Features of Electronic Catalogs or e-Catalogs

Answer: Taking a look at Bloomsburgcarpet.com allows us to think about the benefits of online catalogs. Gone, long gone are the days when Bloomsburgcarpet had to send paper catalogs of its prized carpet product lines to customers all over the country.

By investing in the e-catalog infrastructures, the company has been able to reach some key niche markets around the world. The critical mass of buyers or shoppers is solved with the e-catalog. According to J.C. Max, Inc, companies that build online catalogs can expand their market, save on printing and distribution costs while keeping their customer base satisfied. They are able to reach specialized market niches more easily than is possible with printed catalogs.

By publishing their catalogs on the World Wide Web, the merchandise will be accessible to the international marketplace or marketspace. They can quickly gain competitive advantage. These sellers/manufacturers can engage in direct marketing and direct sales. The online catalogs can supplement their existing direct mail markets. The sellers who put their catalogs on the Web can reach new groups of buyers, customers at a relatively low cost. Furthermore, J.C. Max, Inc estimates that these companies can minimize costs for catalog printing and updates. New audiences can be reached without additional printing costs.

The cost of updates to an electronic catalog is low and changes can be made as often as needed. The owners of the e-catalogs can make frequent updates which would impossible due to high costs for print catalogs. Customers end up being more satisfied. They can transmit orders to the sellers without waiting on the phone or for the mail to be delivered. Through the electronic catalogs, products are available for sale 24 hours a day or close to 365 days a year. Customers from around the world can start ordering.

All the above benefits or advantages come true in the case of Bloomsburgcarpet.com. They have solved the problems of sending print catalogs to customers all over the country. A visit to its Web site puts you face to face with a flash animation of great-looking carpets. Then you can decide to see a few carpet samples. To allow customers to do so, Bloomsburgcarpet.com invested in a powerful search engine. Customers will be encouraged to follow or establish some search parameters in terms of carpet color, carpet line and carpet weave. Then, once you click on Go, you will find a list of samples with the preceding parameters. What I found to be interesting is Bloomsburgcarpet’s AIDA and attention to details. If you want to find a list of sales representatives in your area, state or county, all you need to do is to click on the map. Then a list of all reps pops up. You can start your shopping right on the site and decide to physically interact with the carpets by visiting the stores closest to you. This way, the company costs in relation to print catalogs are eliminated.

It makes sense that the B2B or B2C EC would want to include e-catalogs. Online catalogs can be dynamic and customized. They are integrated with shopping carts, order taking, and payment systems. E-catalogs can be classified according to these dimensions
1. The dynamics of the information presentation 2. The degree of customization 3. The integration with business processes.