Catalogue website development
We design product and solution catalogues for discovery, comparison and enquiries. Data structure and ordering journeys can range from a question about one item to a selection prepared for a quotation. A catalogue website suits manufacturers, distributors and B2B companies that need to present their range without a basket or online payment.
Categories and specifications
We review your range, category levels and the properties that influence selection. Shared specifications are separated from category-specific fields. Filters and comparison are designed with real data, including long names, different units and incomplete records.
Content and data exchange
We select a source and import method: spreadsheets, a business system or an API. Identifiers, images, documents and repeat import behaviour are agreed. Editors need to know which values they may change on the website and which are updated externally.
From selection to enquiry
Product pages combine specifications, files and a suitable next action. Without online purchasing, a basket can collect items for a quotation. Selected products and quantities travel with the enquiry; mobile use and form feedback are checked.
What the work includes
Product catalogue development starts with data rather than design: structure and properties first, then filters, product pages and the import method.
- Catalogue structure: sections, nesting, links between categories and rules for products that belong to several sections
- A property model: shared and group-specific specifications, units of measure, value lists and display order
- Filtering and sorting by meaningful properties, plus search by name, article number and specifications
- A product page without a basket: specifications, photographs, drawings, documents, certificates, alternatives and related items
- An enquiry per item or a quotation list: a selection of products with quantities that goes to your sales team
- Data import and updates from Excel, 1C, a PIM or an API, with mapping rules and repeat-import behaviour
- Exports from the catalogue: price list, marketplace feed and partner exports
- SEO structure: section and product URLs, metadata templates, product markup and a sitemap
What we need from you
A catalogue website is only as usable as its source data is complete. We help put it in order, but we start with what already exists.
- Product data in any form: a spreadsheet, an export from 1C or another business system, access to the old catalogue
- The properties customers actually use to choose products, with examples of typical requests
- Photographs, drawings, datasheets and certificates, or an understanding of where they will come from
- A description of the process: who updates prices and stock, how often, and who answers enquiries from the site
- Brand identity and examples of catalogues you find convenient — or the opposite
- A responsible employee to check the structure and filters against real products
What you get
A working catalogue website with a considered structure, filters and product pages where the right item is easy to find and enquire about. The range updates by clear rules — from a spreadsheet, a business system or the editor — without duplicates or lost properties. You receive access details, a guide for the content manager and a description of the import and export formats.
A guide for the content manager
We describe how to add an item, change properties, upload photographs and documents, run a repeat import from a spreadsheet or business system and check the result. We separately record which fields are managed on the site and which arrive from outside.
Data formats and access
You receive a description of the import and export structure — columns, identifiers, units, update rules — and access to the CMS, hosting and integrations. That is enough to maintain the catalogue website in-house or with any contractor.
How the work is organised
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Step 1
Data analysis: we study the range, properties, data sources and the current catalogue if there is one, and identify gaps to close before development.
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Step 2
Planning: we describe the section structure, property model, filters, product page and enquiry journey, and agree prototypes on real products.
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Step 3
Design: we style the product list, product page, filter and empty-result states and the mobile version, allowing for long names and specification tables.
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Step 4
Development: we build the catalogue and configure import and repeat updates, search, exports and enquiry forms that carry the selected items.
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Step 5
Population and launch: we load real data, verify repeat imports, duplicates and speed, and hand over access and a guide for the content manager.
Cost and scope
The cost of product catalogue development depends on the depth of the structure and the number of product page types, the complexity of properties and filters, the import method — spreadsheet, 1C, PIM or API, the set of exports and enquiry forms, and the amount of company content. We define the scope after reviewing the source product data and a description of the update process.
Frequently asked questions
Does a catalogue require payment and delivery?
That depends on your sales model. A price enquiry or item list for a quote may be enough for B2B. Where full online checkout is needed, we estimate an ecommerce project with the relevant ordering processes.
Can we start with an Excel catalogue?
Yes. We review table structure, unique identifiers, categories, units and media references first. Import rules ensure that later uploads update existing items instead of creating duplicates.
How long does product catalogue development take?
Most of the time goes into preparing data and agreeing the property structure; development itself depends on the number of product page types and integrations. A catalogue of a few hundred items with a ready spreadsheet comes together faster than a multi-level catalogue site with a 1C exchange. We give a schedule by stage after reviewing the source data.
The catalogue is on a website builder — is it worth moving?
Website builders usually hit their limits at properties and filters: group-specific specifications, units of measure and links between items are hard to describe. If the range is growing and data comes from a business system, we move the catalogue to a platform with a proper data model, preserving URLs and accumulated search visibility.
How is an exchange with 1C or another business system set up?
We agree the exchange format — file export, standard module or API — and the field set: identifiers, prices, stock, properties and images. We define which values are managed in the business system and which are edited on the site, so the next import overwrites nothing it should not. The exchange is tested on a real export before launch.
What happens after launch?
At first we monitor imports, search and enquiries from the site and adjust properties and filters to actual visitor behaviour where needed. The catalogue website can then move into administration — updating items and sections — or be developed further with comparison, a dealer account or an ordering basket.