Web Catalogs and eCommerce – An Overview

As shopping moves online, it is not surprising that catalogs too have moved online. A web catalog works very much like a printed catalog or brochure in that it lists the various products on offer with details about products and pricing. Like a printed catalog, a web catalog allows customers to browse the products on offer and read details about the product. It also lets the customer to see images of the product. However, unlike a printed catalog, customers can also buy products directly from the catalog by clicking the appropriate links.

Web catalog creation software can help a company boost its sales by making the catalog attractive, easy to use for the end customer, and easy to set up for the seller. Some of the features that good web catalog creators provide are:

Inventory control: Lets users add, edit and delete items in the inventory from a single interface.

Cross linking related items: Lets users link related products to drive customers to other products they might want to purchase.

Automatically sizing images to fit the template: Helps users add images quickly without having to spend time editing the image to fit the template. It also enables quick migration between templates.

Shopping cart integration: Lets customers buy items directly from the catalog.

Connection to online payment gateways: Helps customers pay for purchased items.

Layout and color customization: Helps users set the look and feel of the catalog easily.

Catalog management softwareallows the seller to reach out to the customer easily and cuts out the person in the middle. This can provide multiple benefits, such as:

Better prices for the buyer

Direct interaction with the end-user for the seller

As online shopping becomes the preferred mode of purchase, a good web catalog creation application is an important tool for businesses. A mature web catalog creation application goes a long way in ensuring that customers have a pleasant and easy experience when shopping on the website.