Product Catalogs: The Best Way to Influence Retail Shoppers

Imagine if restaurants stopped making menus. 

You sit down at a table, and a waiter hands you a simple list of food options with no descriptions, photos, ingredients, food allergy warnings, or prices. Would you even bother ordering? 

Probably not. Just as restaurants offer menus to influence their customers’ food choices, retailers create product catalogs to help consumers make more informed purchasing decisions. 

Product catalogs outline the most important product details to help guide buyers through the purchase process. Brands often use tools such as catalog management software to keep their product catalog up to date with the latest product releases. These systems also help ensure their buyers can always find the most current and relevant product information.

Consumers spend a lot of time researching their options so they can make confident, educated purchase decisions. Needless to say, having a product catalog on hand is crucial for modern-day retailers. 

It doesn’t matter if they’re ordering a burger at a restaurant, a new pair of shoes, or a living room couch - today’s buyers want to know what they’re in for. 

What's the purpose of a product catalog?

Product catalogs are not a new trend and have been driving business initiatives for over a century. In a pre-internet world, the mail-order catalog was a way to drive consumerism by mimicking the in-store experience so people could shop from the comfort of their homes. 

Many companies saw great success by incorporating product catalogs into their business strategy at the turn of the twentieth century. Retail giant Montgomery Ward, for instance, is considered a pioneer of product catalogs. The retailer launched its first catalog in 1872 and by 1904 had three million customers on its mailing list. 

Even in our technology-driven world where online shopping reigns, product catalogs still have a place in retail business strategies - whether it’s a physical mailer or a digital pamphlet. 

The purpose of a product catalog is to consolidate a brand’s most important product offerings and details in a single repository. Product catalogs serve as a helpful sales tool because they can be easily distributed to existing customers or new audiences across various channels. 

Product catalogs contain all customer-facing product details, which also help internal departments craft campaigns and ensure brand consistency. Most product catalogs are based on a simple framework with updated product data, images, and information about where the buyer can complete a purchase.

Who uses a product catalog?

The modern buyer is savvy at searching products online and expects accessible information to help drive their purchase decisions. This means both B2B and B2C businesses should have a well-managed product catalog that can be regularly updated to reflect new product offerings, pricing, and discounts. 

While product catalogs help buyers make informed purchases, they also serve important purposes for internal teams. 

• Consumers: Product catalogs help buyers make purchase decisions by helping them understand a brand’s complete offerings. A product catalog can also be compared with competing solutions during the consideration stage of the buyer’s journey. 
• Marketers: Marketing teams use product catalogs to define new offerings. Growth or content marketers use product catalogs to engage audiences and spread awareness about new products. Field marketers can also use product catalogs on-site at events to give demos or showcase offerings. 
• Sales reps: Product catalogs support sales teams in communicating core product offerings to customers. Sales reps can reference product catalogs for accurate and comprehensive product information when speaking with potential buyers. 
• Store and warehouse personnel: Store and warehouse managers rely on product catalogs for specific details on inventory, such as product dimensions and popular items that need to be in stock. 
• Third-party vendors: Resellers, partners, and agencies use product catalogs to get accurate information about products that they can also share with their buyers. 

4 key benefits of product catalogs

Your company’s product catalog should showcase important information your consumer finds valuable. Aside from convenience, a product catalog offers many other benefits that make internal processes and external buying decisions a lot easier. 

While there are many advantages to creating a product catalog for your brand, below are some of the top benefits.

1. Centralize your most important product information

Maintaining an up-to-date product catalog is critical for multichannel retailers who utilize various platforms to market and sell their products. For modern-day retailers, a product catalog will help ensure accuracy and consistency across digital and face-to-face sales channels.  

Your product catalog should sync with your e-commerce platform and integrate with social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, as well as marketplaces like Amazon. Creating a centralized product catalog will make it easier for employees, consumers, and third-party retailers to access the latest product information.

2. Streamline your buyers’ purchase decisions

Buyers in the consideration stage of the sales funnel are looking to compare products to influence their decision. For these buyers, a product catalog will provide contextual information about a brand’s offerings so they can spend less time researching solutions. 

Therefore, it’s important to make your product catalog accessible online or wherever your buyers shop. 

For example, say your company sells office equipment like computers, printers, and phones. A prospective buyer inquires about a specific laptop brand for their employees, so you pull product data for that computer and email it to them. The buyer then asks about another model, and you find yourself stuck in this stage of the funnel providing product information to this one customer. 

A product catalog eliminates the need for excess discussion, giving you the ability to send your entire product lineup and relevant information at once. This way, the buyer can browse the catalog and pick specific solutions, and your sales reps can focus on selling.

3. Spread awareness and solidify your branding

Product catalogs should include necessary product information and fully reflect your company’s branding. You should use your company’s specific colors, images, logos, and fonts to ensure brand consistency and stand out from their competitors. Brand consistency is critical, as a  lack of branding can ultimately hurt your revenue and growth. 

A well-organized, branded product catalog can enhance the user experience. Buyers want to find the required information on the platforms they use the most through a pleasant, easy-to-use interface. 

As you learn more about your audience and their journey, you can create catalogs for them. For instance, you could create different product catalogs for each buyer persona you’ve identified to only display products relevant to their interests.

4. Align your internal processes

Creating a comprehensive product catalog also helps internal teams align on current offerings and messaging by providing consistent product information. Managers can also reduce training time for new sales reps, third-party retailers, and partners during onboarding by simply providing a product catalog that contains the full product lineup. 

Product catalogs mitigate the amount of inaccurate information floating around internal departments and reduce the amount of manual work needed to find and distribute product data. They ensure accuracy among channels, whether customer-facing or not, to ensure no incorrect information is shared with others. 

Overcoming challenges of product catalog management

A product catalog can help establish your brand identity. However, retailers with a wide range of products, or brands whose products change frequently, often struggle to keep their product catalogs up to date. 

Below are some common challenges companies face while maintaining an updated product catalog. 

Regional and cultural differences

You need to consider how your buyers (or even internal stakeholders) in different locations will read and comprehend your product catalog. 

While some things are understood across cultures, it’s good to personalize your product catalogs to further improve the user experience. People in other regions may use different units of measurement or speak a different language. 

For example, if you sell products in the United States and England, you should create unique product catalogs for both. Certain factors are bound to vary by region, such as units of measurement, currency, and inventory. Your product catalog should reflect the appropriate information for each country. 

Remember to keep your buyer’s behavior and preferences in mind when creating a product catalog. For instance, while it may be a product catalog for your U.S. customers, your English buyers will likely call it a product catalogue. 

Online fashion retailer ASOS tackles this challenge with an easy-to-use site interface that caters to both U.S. and EU shoppers. On every product page, ASOS includes an interactive size guide with different units of measurement buyers can change based on their preferences. 

ASOS’ product pages also have an international conversion chart, so buyers don’t have to guess their clothing size based on another region’s classifications. Depending on your chosen location, the site also automatically converts product prices into your local currency. 

Source: ASOS

Accessibility and usability 

The most important factor when creating a product catalog is usability. Your catalog should be easy to use and clearly convey the most important product information to your customers. You can increase your product catalog’s usability by including categories and tags to make it easier to browse items. 

Your product catalog should also mimic the organization of your brick-and-mortar store and e-commerce website. Stick to your naming conventions; for example, if your website uses the word ‘jeans’, don’t call the same category ‘denim’ in the product catalog. 

Make sure your product catalog meets accessibility standards. Each product should feature a high-definition image with a product description. 

While you don’t have to make your catalog public-facing, you should keep an updated PDF handy to send to customers who request it. You can also make it downloadable on your website, keeping mobile and desktop formats in mind. 

Management and personalization 

Your product catalog should also be created with business growth in mind. Inconsistencies and disorganization will make it difficult to edit or add products as your brand continues to expand and grow. 

A product catalog management tool can help you battle this challenge, as it can integrate with other software to ensure accuracy. These systems can help you keep your product database current to personalize the buyer experience by suggesting related products and organizing the catalog with tags and categories. 

What should a product catalog include?

Some product catalogs show a brand’s entire product lineup, but this isn’t always the case. You may find that your audience has different buyer segments with unique needs. In this case, a product catalog that features every product may not be the best solution. 

After you define your needs, you can start creating your product catalog. Although every brand is different, your product catalog will likely contain the following information: 

• Product name: Give each item a distinct name so your customers can easily differentiate between products.
• Product information: Provide a description of each product and include important specifications, such as size, weight, and dimensions.
• Images: Include high-quality photos or screengrabs that clearly show your product and its intended use. 
• Features: Explain the purpose of the product, how it benefits the buyer, and what sets it apart from other products in the space. 
• Pricing: Show the product’s purchase price or starting price, ensuring the currency matches the buyer’s location. 
• Call to action: Tell the buyer how they can buy your products - online through your website, at a brick-and-mortar location, or via a customer service phone number. 
• Certifications: Highlight specific requirements that your product meet, if relevant to your industry, such as an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) certification.
• Social proof: Display positive customer reviews and testimonials for potential buyers to see how others have used your product. Leverage third-party review sites like G2 to share candid user sentiment. 
• Discounts: Include applicable seasonal discounts or bulk rates as an extra incentive for your buyers. 
• Warranty: Clearly outline your company’s product guarantee, warranty plan, or return policy. 
• Terms and conditions: Include your company’s terms, conditions, and product disclaimers to maintain transparency with your customers.
• Version: Label what series or collection your product belongs to, especially if you regularly update or change your offerings.

How to create a product catalog for your brand

After figuring out what information to include, you may be wondering how to actually create your product catalog. You can create a customized product catalog by following these three simple steps.

1. Outline: Identify the most important details to include in your product catalog. Put yourself in your buyer’s shoes and ask yourself whether your catalog includes all pertinent information a consumer would need to make a purchase.
2. Design: If you have an in-house designer, they can create your catalog and make sure it adheres to your brand guidelines. If you don’t have a designer, you can download a product catalog template online or from your catalog management system. Whether you or a professional designer creates your product catalog, it should be customizable and easy to update as you release new products.
3. Format: Is your product catalog going to be physical, digital, or both? No matter what medium you choose, make sure the catalog is properly formatted for mobile, desktop, or print publication. You may need to tweak your catalog design when repurposing it for different formats. 

Physical catalogs work for some brands, but a digital version is almost always the most cost-effective option. Online product catalogs eliminate the need to print new versions every time you update or release a product and also allow for more personalization. 

Housing your catalog on your website also helps with customer acquisition, as buyers are more likely to come across your products when researching online. If you rely on face-to-face interaction to showcase your products, you will miss out on a large audience that could potentially discover your brand online.

Examples of product catalogs in use

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to creating and organizing a product catalog. These factors depend on your industry, buyer, and product. However, you can draw inspiration from how other successful companies design and distribute their product catalogs. 

Below are three major brands from different industries that release successful product catalogs.

Toyota's annual product lineup

Auto manufacturers generally release their annual product lines during the fall of the previous year. Toyota is no different and dedicates a portion of its website to the current product offerings. 

Toyota’s product catalog is somewhat unique as it displays the full lineup of vehicles in one place but doesn’t feature any product specifications. Instead, buyers can refer to individual brochures for specific product information. 

IKEA's category-specific brochures

Furniture retailer IKEA used to release a full product catalog each year but discontinued that practice for a more segmented approach. Instead of making one giant catalog, buyers can access mini catalogs, or brochures, for each product category. 

IKEA currently has individual product brochures for kitchens, bedrooms, bathrooms, wardrobes, and workspaces.

Source: IKEA and Free People

Free People's seasonal product collections

Free People, a women’s fashion retailer, opts to release new product catalogs with every clothing line release. These releases generally occur six to twelve times in a single calendar year. 

Since the life cycle of fashion trends is short, the industry is based on seasonality. Free People follows this cycle with spring, summer, fall, and winter collections. Consumers can always find the most up-to-date product catalog on Free People’s website.

Product catalog management software

So how do you manage a product catalog? There are various ways retailers can manage their product catalog, and the catalog software they ultimately choose will likely depend on their unique business needs and resources. 

But no matter what system you choose for product catalog management, it should always act as a single source of information for your product offerings. When choosing a tool to manage your product catalog, consider factors such as your existing tech stack, plans for expansion, and the expected catalog size. 

Catalog management vs. product information management (PIM) software

The two most popular systems are catalog management systems and product information management (PIM) platforms. Although these systems have overlapping capabilities, it’s important to know the difference to find the best product catalog management software for your specific needs.

Catalog management software consolidates product information into a single repository for both brands and buyers. Retailers use catalog management systems to automate processes and organize content. With catalog software, companies can seamlessly update and distribute catalogs across sales channels and e-commerce platforms. 

To be included in the catalog management software category, a system must: 

• Create a new digital catalog or integrate with an existing one
• Categorize and organize products
• Include a search bar and filter functions
• Store customer information 
• Support domestic and international product pricing 
• Update product information within the catalog

Integrate with retail management and payment or subscription management systems

Brands use product information management (PIM) systems to automate workflows and manage product data. Marketing and sales departments regularly use PIM platforms to help close deals or drive campaigns. PIM systems function as an agent to improve workflow and syndicate product data internally and across sales channels. 

Platforms included in the PIM software category must:

• Unify product information from various files in one place
• Correct inconsistent data 
• Automate e-commerce  processes 
• Have a search and filter function
• Categorize and organize products 
• Distribute products and product information to various sales channels 

Put simply, catalog management software enriches product data. These systems can edit, add, and modify product information. PIM software, on the other hand, is more comprehensive and focuses on the bigger picture of your processes and product offerings. 

So, what's on the menu? 

Big or small, expensive or cheap, consumers want to know exactly what to expect before making a purchase. Maintaining a comprehensive product catalog is the best way for retailers to keep up with their buyers’ needs. 

Ready to distribute your product catalog to new audiences? Learn how to engage your customers on and offline with a multichannel retailing strategy.