Every business knows that showcasing its products showing its features, it’s exactly what the audience is looking for. But only a few understand that the best way to do this is through a product catalog. There are many advantages of having a professional one, reaching different sectors of your audience. Keep reading to find out more about them and their uses!
What is a product catalog?
A product catalog is part of the Marketing Collateral, where you can find a list of the products offered by the company, each one with its specifications and features helping buyers make a final decision. Nowadays, buying something is more about what you can do with the product or how useful it is than how fancy or pretty it looks. A catalog helps in that aspect, thanks to showcasing the product’s features and usefulness.
Amazon is the best example of a catalog. They not only listed millions of products, but they also show their details, features, descriptions, availability, color, price, and even customer reviews. The last part is highly important. Many buyers tend to change their decisions after reading the opinions of other customers. Moreover, the catalogs are good for customers, but different groups find the catalogs useful for many reasons. Some of them are:
- Sales reps and inside sales teams: they will use it to convey important information to possible clients.
- Buyers and decision-makers will take it as a reference to compare different brands and products, earning a final decision.
- Store and warehouse managers: The catalogs are vital to know the inventory with its details for them.
- Field marketers: they use a catalog to show to possible customers demos of the products.
- Agencies, partners, resellers, and value-added sellers: this group uses catalogs to gather information about the product.
With the product catalog itself, each product must present the following details. Still, it will depend on the area and the product likewise.
- Call to Action: a catalog is a great place to invite the customers to know the brand through the website and social media. You can offer a discount or a gift.
- Certifications: Each product must list the certifications earned, such as ISO 9001 or ISO 27001.
- Constituents: here, the core constituents of the product must be recorded, such as steel, plastic, and so on.
- Customer reviews: it will always be good to put some reviews and opinions of the clients.
- Description: a short description of the products and their usefulness.
- Dimensions: the length, height, breadth, weight, the volume of the product.
- Discounts: offering some discounts are a great way to catch the attention of the customers.
- Features: what are the best characteristics of the product.
- Guarantee/Warranty: any guarantee or warranty clauses applicable to the product.
- Ideal conditions of usage: some products need some specifications for their use, such as temperature.
- Name of the product: important to include the name, especially if it’s a brand name
- Pictures: this is the core of each catalog. After all, an image can speak more than a thousand words.
- Price: the price must always be displayed. You can put the conditions and the currency if the company ships internationally.
- Returns: state the requirements to accept the return of the product.
- Safety measures: some products will require safety measures to better say them in bold letters.
- Size: clients will need to know the extent to know exactly how big or small the product is.
- Terms & Conditions: here should be stated the typical terms and conditions of using the product.
- Version: some products work under arrangements. Newer versions always are presented with new features, so put what version the company is displaying in the catalog.
- Year of the launch: it’s always good to know the year of the product, customers really enjoy the newest one.
Advantages of a professional product catalog
Having a professional catalog can bring many benefits and advantages for the company and the products. So check out those amazing cons of having one under the company.
To Collect All the Information
Let’s be honest technical information and features are a lot of info to memorize for one person. The other point is that customers tend to hate sales reps and sales teams, so nowadays, it’s better to put all that information in one place, such as a catalog and its digital copy, easy to access from email, website, and even a simple QR code.
Reduce the Business Cycle
When customers have easy access to all the information regarding the product, the business cycle can be reduced and finished in less time. In these modern times, people really like to be informed about everything but in the easiest way possible. Catalogs make them a reality and help move from one stage to another while making a purchase.
Help Sales Reps to SELL
Sales reps have a hard time. People really don’t like them. But catalogs make their talks easier, just because they take less time to explain to possible clients all the products and their benefits. And time is something that people value, but with all the information at hand, they can pay attention to the reps and enjoy the presentation. This can translate into an increment of the conversion rate simply by putting all the information in one place.
Increment the Branding
A catalog becomes part of the brand because it will use its image, logo, colors, and any other element representing the brand. But it can go beyond that. A company can be remembered thanks to its catalog. Also, this is a great place to have a short but concise story space where the brand shows its beginnings and path. All this can help to connect better with the customers and make a difference with the rest.
Smooth Flow of Information
Catalogs are also a great way of keeping the flow of information through different departments in the company, from product development to the marketing department. They can use the catalog to be updated about all the products under the company. Also, they are great to show to stakeholders having an open channel to answer any doubt and help them keep a close eye on the inversion.
Sales Offline
Surprisingly (well, not that much), customers like to research online about a product before making a final decision and purchase it offline. For that reason, each catalog must have an online copy that every customer, possible client, and user can access at any time and place. Websites, landing pages, and microsites are great ways to fulfill this.
Enhance the User Experience
With a well-done catalog, the user experience can be enhanced. This means to have all the information well created, embedded with images, descriptions, videos, and more. Humans are visual creatures. We really enjoy visual experiences, so don’t doubt having the best in the catalog.
Reduce Training
The catalog is perfect for showing the newbie about the products and processes. Having all the information in one place will help with training, from sales reps to new personnel in the product development department. Plus, if the catalog is highly visual, it will be easier to catch all the information.
As you read, a professional catalog will do wonders for the company and the brand. So the last step is to create the best for the company. Keep in touch with the magazine to find more about products and processes.
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