Merchandising your product line is a vital part of any business marketing strategy. Diverse product lines require a cohesive organization that makes them easily accessible to your target sales demographic. Online and print catalogues accomplish this task by allowing your customer base to gain knowledge of a selection or the total sum of your product line.

The standard print catalogue design has not changed much since its inception. Advances in print and reproduction technology have improved the aesthetics of the genre, but the role it plays in the marketplace has virtually remained the same. It is in the area of online catalogues that the real advances have been made in catalogue design and application.

Online catalogues permit your customers to access your product line and sales administration any time of the day or night. The depth of coverage for product education and distribution is incredibly deep. The online catalogue design allows your customer base to browse through tiers of product rankings to find the exact product information they need as well as variations on that item that can include other brands or support items.

Print catalogue descriptive copy and illustrations have always suffered the limitations of the catalogue medium (size, manual reproductive techniques). The design of the online catalogue can be adjusted to include any length of product description, processing information and cross-referencing data for cross-selling or up-selling. The catalogue designer can enhance the online retail catalogue experience by adding PDF or CAD files detailing additional product specifications, manufacturing history, user manuals or warrantee conditions.

Product imaging has gone leaps and bounds beyond the print catalogue standard. Multimedia files that include Flash, animation and graphics are easily included in the online catalogue design. Interactive features allow the consumer to lift, rotate and magnify product images. 3-D animations assist the viewer in visualizing the precise product they have chosen. With a click of the mouse, shoppers can quickly peruse every variation offered by the retailer.

The service emphasis of the online catalogue design should be user friendly. A good catalogue design has an easy to access item search function keyed to both item title and product description. Ideally, the catalogue is connected to your retail product administration so that your customers will be able to access up to date information on stock availability, variations and price fluctuations. Product or service descriptions should be clear, concise and effective with distinct links to any additional information the consumer might find useful (industry reviews, etc).

The catalogue design should be appropriate to the service or products offered and reflect your company philosophy and marketing approach. Is your logo a vital part of your marketing strategy? Does your business offer an exclusive product or service? Is your company family owned and operated? A good catalogue designer will find a way to work all these aspects of your commercial profile into your online offering.

The perfect catalogue design must accomplish more than just displaying attractive renderings of your product line. It should first of all attract the interest of your market demographic. It must then retain that interest and expand on it to convince the consumer that the product you have to offer is exactly what the consumer is looking for.