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- Why physical touchpoints beat endless scrolling for apparel brands
- Print catalogs: an old tool, renewed for modern growth
- How the company measures catalog impact and lifts returns
- Experiential retail and pop-ups that drive buzz
- Translating touch into pixels: the online tactile challenge
- Creator trips, whimsical catalogs and future experiments
Renee Lopes Halvorsen, Marine Layer’s chief marketing officer, says the brand is fighting short attention spans and social media overload by bringing experiences back into the shopping journey. As online browsing grows, the company is investing in tactile moments that stop people from skimming and instead invite them to connect with the product.
Why physical touchpoints beat endless scrolling for apparel brands
Even as e-commerce continues to expand — with October online sales at about $88.7 billion, up over 8% year over year — consumers are showing signs of digital exhaustion. Time on social platforms is flattening, attention spans are shrinking, and many ad clicks turn into quick returns to feeds. Marine Layer sees this shift as an opportunity to lean into real-world interactions. According to Lopes Halvorsen, the goal is to move people from passing curiosity to true consideration by creating moments that linger.
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Print catalogs: an old tool, renewed for modern growth
Marine Layer has long relied on printed catalogs as part of its customer acquisition playbook. The brand launched with a focus on tactile marketing, and catalogs remain a priority because they spark a different kind of attention than paid social. Lopes Halvorsen explains the logic simply: catalog-acquired customers historically generate higher lifetime value, even when the upfront cost is greater.
Catalogs do three things for Marine Layer:
- Introduce newcomers to the brand story without competing against an algorithm.
- Re-engage lapsed customers by showcasing new collections rather than discounts.
- Create a physical presence in the home that can be revisited over time.
Recent tests show the cost to acquire a customer via catalog has declined for Marine Layer. The marketing team attributes that to better targeting, improved creative, and a renewed consumer appetite for tactile experiences.
How the company measures catalog impact and lifts returns
Marine Layer uses privacy-respecting matchbacks to quantify catalog effectiveness. A third-party partner removes personally identifiable details before the data is analyzed. The brand typically examines the month after a catalog lands in homes to assess purchase lift and incremental behavior.
Key metrics they track
- Immediate purchase yield among recipients.
- Comparative lifetime value versus digital channels.
- Reactivation rates for dormant customers.
For internal teams, the most telling signal is whether the catalog becomes part of a household’s routine. Landing on a coffee table signals deeper engagement than a fleeting click. That permanence is what turns a casual viewer into a repeat buyer.
Experiential retail and pop-ups that drive buzz
Beyond catalogs, Marine Layer has doubled down on in-person experiences. The brand operates dozens of stores and staged holiday pop-ups in New York and San Francisco that featured on-site customization like embroidery and chain-stitching. Marine Layer branded the spaces as immersive activations and treated them as content engines as much as sales channels.
These setups were resource-heavy but yielded strong returns: long lines, creator coverage, and social content that outlived the event. The brand leaned into visual props and theatrical elements to make visiting feel like a discovery rather than a transaction.
Translating touch into pixels: the online tactile challenge
Not every customer can visit a shop, so Marine Layer is experimenting to convey fabric, fit, and softness online. The team migrated to a Shopify 2.0 theme and invited UX and UI staff into stores to explore how digital tools can echo physical sensations. Their approach blends utility with entertainment, aiming to both instruct and delight.
Digital tactics being tested include:
- Product pages that emphasize sensory language and clear photography.
- Interactive content that teaches about materials and care.
- Video and creator-led demonstrations to show movement and drape.
Creator trips, whimsical catalogs and future experiments
Marine Layer is expanding its marketing experiments. The team plans its first creator trip to generate authentic content this summer. Catalogs are also getting more personality, with doodles and travel-log elements added to feel less like a sales brochure and more like a keepsake.
Lopes Halvorsen describes the aim as packaging a brand’s soul into tangible moments. Whether through mailers, pop-ups, or curated online experiences, Marine Layer is betting that physicality and storytelling will cut through digital fatigue and build long-term customer relationships.
