I was on a plane last night, and i was casually browsing through a “SkyMall” catalog. On the inside front cover is a product called “Bottle Armor” which is intended for travelers who purchase wine or spirits while traveling, to safely transport it home.
What struck me about the catalog listing was that the product was unpriced. Where almost all of the other products showed the price, this one said “go to SKYMALL.com to check the price”. Either this was the result of having the product unpriced at the time of printing the catalog (unlikely) or it was an enticement to go to the Web site – and likely browse other products there. (Orders can also be placed using a toll-free number).
Customer interest is a fleeting event, and it keeps getting shorter. My belief is if you have to wait for the customer to be online, not always convenient on a plane) you have missed the opportunity to capture their interest. How many people (aside from marketing hobbyists like me) will remember this “Bottle Armor” 30 seconds after they turn the page. Not many!
Far better would have been to list a price for the product, with an enticement to select an online coupon code – which would get them to the Web site.