Traditional product catalogues within the manufacturing industry have been around for
years, but creating digital catalogues has risen exponentially since the boom of eCommerce.
Digital transformation is a fairly new concept for many companies within this industry,
meaning that marketers and product management professionals are having to look at the
digital shelf as a way to efficiently and effectively showcase their products. To achieve all of this, Product Information Management (PIM) is needed.
Product marketing managers can map new product offerings by using a product catalogue, which comprises all commercial product information. Consider it a marketing document designed to persuade readers to make purchases. It includes a list of the most important product details, including the description, specifications, price, colour, and availability. PIM enables manufacturers to provide accurate product status information. When a product's status changes, manufacturers may frequently find themselves limited with no time to update their catalogues. PIM relieves teams of stress and allows them to manage thousands of goods without worrying about failures or errors.
The era of the digital shelf has arrived, and consumers now have access to more shopping channels than ever before. The time when retailers and distributors were a brand's main consumers is long gone. While it's still crucial, the order of importance has changed, the primary audience now is the end-user. The success of your business hinges on engaging representations of your product information being accessible on every potential digital touchpoint. PIM is referred to as the "cornerstone of your digital experience stack" in the Forrester Wave: Product Information Management, Q2 2021 study, which also notes that "when a digital experience goes awry, weak PIM practices may be what's holding your organization behind." Today's businesses require a well-rounded PIM solution. Standardising, centralising, and maintaining control over your core data is still necessary, but you also need to grant business teams the freedom they require to oversee, improve, and manage downstream product experiences.
Improving Conversions and Increasing Revenue
Customers still require an immersive shopping experience even though they are increasingly skipping the aisles of physical stores and purchasing online. Manufacturers can convert online visitors to the digital shelf by providing tailored content, support across all sales channels, detailed product information, as well as high-quality photographs and videos. Customers want to have access to consistent product information while shopping, whether through brick-and-mortar stores, catalogues, or conversations with sales representatives. They also expect to be able to rapidly search online for product specifics. The management of rich product information across various channels is facilitated by flexible and marketable PIM, which can result in a 20–50% increase in conversions.
Know Your Market
It's critical to identify the precise audience that your catalogue is targeting. The format and style will be strongly impacted by this. For instance, compared to an eCommerce catalogue for retail, a B2B catalogue for distributors is likely to have significantly more technical data and regulatory information. By determining who your target market is, you will be better positioned to produce a catalogue that is appropriate in terms of language, structure, design, and SEO, driving sales and conversions.
Invest In Product Catalogue Software
No matter what your objectives and KPIs are, adding a product catalogue tool to your team is a beneficial move. In addition to centralising all of your product content, you can also improve its calibre to satisfy your customers. Manufacturers and retailers used to frequently look to a Content Management System to accomplish this. PIM, however, has proven to be a far better option for catalogue software. With the aid of a PIM system, you can more effectively assess the quality of your material and automate the updating of changes to product data across all channels.
Equip Yourself With A Catalogue Design Tool
To meet all of your present and future needs, it's important to create an eCommerce or B2B product catalogue that can be printed, shared and converted to various formats. The most well-liked, effective, and adaptable solution is Adobe InDesign. There are plugins available from software providers that integrate your product information to InDesign directly. By utilising the content you've uploaded and managed in your PIM during the design process, you can ensure that there are no errors all while saving your design team valuable time.
Final thoughts
One of the most important resources for both your product and marketing teams will always be your product catalogue. In light of this, your time, knowledge, and effort spent establishing your ideal digital catalogue will always yield a reward. Your B2B or eCommerce catalogues can be used to boost sales and enhance customer experience with the correct customer research and defined objectives.

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