With the digital-first market, one can easily forget about the influence of a well-designed product catalog. However, to catalog manufacturers, an inclusive catalog is one of the best selling tools at their disposal. It is not just a catalog of products; it is a representative of your brand, a friend to your sales teams and an indispensible tool to your distributors & customers.
A well-planned catalog can simplify the selling line, improve brand recognition and eventually generate income. It acts as a mediator between your production line and your final customer, as well as giving you all the information you need to make a knowledgeable purchasing decision.
The Way to Design a Superior Product Catalog
It takes a lot of planning and understanding your audience to develop a product catalog that will last. It is a matter of combining strong design with clear and concise information. It is in this way that a catalog manufacturer can create a catalog that will yield results.
- Identify Your Audience and Your Purpose
You must first know who will be using the catalog and what you want them to do before you get started. Is it a catalog to be supplied to distributors, to direct consumers or to your internal sales staff? Needs of each audience are different.
Distributors might be demanding specifications in technical detail, price ranges and order points.
- Consumers are concerned more about benefits, product features described in simple terms and high quality lifestyle images.
- Sales teams should be equipped with a fully functioning tool that assists them in answering questions and closing deals with customers.
When you know your purpose it will help you in all decisions you make, including what you include and the design you choose.
- Collect Quality Product Data and Photography
Your catalog is all about the content. Improper or incorrect information will cause confusion and lost sales. Begin by entering all data needed on each product:
- SKUs & Product Name: Should be steady and exact.
- Descriptions: List vital features and advantages. Be direct and convincing with language that appeals to the needs of your readers.
Price: indicating prices clearly or showing a price list, particularly in case of frequent changes.
Your product pictures are also very important. There is no compromise when it comes to high-resolution and professional photo. Apply the same style and provide products in different angles. Providing lifestyle shots (including images of products in use) may assist customers in understanding how the item will be incorporated into their lives or operations.
- Organize Your Catalog Rationally
A good catalog is one that is organized. Clustering of products should be in a manner that makes sense to your customers. Ordinary ways of organizing can be:
By Category Group products based on similarities (e.g. all drills, all saws).
Alphabetically – This is a basic approach that is effective when the customers have prior knowledge of the product names.
Put in a clear table of contents and an index to guide users on how to navigate the catalog. Usability should also include numbered pages and clearly defined headings of each section.
- Pay attention to Clean and Professional Design
The design of your catalog must be based on your brand. A professional and clean layout is much easier to read and your products are the main act of the show.
Branding: Make use of the company logo, color palette and fonts in the entire catalog to create a flawless brand UX.
Layout: The layout should be structured and organized with the help of a grid system. Only use a lot of white space.
- Readability: Pick fonts and font sizes that can be read simply. Break big blocks of text with bold text, bullet points, and tables and emphasize important information.
Although you can make a catalog yourself with the help of design software, it can be preferable to work with a professional designer to produce a finished product that would reflect your brand in its true colors.
- A CTA
Your catalog must tell the customers what to do next. Whether you are going to your site, call a sales representative, or order something, the next step should be clear. Put contact, web site address, and social media accounts where everyone can see them, like the back of the cover or in the header/footer of every page.
Conclusion
One of the strategic assets of the catalog manufacturers is a product catalog. You make an investment in the time to develop a well-organized, easy-to-look-at, and informative catalog; you give your customers and salespeople a strong tool that makes the buying process easier and creates brand loyalty. Don’t misjudge the importance of a great catalog in your manufacturing business- it is your silent salesperson, who is working twenty-four hours a day to demonstrate to the world your products.
PageTurnPro online catalog software is a fine catalog software solution to start with.