4 Must Have Essentials For Your Wholesale Catalog
Have you thought about designing a catalog to showcase your products as you launch into the wholesale market? Is it something that has been on your to-do list for the longest time, but you are kind of dreading all the work it’s going to be so you don’t want to tackle it yet? Not gonna lie… your first wholesale catalog IS a lot of work! But if you spend the time to do it up correctly the first time, then it will be fairly quick editing, updating, and switching out photos moving forward. Just pull off the band aid, already! Having an on brand wholesale catalog will make you look super professional and serious about your biz. Kitty Meow just hit the 1,000 retailer mark, so I feel like you can trust me! (Trust me on advice to grow your product business and where to get the best red lipstick. I promise I won’t steer you wrong!)
Here are some things to consider…
Will you print this catalog or will it serve as a digital catalog? Even if you don’t plan to print this bad boy (because they are super expensive!) you should still design it as if you might print it one day.
When printing keep in mind…
• A full page catalog will be 8.5”x11”
• A half page catalog, 5.5”x8.5”, is another option, less expensive to print, but likely more pages
• Pages get printed in SPREADS, so your total number of pages need to be divisible by 4
• More catalog pages = more expensive
• Thicker paper = more expensive, keep in mind retailers will likely throw these away, so don’t feel like you need to get the most expensive paper option.
• The more catalogs you print the better price you will get per catalog
• Printify.com is my recommendation for catalog printing.
Ok! So no matter what size or style you decide for your wholesale catalog, there are key elements you can’t forget! Be sure to include the following elements and you’re well on your way to a gorgeous looking catalog.
THE COVER- The first is your cover! You want to choose a photo that shows a great range of your product offerings. I like to call this the HERO IMAGE. Remember this is going to be your first impression photo so make it count. Not only do you want to show a good range of your products, you also don’t want it to be too busy. Make sure there is some breathing room for your company logo. If you have a tagline for your business, you’ll want to include this fun element on the cover as well. You also want to include a date on your catalog. I like to do yearly editions of my wholesale catalog, but you can choose to include 2 years versus 1 year so you can print less. This is completely up to you. You’ll never get a second chance to make a first impression, so make sure the cover packs tons of your brand personality and gets them excited to see what’s inside.
TABLE OF CONTENTS- I am all about organization, and your wholesale catalog should be no different! I like to think of it as prepping the reader for the journey they are about to take. The first page of my wholesale catalog is always the table of contents. It is essential to think of your wholesale catalog as spreads. The spread is what the pages are going to look like side by side when you’re opening a booklet. Clearly categorize your different product offerings. To keep things organized, assign numbers to the pages. (Make sure the page #s you assign to each section in the Table of Contents is actually the correct page. I mean… I’ve never made that mistake!")
ABOUT PAGE- Your About Page isn’t only for your website. You want to have your bio on hand for literally everything you do in your business. Remember people buy and connect with other people. The About page is a great way to show your beautiful face and humanize your brand. As always you want to make your About page a little about you and more about what you are doing for your customer, but think about telling a story about your business. Make it personable, relatable, and evoke EMOTION!
PRODUCT IMAGES & DESCRIPTIONS- You want to make sure all the information for each product in your collection is crystal clear and easy to follow. You don't want your customer having to search for information at all! Believe me, if they have to go the extra mile, they’ll likely get distracted and move on to something else. (Squirrel!) Wholesale buyers are busy, so make it EASY for them to get all the information they need without having to ask for it.
What are the details for a particular product? Put it small in the side corner of the page. Size, dimensions, quantity, MOQ, wholesale price - the whole shebang! I like to assign each product a SKU # AND give that item a short little title. That way a customer can refer to it by name, instead of SKU because that can be confusing, and you’re both on the same page with calling that product by the same name.
For photos, I like to have a combo of products on a plain white background and then styled shots that really give off a VIBE. Remember, you want your potential customer to envision your products in their stores. Killer styled photos are a MUST.
I hope you found these 4 Must-Have Essentials For Your Wholesale Catalog helpful, and you’re ready to tackle the creating of your wholesale catalog. Don’t forget to PROOF READ, PROOF READ, PROOF READ! I’ve for sure sent a wholesale catalog to print with a ton of errors, and let me tell you it’s super embarrassing when someone else catches it before you. Don’t rush the proofreading part. Get someone you trust to be a fresh set of eyes too.
If you’re ready to create a confident, personality filled brand while building your revenue through wholesale & memorable client experience, then click here and let's work together to grow your product based business in ways you never imagined!
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