all materials using Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop and managed visual asset production
  • Led internal coordination across sales, operations, and customer service to validate content and format
  • Designed sales enablement tools and facilitated in-market training at High Point

Impact & Results

  • 3.5% lift in Made-To-Order (MTO) sales after integrating MTO SKU visibility into catalog layouts
  • Improved sales team confidence and order accuracy through streamlined SKU framework and visual aids
  • Reduced partner friction by surfacing more nuanced product details directly in the catalog (e.g. arm height, seat depth)
  • Enhanced navigation and usability across print and digital formats, helping both reps and consumers sell or shop with clarity

Takeaways

  • The product collateral must serve both the sales rep and the customer—design with dual intent
  • Direct customer feedback is a blueprint for continuous product marketing improvement
  • Strategic messaging frameworks (e.g. SKU learning tools) multiply the effectiveness of even the best-designed collateral

Note: The complete catalog can be viewed live on the Luonto website and the stock catalog can be viewed here

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