The Ultimate Digital Catalog Guide for 2025
In this digital catalog guide, you’ll learn what digital catalogs are, why many retailers publish them online, and how to start your own.
Catalogs have been synonymous with deal-shopping for centuries—even though they’ve changed dramatically. From immersive booklets of your favorite store to printed flyers promoting weekly deals, 69% of shoppers consult a flyer before making a purchase. (That figure is even higher in Europe!).
Today, many catalogs are published digitally—62% of catalog readers say that the digital catalog is a great alternative to its paper counterpart.
So, what exactly is a digital catalog?
And how is it different from a:
All of these terms (and more!) are used to refer to roughly the same thing;
A digital catalog is an online, web-based evolution of the traditional print catalog, designed to showcase products or services effectively. It can be accessed publicly via a link, website, mobile app, or shared privately through email.
Digital catalogs integrate interactive features like product tags, photo slideshows, shopping lists, and wishlists, streamlining the buyer journey and boosting conversion rates by turning potential customers into loyal clients.
Digital catalogs come in various formats, and can be tailored to specific goals. Popular digital publication types include product catalogs for retail or wholesale, fashion catalogs, design lookbooks, and seasonal or holiday-themed catalogs.
A digital catalog example
Benefits of a digital catalog
Digital catalogs unlock a world of possibilities for pure eCommerce players and traditional brick-and-mortar retailers alike. By publishing a digital product catalog, you can:
1. Reach new audiences
Share your online product catalogs effortlessly across social channels, affiliate networks, and owned platforms using direct links. Digital catalogs transcend geographic boundaries, making them accessible to anyone with an internet connection. This global reach allows you to expand your audience, explore new markets, and grow your customer base—without increasing your costs.
“Online catalogs allow us to share our travel adventures and clothing line with a broad audience in a sustainable manner, anywhere at any time.”
— Gary Penn, Head of Digital and Global eCommerce at prAna Living
2. Boost engagement with interactive features
You can enhance the customer experience with interactive digital catalogs featuring GIFs, videos, product tags, buy buttons, and photo slideshows. These engaging elements bring your products to life, provide a richer understanding, and create a more immersive shopping journey—reducing return rates and boosting customer satisfaction.
“The interactive nature of the digital publications provides customers with a more immersive experience.”
— Coulisse
3. Offer a seamless purchasing experience
Turn your digital catalog into a seamless shopping experience. Beautifully curated catalogs and lookbooks drive sales like an online store, encouraging impulse buys and reducing cart abandonment. With integrated shop links, wishlists, and direct checkout options, you can convert interest into revenue effortlessly.
“It’s easier for our customers to move from inspiration to purchase. Online magazine readers outperform the website average when it comes to conversion.”
— Carmen Smeets, Expresso Fashion
4. Get actionable insights
Gain valuable insights into customer behavior with digital catalog analytics. Track views, clicks, and interactions to see which products attract the most attention and how customers engage with your catalog. Use built-in analytics dashboards or integrate with tools like GA4 and Matomo to make data-driven decisions that refine your marketing and product strategies for better results.
“[We went digital] to make our catalogs measurable and to get valuable learnings from the insights — which pages, topics, and design elements are well received and which are not.”
— Mandy Wulf, Online-Marketing at Connox
5. Appeal to browsing shoppers with a curated online format
Why publish a digital catalog when you already have an eCommerce store? Unlike traditional online stores with endless grid views, digital catalogs offer a curated, visually engaging shopping experience. They bridge the gap between the convenience of online shopping and the discovery-driven feel of brick-and-mortar stores, making browsing easier, faster, and more enjoyable for your customers.
“Our online flyer is in our top ten most frequented pages. Offline as well as online, customers find it a pleasing way to browse through promotions.”
— Brian Waterschoot, E-shop Manager at Delhaize
6. Distribute content in a cost-effective and eco-friendly way
Switch to digital catalogs to cut costs and reduce your environmental impact. Unlike printed leaflets, which come with hefty financial and ecological burdens—such as €100,000–150,000 for nationwide distribution in the Netherlands—digital catalogs eliminate printing expenses and significantly lower your carbon footprint. It’s a smarter, greener way to connect with customers.
“We’ve begun the process of becoming a certified B Corporation, reinforcing our social, economic, and environmental commitments to the communities where we are present. To stop producing printed catalogs is a priority for us.”
— Adriana Barbera, Head of Publications, Marketing, and Communications at La Anónima
7. Easily react to market trends
Stay ahead of market trends with digital catalogs that update in real time. Easily adjust prices, product descriptions, and content without needing to reprint or resend them. Generate the catalog from your store’s product feed to save up to 80% of your design time. And deliver personalized shopping experiences to show the right offers to the right shoppers at the right time.
“We optimize and personalize the dynamic flyers so that Plein.nl shoppers will get a personalized experience that is always up-to-date when they browse through the Plein.nl flyer.”
— Janneke Bongartz, Marketing Manager, Plein.nl
How to create a digital catalog
Creating a digital catalog is simple. Most digital catalog platforms will follow these same 3-4 steps.
1. Find the right digital catalog software for your business
We suggest using Publitas 😉 but we wrote about five essential features a catalog maker should have to help you decide for yourself.
2. Upload a PDF or create from scratch
Simply upload a PDF catalog—the same one you’d send to your printer—or, create from scratch. Most digital catalog creators seamlessly transform PDFs into an engaging, interactive digital catalog or make it easy to design one.
3. Add interactivity and shopping options
Add brand elements such as your logo, background, and colors. Then add interactions such as add-to-cart buttons, a shopping list, or a slideshow. All should be easy to do with the right catalog creator platform.
4. Publish and share everywhere
Once finished, publish your digital catalog online and use it on your owned media channels, such as your website, app, email, WhatsApp, and social media. Sharing across your channels will increase reach and boost engagement. Additionally, you can also publish catalogs on affiliate platforms to reach a new audience.
Start your digital catalog journey with Publitas
Publitas’ digital catalog platform has all the tools you need to create, distribute, measure, and optimize your catalogs.
