A good price list will benefit your business in the following ways:

1. Standardized prices enhance your trustworthiness as a brand and help avoid miscommunication with clients and retailers.
2. A defined price list makes discounts seem more significant.
3. It simplifies price management for business owners.

However, you can only achieve all this by creating a professionally structured price list. Here, we offer you some design and structure tips to craft a price list, accompanied by step-by-step instructions.

What makes a good Price List?

Structure everything

Most price lists have a tabular format. Clients are already used to it, so they know where to find the requisite information. For example, a common listing practice puts the product name and code on the extreme left with the prices on the extreme right. Implementing a table structure allows you to arrange numerous products simultaneously, which helps keep the document short. This brings us to the next point.

Keep it short and clear 

A professional price list is merely a few pages in length; there is no need to include all the product information in it. Usually, the list contains everything a client needs to pick a product and confirm an order. We recommend you include the following items:

• Product name
• Short description
• Price (Retail and wholesale, if necessary)

Some industries may also require a product code (e.g. supply industry) or a small image (e.g. fashion industry).

Include contact information

Make sure the client can find contact information at first glance. For instance, if you have a multiple-page price list, put the information at the top-right corner of every page. Apart from this, also include it on the front page and the bottom of the cover page, if you have one. Remember, a purchase decision is usually a matter of seconds. So, a person who can’t reach out to you quickly is a lost client. Let us also clarify that we are not including houses, cars, etc. in this point.

Use a simple design 

Use two or three brand colors that look good together. If you are still not sure, you can find some eye-catching color combinations here. With the font, the safest option is to go with one type. You can play around with thickness or size to attract attention to specific points. Having a background full of colors can be irritating and distract from the primary purpose, so keep it simple.

Now you know the basic design rules to build a professional-looking price list. Let’s see how you can implement them in practice.

How to build a Price List?

Catalog Machine is an online platform that you can use to create a gorgeous price list. I will use it to illustrate the above theory in practice.

Once you log in and upload your product database, go to Catalogs and click on Create New Catalog. From the presented options, select Price List.

Now, add products from the database to the price list and click on Set Up a Price List in the top right corner.

Now it’s time to select a structure for your price list. All the templates have a table layout that agrees with the first point made above, so, you can choose any of them and be sure of the result. Here, I select the first one as it has a predefined place for contact information.

I have already received a unified table, as you can see from the picture below. However, I am not satisfied with the design and still need to insert information such as company name, contact information, and logo in the predefined fields. For the company name and phone/address, you can directly type it in. To add a Logo, click on the sign. On the right-hand side of the screen, select Change Image, and upload an image from your computer.

To fix the table design, click on the Edit Product List button.

Let’s start with the information that I want to include. To keep it clear and simple, I will remove the filled-in product description and add the image file to make my price list more appealing.

I then click on the Field button on top of the screen and use the Remove and Add options to manipulate the fields.

Now it’s time to change colors and fonts. I like the combination of Light Blue (#89ABE3FF) and White (#FCF6F5FF) with Josefin Sans font. With this choice, I achieve a light and stunning design.

To do this, I click on Design and Structure and select the needed font from the list. I then type in the color HEX number in the header. The header and borders should have matching colors. So, the table seems consistent and does not distract a reader from the text. Since I am going with white and blue, I will make the borders blue as well.

We have covered almost everything, except for a few details. Ensure that the font inside the table and the font you use for the other fields match. I will use a Josefin Sans for all the text in my price list. You can also center text inside the table.

To see the result of your work, click on Preview and select a format. The beauty here is that you can get your price list in both digital and PDF formats simultaneously. Here is the result of our work.

Click on https://www.catalogmachine.com/templates/price-list to create your professional price list!

A line sheet is a marketing material that companies use to present their products to the retail stores and make an order. The last feature is crucial because the primary purpose of the line sheet is to sell. 

In the past, PDF and printed line sheets were the only options, so an order form was usually included. Unless this presentation format is still popular and proves its effectiveness, some of the companies are shifting their marketing materials online. In the case of a digital line sheet, there is an ordering function that is already inbuilt in the file. Moreover, when there are any changes to the product information, the printed line sheets become outdated. 

From the retail buyer’s perspective, a line sheet is a document with all the essential information presented clearly. So, they can quickly and easily make a decision if the product is the right fit for their store. Additionally, some retail stores have a list of requirements of how the line sheet should look like. 

Long story short, every wholesale business uses a line sheet to present their products. This statement is true across almost all categories – apparel, jewelry, furniture, toys, etc.  

The Line Sheet Structure and Design 

A good line sheet has a well-organized structure. The main rule to the line sheet design is to make it absolutely clear. A line sheet is a reference guide for the buyer to find product details. 

So, the client can easily search for the information needed. The buyer should see the product range, how much it costs, and where to order it from the first sight.

Usually, a line sheet has a landscape layout. On the top edges, you can find contact details, such as company name, email address, phone number, website and street address, and company’s logo.

A line sheet is a few pages long. The shorter, the better. So, the products are placed on the page in a grid format (2×4, 4×4, etc.) with several lines of product details. These details usually include price, sizing, color options, and any other important information like that.

Plain background and high-quality images are two contributors to the professional-looking design of the line sheet. This is where a designer departs from lifestyle photography and focuses more on straight product shots.

As we have already mentioned, a good line sheet has an order form, and all the information needed to fill it out. 

A line sheet is also often customized for each client. So the “one size fits all” approach does not work in this case. Different retailers have different needs and expectations from suppliers and their products. 

The line sheet is an essential part of the sales process. So the B2B businesses put time and effort into using the best practices and strategies to create them.

What’s the difference: Line Sheet, Catalog, Lookbook?

A line sheet is sometimes referred to as a product catalog or even a lookbook. However, each of them is a separate and unique way to present products to the buyers. 

A lookbook is a visual guide to the brand. It is a compilation of fashion and lifestyle photographs of the product with minimum product information. Lookbooks are usually used in the B2C market. So, they are appealing to the emotional part of the clients. In a most common scenario, a lookbook will have one product per page layout with eye-catching font and colors. 

As you can see, a line sheet is opposite to the lookbook. First of all, it appeals to the buyer’s rational part with a clean design and structure. 

A catalog is in between a lookbook and a line sheet. A catalog often has several products per page, with appealing images and a limited amount of text. Usually, it includes product price, variances, and description. So, it is more information compared to a lookbook and less compared to a line sheet.

A line sheet contains pure facts about the products, while a catalog will discuss this fact in the advertising way. A catalog is also usually bigger compared to the line sheet in terms of the number of pages. This structure allows the companies to use a catalog for B2B and B2C markets. 

Overview

A line sheet is an essential part of the wholesale business in any industry. This is why today, some software programs help businesses with this issue. Here is a list of some examples of what can be done with the help of the line sheet creation platform.

– Creating a PDF and digital version of a catalog alongside the linesheet. 

– Automation of product detail updates.

– Professional-looking templates and advanced design functions. 

– Online Ordering and Payment System embedded in the digital line sheet.

Catalog Machine presents all the features mentioned above. Click https://www.catalogmachine.com/line-sheet-template to check it out. 

The importance of fundraising in the modern world can’t be overestimated. This practice is widely used by non-profit organizations or some governmental institutions, such as schools. However, it’s not easy to convince people to participate in it. Let’s see what could keep your potential donors away and how you could deal with these barriers with a straightforward move. 

The fear of fraud 

Donation is a sensitive question for some people. On the one hand, if you are sure that the money you spend will make a difference for the better, you will feel good about yourself. On the other hand, if you find out that other people used you for their purposes, you will feel fullish. This concept is tight to the idea of “self.” 

Self-concept is a way how someone thinks about, evaluates, or perceives themselves. People tend to feel good about themselves as far as they can. Because, when the self is heart is a psychologically painful process. This is why you will prefer to stay away from the experiences that could threaten your self. For example, the threaten of feeling foolish after donation. 

To overcome this barrier, a fundraising company should build trustful relationships with the clients. It’s easy to say and not that easy to achieve.

First of all, make the organization’s processes as transparent as possible, especially regarding the payment process. 

Secondly, give a tangible asset in return. It would be nice if the asset has an emotional connection with the purpose of the fundraising. For instance, you are collecting money for the orphans center. Send a picture to drawn by a child. It will cost you almost nothing, but the donor will feel great about himself. 

Thirdly, create a brochure that will include information about your goals and current achievements. The impression that other people have also participated in it gives the feeling of safety.  

There is someone else to help 

It’s called the Bystander Effect. The presence of others discourages the individual from intervening in an emergency. Moreover, the greater the number of bystanders, the less likely it is for any one of them to provide help to a person in distress.

If a person understands that you are asking for money from many people, he will be less likely to donate. 

To overcome this effect, you should make the message as personal as it can be. For example, if you target other organizations or public personas, create a catalog with the product that would be interesting specifically for them. For example, you are fundraising with a help bakery done by school parents. It appears that the major has noticed your school. Send him a catalog of pastries done according to his preferences. Ask him about it before and then offer something based on his answers. Such a personalized approach would be highly rewarded at the end of the day. 

In this case, you want to make the catalog production as automated and straightforward as possible. Catalog Machine may help you with that. You can create a PDF and online catalogs in minutes by using the 50+ beautiful templates, connection with external platforms, and many more. Click here to know more and to start creating a catalog. 

Online fundraising

Online fundraising is challenging all along the way. It’s not easy to get people to pay attention to you instead of the massive volume of other causes (and videos and games and news stories and pictures and messages) battling for their attention.

To overcome this barrier, you want to make an eye-catching fundraising catalog and share it on all possible platforms – your website, social media, has a separate page indexed by Google. 

We have already created a list of advice on catalog design, which you can find in our blog article “User Experience: Make your Catalog Appealing.” At the same time, if you decide to go online with the fundraising catalog, Catalog Machine will give you a chance to share the one all over the platforms fast and easy. You can inbuild a catalog to your website or even share it across your email list. 

Now you know what you can expect on your way to successful fundraising and how to manage these obstacles. The best solution is an integrated platform where you can display your products in an appealing way, share with people online, and collect payments from this catalog. 

 Start your fundraising catalog today with Catalog Machine!

How to save your energy, time, and money?

How to create appealing templates?

How to use and customize pre-designed templates?

Keep reading to find the answer! 

How to save energy, time, and money when creating a product catalog?

Using the templates! They are a helpful marketing tool, used among different industries and business types. 

Firstly, templates help to present information in an appealing way. Black text on the white background with the image behind stayed far in the past.

Today you need something bright, outstanding, and remarkable. Unless you are a professional designer, it may be hard to achieve. So, templates are here for you to keep you up to date design. 

Secondly, a professional-looking digital catalog will help you to achieve better SEO results. As you know, the first impression is the most important one. Transferring this to the digital world, the better the first impression the more time a client will spend at your digital catalog. 

Besides that, you will receive a lower bounce rate. So, the catalog will receive more credibility from Google, while you will achieve more potential customers.

Thirdly, templates are a crucial customer communication tool. This argument is like the previous one, but now we are looking from the customers’ perspectives. A well-organized design helps to improve customer satisfaction. For example, you can customize the product catalog for each client in a few clicks if you are using templates. 

Last but not least. Design templates save marketing managers or business owners the energy it takes to recreate the same design time and time again.

To stay unique, create your own templates. Make them easy to maintain and update. That will help you to achieve the best result with the least costs. 

How to create appealing templates?

Here you will find the list of tips on how to build an eye-catching template for the product catalog. We have created this list to help you make the most of product catalogs for your business. 

Stay flexible. 

In case if you want to add/delete information in the future, the template should be modular. So, you can easily adjust I, rather than create a whole new one. The trick is, the simpler your design is, the easier it can be modified. 

Be clear.

Reach out to the audience is your main goal. Be sure your information is presented in a clear and easy way. No one will spend hours with your product catalog, no matter how appealing the design is. 

Keep the hierarchy. 

One of the ways to present the information clearly is to practicing proper hierarchy. You can play around with geometrical shapes and icons to achieve it. 

Make it colorful. 

But not too much. Designers recommend staying within 4 main colors. At the same time, culture impacts how people react to different colors. So, keep in mind your customers’ background. 

Use bright colors to highlight information only where it is necessary.

Do contrast. 

Add some dark colors. You can even make a dark background. Together with white font and minimalistic design, it will look stylish and sophisticated.

Be minimalistic.

We would recommend you to use 2 different fonts. One may be for the main text, while the second one for the titles or the catalog name. It’s always better to experiment with different styles of the same font (bold, italic, etc.)

Don’t go all in. 

Playing with fonts, colors, shapes, and icons may be fun. But don’t use everything at once. In this case, your template may start looking overwhelmed. 

Select a 2-column layout.

It will make your catalog look structured and organized. The 2-column template creates a satisfying sense of rhythm in the design.

Moreover, put your image to the left and text to the right. It has been scientifically proven that this combination is the most effective. Because the more creative part of the brain will focus on the picture, while rational one – on the information. 

Become efficient.

Creating a template for the whole catalog at once may be too overwhelming. The solution is to create a template for each product and share it with the whole product database. This template should include all product fields common for the products (ex. material, size, etc.) and design (fonts, color, product fields allocation). Click here to know more about a single product template.  

Be up-to-date.

With the help of automation. Your catalog can be updated every time you change your product database. Imagine how much time you will save! Read more about how you can automate catalog management with Catalog Machine here. You can also connect the catalog creation process with external platforms with help of Zapier. 

Use diversity.

Use different types of product presentation. For example, include a price list in your lookbook. So, the client can easily manage through the list of products. This section should still be consistent with the rest of the catalog in terms of fonts, main colors, and style.

Now you know how to design your professional-looking template. All you need to do is to sign up http://catalogmachine.com/ Upload your product database. And you are free to create any template you want. 

How to use and customize pre-designed templates?

If you are still not sure, that you are ready to build your own template, there are lots of predefined and customizable options. 

Catalog Machine has created a bunch of templates for different industries and purposes. Click https://www.catalogmachine.com/templates to select the one that suits you the most.

All our templates are fully customizable. So, if you want to change the color, font, or add a new field, you can easily do it. 

We would recommend you keep the design setting of the templates and simply add more information. 

Create beautiful Price Lists that compliment your business and increase sales. Nowadays, a price list is one of the essential tools to present your products in the marketplace. This is why to achieve the best results; you need to consider the following points.

1. The purpose of the Price List

Here we are talking about both your target audience and the business itself.

A price list could be distributed among the existing and potential clients. If it is a client-oriented, you need to present only the information relevant to them. In addition, whenever you are sharing a price list to a new client, it must be engaging enough to stand out among the competitors.

In addition, the characteristics of the target audience will have an impact. For example, the demographic aspect influences the currency and a language.

Except for marketing purposes, a list has an internal to the business value. It can be used as an operational organization’s document to track changes in the prices and stock of the products. If this is your case, you may want to include as much information to the document as possible to track changes in the future and prepare reports. As well as, it transmits the information about the product to the company’s various departments, agents, and suppliers.

2. Is the Price List going to be digital or printed?

Both options have the right to live and be profitable.

Digital: As well as most of the digital world, it is about efficiency.

Firstly, the digital price list has lower production costs. Especially when you realize that the price list’s core characteristic is a possibility of constant changes. So, there is no way you can create one list for a long period of time.

Secondly, it is easier to share among the wider target audience. You can present a digital price list on your website or even Social Media pages.

Summing up, you will interact with more potential clients and save money at the same time.

Printed: Selecting this option, you are playing the long game. The printed price list will cost you more and is harder to manage. However, it is a proven way to establish good customer relationships that improve the probability of final negotiation. Why? A printed version will always be more user-friendly and shows a personal approach to each client. Who does not like to be valued?

Design and structure

Creating a price list, you should keep in mind these key elements that need to be included.

1. Size and content. A good price list is always a balance between all the possibly relevant information and the amount of data your client can handle easily.
2. The design should stay comparatively simple. It might be a good idea to use your 2 main brand colors at it.
3. Cover and back cover pages. As well as, one introduction page about your business and products.
4. Contact information. Phone number/website/Social Media.
5. Sorted products. You may divide your products by collections and organize them in alphabetical order.
6. Order form. Give your customer a chance to order something right away.

Catalog Machine is a platform that will help you to meet all the requirements above. Our easy-to-use design editor is packed with lots of resources and can allow you to print and share your price list in minutes.

Start creating today at https://www.catalogmachine.com/price-list-template.

Every top seller in the jewelry industry knows the importance of a lookbook for the business.  Learn tricks from these successful jewelry sellers to compete with them online. Read this article carefully to find your way to victory. 

Why would you need a lookbook in the jewelry industry?

A lookbook is a trend of the last few years. It also seems to lasts for a long time from now. There should be some good reasons for that. We have defined the top 3 reasons why a lookbook benefits a business if you are in the jewelry industry.

1. Jewelry sales shifts online

According to online jewelry sales statistics, the jewels e-commerce business grew by 14.2% in 2018. In 2019, more than 29 million people purchased jewelry online daily. In 2020, COVID 19 revolutionize the jewelry market by forcing most companies to shift sales online. As well as rethink their digital strategy. For example, the Courbet jeweler has decided to invest part of its capital in enriching the platform with functionalities based on 3D video and augmented reality. From now on, it will be possible to choose a ring in conditions similar to those of a physical store (LUXUS, 2020).

However, most of the companies in the industry do not accumulate that much capital to copy the Courbet strategy of dealing with crises. In this case, creating a digital version of a catalog allows the business to reach out to customers and don’t spend millions of dollars on R&D and innovation.

In addition to environmental forces, the power of buyers also encourages online sales. Millennials and Generation Z wield around $200 billion in buying power. At the same time, 67% of Millennials prefer to shop online, and 73% of Gen Zers shop online. By connecting the dots, you can see how attractive this niche at the market has become. 

2. The is always an emotional connection with a brand or/and a piece of jewelry 

… especially if we are talking about expensive jewelry. R. Bates (2020) came up with 9 psychological reasons why people buy diamond jewelry: I’m worth it; let’s celebrate; I did it; I want something exceptional; reflecting the qualities of a diamond; making the write impression; the promise of a diamond; redemption; purely a gift. We are not going to discuss each of them separately, but let’s sum it up. Usually, people are buying expensive jewelry as a gift for someone to show the importance of the person by the high price. Or to themselves as a reward or a method to underline their status in society. 

Why would you need to know that? To create a brand identity. It has to meet the main reasons for the purchase. For example, despite the broad product line Tiffany always associates with the engagement rings; Rolex is a way to show who is a boss here, and Pandora is about traveling and collecting memories. Every successful brand has a clear and distinctive story behind it. So, the first thing you should do is to come up with the story, whereas the lookbook will help to tell the story to your buyers. 

To achieve it, all the professional lookbooks and catalogs makers advise presenting a product on a person and within a context. For example, a golden diamond necklace on a white background says nothing. But if you put this necklace on the grandma’s neck and imagine a grandpa hugging her, you will see that this necklace is a symbol of life-long love. So, would you prefer to spend $1000 on a chain or the never-ending love?

3.  Jewelry is a fluid industry 

You want to stay up-to-date and engage your customers by updating the product range almost every season. It’s all up to you how to provide a supply, but a lookbook is a point where the supply and demand are crossing each other. So, what do you want to do is to present your latest collection as fast as possible, and a digital catalog is the best way to do it. 

First of all, updating the digital catalog is a lot faster than transporting a new collection to the store, reorganizing other products, and do the documents connected with this action. With a digital lookbook, it’s a matter of a few hours. If you decide to save your time, keep in mind that with Catalog Machine, you can not only update your lookbook with a few clicks but also start receiving orders and payments right from the catalogs. 

Secondly, going online is the best way to reach out to thousands of people at once. Selling from the store, you limit the target audience with a location factor. Whereas, if you can manage cross-country or even international shipping, you will pop it up in times.

Now you see the importance of the lookbook for the jewelry industry and maybe even want to create one for yourself. What should you know to succeed?  

What is the trick? 

The main focus of each lookbook is a photo. We would recommend you hire a professional photographer to be sure of the quality of the image. But what if you don’t have free money for that or want to create everything by yourself? We have created a list of rules; you should keep in mind to create a professional-looking photo of the product

1. Product positioning – no matter who or what is at the picture, the product that you are selling should be the first that your clients see. You can use bluer everything else around to make it stand out, put it at the center of the picture, or brighten it up a little bit. 
2. Be careful with the lights – if you are shooting indoors, set up your white background “studio” with a window to either the left or right and a white reflector of some sort on the opposite side. You want to light your product evenly and without shadows.  
3. Never use zoom unless you have a professional camera – it will bluer the image. Come as close as it is needed. 
4. Keep your camera clean – even a little bit of dust at the lens could spoil the image. 
5. Don’t use a flash – unless it is removable. Remember, to strait light at the ‘face’ of the product. 
6. Don’t move the camera – use any kind of camera holders. Everything is better than hands.
7. Edit the image after – you can find plenty of paid or free courses on the Internet on how to improve the photo.

Summing up, to be able to compete in the jewelry market, you want to create your lookbook. Go to https://www.catalogmachine.com/ to start improving your business!