ration; share Amazon’s near unparalleled data on online buyers… he (Bezos) did tell employees that they will have to “invent” and “experiment” as the internet revolutionises the news business.” As I absorbed the coverage on Bezos’ $250 million purchase, I thought there were some clear imperatives for marketers in another medium – catalogues. Now’s the time to start moving paper to pixels, better integrating digital, using data smarter, and continually innovating. Do so and be rewarded. Ignore the call and be consigned to the dust bin. It’s all about staying fresh and relevant, and providing a bridge between physical and digital. Which is what Ikea has done with its 2014 edition catalogue, about to hit Australian mailboxes very soon. This time last year, the Swedish retailer made news with a level of interactivity not seen before in mass catalogues. Using smartphones or tablets and an app, readers could unlock short films or quirky presentations from designers, access additional product images and on the occasional page gain an x-ray view (just like the comic book specs I coveted as a kid). It was a little clunky, but relatively engaging, fun and useful. This year, Ikea has harnessed the power of augmented reality (AR) to liberate furniture from the pages of the publication, and virtually place your chosen pieces in your own home. Once you’re happy with the size and position, you can photograph the finished article. Pretty cool stuff. (Check it out here.) If you can’t be bothered with the physical catalogue at all, toss it, and download the app for Apple or Android. But here’s betting many a consumer will keep the Ikea catalogue on their coffee table as per usual, and use it to virtually imagine a better coffee table in its place. In itself, AR could be put to good use in many categories for catalogues. Jewellery stores could allow a bride to be to picture a diamond ring on her finger; fashion merchants could give shoppers the ability to try a dress on. But that’s just one use of technology, and one way to bring catalogues to life. The point is to challenge the way things have always been done, and reimagine an old format for a new era. Jeff Bezos is about to revolutionise an American institution. What would he do with the catalogue? What will you do? * Jon Bird is chairman of specialist retail marketing agency IdeaWorks and Octomedia, publisher of Inside Retail. Email: jon.bird@ideaworks.com.au, Blog: www.newretailblog.com, Twitter: @thetweetailer