Most catalogers are familiar with square inch analysis, commonly referred to as SQUINCH. Calculating the percentage of space each product occupies on the catalog page and comparing it to the percentage of sales generated provides many marketing insights. For instance, SQUINCH analysis points to:
— Which products to feature more prominently
— Which products to drop
— Which product categories to expand
— Whether to increase or decrease the catalog page count
The same analysis can apply to web pages, but few online merchants use it. Since adding web pages doesn’t increase costs the way adding catalog pages does, online marketers tend to overlook this tool. But as a key to what products and categories to emphasize, SQUINCH is just as applicable online as it is off.
