Complete guide to catalog management software

When running a business, keeping your product details in order is super important. Imagine trying to sell things without knowing exactly what you have in stock, what each item costs, or how to describe them to customers. It would be a mess, right? That’s why catalog management is key; it helps you keep all that information in one place, so everyone, from your team to your customers, knows exactly what’s available.

But here’s where things get tricky: many companies don’t just sell in one place. You might be running an online store, managing physical shops, or even selling internationally. With multiple locations and sales channels, it’s easy for product details to get mismatched or outdated. Different prices, varying stock levels, and even different descriptions depending on where you’re looking can confuse customers, mess with your inventory, and make everything harder to manage.

So, how do you keep track of all this product info across multiple locations and sales channels? That’s where catalog management comes in.

What is catalog management?

Catalog management is the process of organizing and keeping track of all the details about the products you sell. This includes things like product names, descriptions, prices, pictures, stock levels, and any other important information. It’s like creating and maintaining a "master list" of everything you offer, making sure that all the details are accurate and up-to-date, no matter where your customers are shopping, whether it’s online, in a store, or in a catalog.

What is catalog management software?

Catalog management software is a tool that helps businesses organize, update, and manage product information in one centralized system. It ensures consistency across different sales channels by automating the process of updating product details like prices, descriptions, and stock levels.

Why businesses need catalog management software

1. Improved efficiency

Catalog management software automates the process of updating product information, saving businesses time and effort. Instead of manually updating multiple systems, everything is centralized, reducing the need for repetitive tasks.

2. Consistency across channels

With multiple sales channels (like online stores, physical stores, and marketplaces), it’s easy for product details to get mismatched. Catalog management software ensures that all product information is consistent everywhere, reducing confusion for customers and avoiding errors.

3. Accurate and real-time updates

The software helps businesses keep their product information up-to-date in real time, which is especially important for inventory management, pricing changes, and product launches. This minimizes the risk of selling out-of-stock or outdated products.

4. Better customer experience

Customers rely on accurate product information when making purchase decisions. By ensuring product details are clear and consistent, catalog management software improves the customer experience and builds trust in the brand.

5. Scalability

As businesses grow, managing an expanding product catalog becomes more complex. Catalog management software makes it easier to handle large volumes of products, adding new items or managing multiple locations without getting overwhelmed.

Types of catalog management systems

1. Product information management systems

A PIM system is a specialized software designed to centralize, manage, and distribute product information across various channels. It is ideal for businesses that need to handle large product catalogs with consistent and detailed product data. PIM systems typically store all product-related data like descriptions, specifications, pricing, and images in one central database.

A PIM ensures your product information is accurate, consistent, and up-to-date, reducing errors and maintaining uniformity across multiple sales. This is especially important for businesses with complex product offerings or those selling on multiple channels.

2. Enterprise resource planning systems

An ERP system is an all-in-one business management solution that integrates core processes like accounting, inventory, sales, and customer relationship management. Many ERP systems include catalog management features to track products, manage inventory, and synchronize product data across various departments.

ERP systems are useful for businesses that need a comprehensive solution for managing finances, sales, and inventory, all while keeping product data consistent. However, ERP catalog management tools may not offer the depth or flexibility of specialized PIM systems, especially for larger or more complex catalogs.

3.  E-commerce platforms with catalog management features

Platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, and Magento come with built-in catalog management features that allow businesses to easily manage their product listings directly within the platform. These tools let businesses upload product details and track inventory in real-time. For small to medium-sized businesses or those primarily focused on online sales, these e-commerce platforms can be an affordable and efficient option. They simplify product management without requiring a separate system, and they allow for seamless integration with your online store.

4. Digital asset management systems

DAM systems are designed to manage and organize digital assets such as images, videos, documents, and other multimedia files. In the context of catalog management, DAM systems are primarily used to store and organize visual content related to products like product photos, 360-degree views, videos, and marketing materials. For businesses that rely heavily on visual content (such as fashion, electronics, or furniture companies), DAM systems ensure easy access to high-quality assets and improve the efficiency of content distribution. They integrate well with PIM or ERP systems for seamless catalog management.

5. Custom catalog management solutions

A custom catalog management solution is built specifically to meet the unique needs of a business. It may integrate features from PIM, ERP, DAM, and other systems to create a tailor-made solution that fits the company’s exact requirements. Custom solutions are ideal for large enterprises or businesses with highly specialized catalog management needs that off-the-shelf solutions cannot accommodate. While these systems are highly flexible, they can also be more expensive and require ongoing maintenance and development.

Choosing the right catalog management system

Here’s what to look for:

Scalability: Can it handle multiple locations and cost centers?

As businesses expand, managing a catalog across multiple locations or regions becomes a significant challenge. The right catalog management software should be able to scale with your growth, handling multiple sales channels, locations, and even different currencies or languages without slowing down or creating discrepancies.

Integration: Does it connect with procurement, finance, and ERP systems?

A robust catalog management system should seamlessly integrate with your existing software tools, such as ERP systems, procurement platforms, and financial systems. This integration ensures that product data flows smoothly between departments, improving efficiency and reducing errors.

User-Friendliness: Easy interface for employees and vendors

A complex system is only effective if your team and vendors can use it without confusion. Look for a catalog management system with an intuitive interface that makes managing products, updating details, and collaborating across teams easy.

Automation Features: Product replication, approval workflows, dashboard visibility

The best catalog management systems come with automation features that save time and reduce human error. This includes automating product replication across multiple channels, setting approval workflows for product updates, and offering dashboard visibility for tracking catalog performance.

Compliance: Ensures data integrity and audit readiness

Maintaining compliance with industry standards, regulations, and data protection laws is crucial for businesses. A good catalog management system ensures data integrity and security, and provides audit trails to help with compliance reporting.

How TYASuite’s CVPPM feature helps you manage catalogs

Managing product catalogs across multiple locations or departments can be a headache, especially when you need to maintain consistency and accuracy in pricing, stock levels, and product details. With TYASuite’s catalog and vendor product portfolio management, businesses can streamline this process by simplifying catalog creation, ensuring proper product mapping, and automating approval workflows.

1. Simplified catalog creation across multiple locations

One of the key benefits of the CVPPM feature is its ability to manage multiple locations or cost centers under a single catalog. When creating a new catalog, users can select multiple cost centers from a dropdown menu. This means businesses no longer need to create separate catalogs for each location. Instead, the catalog can be applied to various departments, regions, or branches, ensuring a consistent product offering across the entire organization.

How it helps:

⇒  Saves time by eliminating the need to create individual catalogs for each location.
⇒  Ensures consistency in product offerings across all cost centers.
⇒  Improves operational efficiency by simplifying catalog management.

2. Product replication across selected cost centers

The product replication feature allows businesses to automate the process of syncing product data across all selected cost centers. With the toggle enabled in the company setup, products can be replicated automatically to all the selected locations when the catalog is created.

How it helps:

⇒  Reduces manual data entry and the risk of errors when syncing product information.
⇒  Ensures data consistency across all locations by replicating product details such as pricing, descriptions, and stock levels.
⇒  Speeds up catalog updates, allowing faster rollout of new products or changes to existing ones across multiple locations.

3. Streamlined approval and visibility on the catalog dashboard

Once the catalog is created and mapped across locations, it can be tracked through the catalog dashboard. Products that are not yet approved will be visible on the dashboard at the main location. Once approved, the product details will be made available to all selected cost centers. This provides a clear visual of which products are still pending approval and which have been successfully processed.

How it helps:

⇒  Improves workflow visibility, allowing teams to easily track the approval status of products.
⇒  Ensures only approved products are visible in the catalog across locations, maintaining data accuracy.
⇒  Allows quick identification of pending approvals, reducing delays in product availability across cost centers.

5. Unique catalog ID for each cost center

TYASuite generates unique catalog IDs for each selected cost center. If a catalog ID hasn’t been generated correctly or needs updating, the system allows businesses to update the existing catalog ID rather than creating a new one.

How it helps:

⇒  Avoids duplication of catalogs across cost centers, ensuring data is consolidated under a single catalog ID per location.
⇒ Simplifies catalog management by allowing easy updates to the existing catalog ID, reducing administrative overhead.
⇒ Ensures clear tracking of catalog versions and IDs for better reporting and analysis.

6. Flexible and scalable for future growth

The CVPPM feature is designed to grow with your business. Whether you’re adding new products, expanding to new locations, or introducing new cost centers, the system adapts to your needs. With its ability to handle multiple locations and catalogs, TYASuite’s solution scales effortlessly as your business grows.

How it helps:

•    Future-proofs your catalog management system by enabling easy expansion into new locations or cost centers.
•    Provides scalability without the need for manual intervention or complex configurations.
•    Supports business growth by providing a flexible solution that evolves with your needs.

Conclusion:

TYASuite’s catalog and vendor product portfolio management feature is a game-changer for businesses looking to streamline catalog management. By focusing on efficient product mapping, smooth approval processes, and real-time tracking via the catalog dashboard, you can ensure your catalog remains accurate, up-to-date, and scalable across multiple locations or cost centers.

With the best catalog management software at your fingertips, you can minimize manual errors, save time, and enhance your team’s productivity. Whether you’re managing a single catalog or overseeing a complex, multi-location operation, TYASuite’s CVPPM feature empowers you to stay organized and focus on what matters most: growing your business.

Ready to optimize your catalog management process?

Contact us for a demo or to learn more about how TYASuite can transform your catalog management workflow.