In the world of marketing, catalogue is one of the effective product promotion media and is still widely found today. So what is a catalog? Which is a publishing tool that businesses use to market their products and services.
From the physical form, catalogs for promotion are usually in the form of magazines or pamphlets of various shapes and sizes. However, along with technological developments, people began to fulfill their shopping needs through online markets and business people began to implement e-catalogs as a substitute for catalogs to attract more public interest. Therefore, you can use marketing automation software to simplify marketing strategies by creating a database that contains various products in it. So what exactly is the difference between a catalog and an e-catalog? Let’s see the following article!
Table of Content
Definition of Catalogue
The meaning of the word catalog according to Wikipedia is a collection of lists of documentation centers or several documentation centers organized according to a certain system. It can also be interpretation that a catalog is a publication tool that lists the products and services offering by business people or companies to the public.
A few years ago businessmen competed with each other to create an attractive catalog to attract attention in promoting their products and services. The catalog itself has various shapes and sizes, ranging from pamphlets, books, cards, and even magazines. Usually, this product catalog is distributed directly to the public through shops, and supermarkets and even distributed directly on the streets.
As time goes by and with the rapid development of technology, people are starting to rarely buy products or services from stores until finally, catalogs are starting to be replaced with e-catalogs. Businesses are starting to turn to e-catalogs because they can save more costs.
Function of Catalogue
After knowing what a catalog is, the next thing to know is the function of the catalog itself. You can also use Retail POS services to help grow your business to increase the efficiency of your retail business using web-based!
1. Marketing and offering products
As we know, catalogs are used as promotional media for business people and companies. Usually promote products and services and not infrequently use discounts on products and services offered. Catalogs are believed to increase product sales to business people themselves.
2. As an effective and efficient promotional media
Catalogs are promotional media aimed at consumers directly. So that consumers can obtain information about the products and services offered. This makes cataloging an effective and efficient promotional medium.
3. Save production cost
Another benefit of using a catalog as a promotional medium is that it can save costs for promotion. Because this catalog will be distributed directly to consumers so that consumers can immediately find out information about the products offered.
catalog does not charge production costs for promotions that are too expensive. With an attractive catalog, of course, it can attract more consumers to buy these products and services.
4. Additional motivation for sales agents
Finally, the function of the catalog is to motivate sales agents because agents can directly understand the products and services they will sell so that business people can expand their product and service marketing network to consumers who subscribe to these sales agents.
Also read : Enterprise Resource Planning System (Definition of ERP System)
Defition of E-Catalogue
As previously known, currently the catalog itself is starting to be replaced with an e-catalogue. This is one of the information media for the promotion that lists products or services, prices, types, brands, number of goods available, and complete descriptions of products offered by companies that can be accessed digitally by consumers.
As previously known, currently the catalog itself is starting to be replaced with an e-catalogue. This is one of the information media for the promotion that lists products or services, prices, types, brands, number of goods available, and complete descriptions of products offered by companies that can be accessed digitally by consumers.
Types of E-catalogues
E-catalogues have several types based on the content and who the publisher of the e-catalog is. Here are some types of e-catalogues that can add to your information and knowledge.
1. National E-catalogue
The national e-catalogue is an electronic catalog compiled and managed by the Government Procurement Policy Institute. Usually, this e-catalogue contains information about the procurement of relief goods for State facilities.
In the national e-catalogue, usually, goods or services are registered related to state interests or state facilities, in the form of construction work, heavy equipment, medicines, consulting services, school textbooks, to goods/services contained in other online shops.
2. Sectoral E-catalogue
Sectoral e-catalog is an electronic catalog compiled by the Ministry. Its scope is smaller than the national e-catalog. In sectoral e-catalogs usually, goods or services are registered in connection with the interests of their respective ministries or sectors, in the form of agricultural tools, medicines, construction materials, and consulting services.
3. Regional E-catalogue
Regional e-catalogs are electronic catalogs that provide goods or services with a smaller scope. The team that compiles and manages the local e-catalog is the local government which is directly established by the local regional head.
4. Private E-catalogue
There is also a private e-catalog, this electronic catalog is different from other types of e-catalogs. Private e-catalogs are usually created by business entities or private companies in the form of a list of goods or services sold and listed prices through the official website of the business entity.
Advantages of E-catalogue for Business
E-catalogue is a product catalog in digital form, therefore e-catalog has the advantages of a manual catalog. Here are some of the advantages of a motivated e-catalog for the company’s business.
1. Easy access
Ease of access to the e-catalog is an advantage of the e-catalog itself. Because consumers can be anywhere and anytime to access the promotional products which makes it easier for the company.
2. Updated all the time and more efficiently
The next advantage of e-catalog is that e-catalog can update at any time so that consumers are updated about the products offered. Because there is no need to print product catalogs continuously so it’s more efficient and consumers can directly receive the information. With the use of CRM Sales, the company can also optimize sales.
3. Easy to obtain and more transparent
Because of easy access, e-catalogue easily obtained can be through computers and gadgets used daily. E-catalogues are also more transparent because consumers can easily be information about the authenticity and quality of products through previous buyer reviews.
4. To improve procurement performance
The last advantage of e-catalog is that the company can find out the demand of products sold. Improve the company’s performance in the procurement of goods so that the sales process is increasing.
Also read: Maintaining Retail Sales Amidst the Covid-19 Pandemic
Conclusion
So the conclusion that we get about the catalog is an effective product promotion media and can increase product sales. However, catalog technology is starting to be returning with e-catalog because it has advantages that benefit the company and can reduce the cost of producing product catalogs.
Companies are currently growing in technology to improve the quality of the company itself, therefore the use of marketing automation software from HashMicro is the best choice for your company’s business. Use marketing automation software to support your business!
