Product catalogues are essential marketing collateral that lists vital product details facilitating buyers to make informed purchase decisions.
Modern-day cataloguing has surpassed beyond mere pictures or brief product descriptions. Today, it is marked as lending the customer an experience as close to physically experiencing the product.
With all the required complementary product information being added to the brochure, purchase decisions have never been easier for the customer.
The e-commerce sector has been growing rapidly and is anticipated to touch nearly USD 4.5 trillion this year.
It is predicted that by the year 2040, roughly 95 percent of purchases will be done online. The business of selling online has expanded and evolved, and so have the digital tools used to enable sellers to add value to their product offerings.
Key among these are product catalogues, facilitating to streamline a buyer’s purchase decision.
The evolving role of catalogues
In the early days of e-commerce, product catalogues were more functional in nature and typically included only plain, static images. However, the goal of these catalogues now goes beyond simply sharing information; instead, brands and sellers must strive to virtually replicate the process of physically experiencing their products.
Many e-commerce portals also employ tools to both simplify and elaborate cataloguing — sellers can now search for keywords that match their listings and include these in their titles and descriptions, to better stand out from the competition and make it easier for buyers to locate these products.
In many ways, cataloguing today works much like the SEO process of search engines. Effective cataloguing has been found to increase the visibility of products. In fact, products with an A-Plus listing on Amazon, for instance, are organically placed higher on their category page(s).
More accessibility, greater reach
With e-commerce no longer limited to Tier 1 and 2 cities, many platforms are offering buyers the option of shopping in languages of their choice.
In fact, certain portals can even offer language customizations based on the location of the buyer’s IP address. Sellers must, therefore, take steps to translate their catalogues into various languages to ensure that no customer is excluded based on his/her language preference.
Influencer Marketing fuelling growth
In addition to reviews, many modern-day buyers base their purchase decisions on influencer-led endorsements.
On e-commerce platforms, these endorsements take the form of videos and other visuals of popular influencers using the product that the buyer is exploring.
Influencer marketing is now a whopping USD 9 billion industry in China, and the trend is anticipated to catch up in India at a similar pace. Including these visuals and video content in the product catalogues can help sway buyer’s purchase decisions.
The beauty of product catalogues is that they are not limited to the individual marketplaces but can be used across platforms — this means that if a seller shares a video on Amazon, for instance, this video can also be uploaded on other e-commerce websites simultaneously, keeping in mind the platform’s guidelines concerning video sizes or image density.
Refreshing product catalogues every month enables brands and sellers to keep adding value to their product offerings.
These changes may be based on market trends, changes in packaging, size, flavour, or ingredients, or any offers or schemes that sellers may want to host, including price discounts and product combinations.
Adding more value to product catalogues in the form of manufacturing standards, certifications, and other data about the organization can also help to upgrade the quality of the listing, consequently, and improve visibility.
E-commerce players must develop a proper understanding of what makes their product a must-have for buyers and include that information.
Making the smoothest experience for both catalogue creator and the reader through engaging content will continue to be a priority that demands greater focus.
Are you an
Entrepreneur or Startup? Do you have a Success Story to Share? SugerMint would like to share your success story. We cover entrepreneur Stories, Startup News, Women entrepreneur stories, and Startup stories
|
Mr. Ankur Dayal, is CEO & Co-Founder — Primarc Pecan Pvt Ltd. He is a young and dynamic leader who brings with him years of experience in the spaces of banking, insurance and of course e-retail.