How to create a digital catalog for your website

A printed catalog does one job well: it lets people browse. A product grid on a website does another: it lets them buy. A digital catalog does both. Customers leaf through spreads the way they would on paper, then click straight through to the product. Here is what makes one work, two ways to build it, and where to put it once it exists.

What makes a digital catalog work

• It opens on your site. The catalog appears in the page, not as a download that lands in a folder. Readers see the cover before deciding whether to look further.
• It works on phones. Most catalog traffic is mobile. Spreads should become single pages on a narrow screen, with swiping and zoom.
• It opens fast. The first pages should appear before the whole file has loaded.
• Every product leads somewhere. A photo in a catalog is an invitation; the click should open the product, not nothing.
• It is searchable. Customers looking for one item should find it by name or code.
• It stays current. Prices and stock change. A catalog that shows last season’s prices costs trust.

Here is a 32-page furniture catalog built this way. Turn the pages:

Way 1: from a PDF you already have

If a designer already produces the catalog as a PDF, that file is the fastest starting point. It works on any website:

• WordPress: the Real3D Flipbook plugin. Our guide to turning a PDF into a flipbook on WordPress has every step with screenshots.
• Wix: the Real3D Flipbook app for Wix.
• Shopify: the Real3D Flipbook app for Shopify.
• Any other site: the same viewer as a JavaScript library.

Then make it clickable. Links already in the PDF keep working. On top of that you can place links, videos and hotspots on any page: on WordPress with the Page Editor addon (see interactive flipbook pages), on Shopify with hotspots that add the product to the cart.

Good for catalogs that already exist in print, and brands whose catalog is a designed piece in its own right.

Way 2: from the products in your store

On Shopify the catalog doesn’t need a PDF at all. The app builds the pages from your products or a collection: photos, titles, prices, variants and descriptions, in layouts from photo-led lookbook spreads to dense line sheets. Every product gets an add-to-cart button, and the catalog can keep prices current as they change in the store.

Good for stores with many products, frequent price changes, or wholesale line sheets. Our guide to shoppable catalogs on Shopify goes through it.

Layout tips

• Design the cover for small sizes. The cover is often shown as a thumbnail or in a lightbox. One large title and one strong image read best.
• Start with a contents page. Link each category to its first page, and give the PDF bookmarks so the viewer builds a table of contents.
• Keep prices next to products, not on a separate price list at the back.
• Use spreads on purpose. A room shot across two pages works in a book; on a phone it becomes two halves. Put the product details on one page.
• Export for screens. Images at 150 ppi and embedded fonts keep the file small; see the loading speed checklist.

Where to put it

• On the home page or a collection page, as a cover that opens the catalog in a lightbox. The page stays fast, because nothing loads until the cover is clicked.
• On its own page, inline or full screen, as the address you send in emails and print as a QR code.
• In a library, when there are several catalogs or seasons; see building a digital library.

Measure it

With Google Analytics connected, the catalog reports opens, page views and link clicks. After a season you know which pages people stop on and which products they click, which tells you what to put on the cover next time.

Questions about digital catalogs

Can customers buy directly from the catalog?

On Shopify, yes: hotspots and product-built catalogs add products to the cart without leaving the page. On WordPress and Wix, products link to their product pages, where customers check out as usual.

Do I need a designer?

Not on Shopify, where the pages are generated from your products. Elsewhere, any PDF works, from a designed catalog to a document made in Canva or a word processor.

How do I update the catalog?

Replace the PDF in the flipbook and every page that embeds it shows the new version. A catalog built from Shopify products updates from the store data.

Is a digital catalog good for SEO?

Your product pages still do the ranking. The page that holds the catalog should have a real title and a few paragraphs about the collection, so it can be found on its own.

Does it work on phones?

Yes. The viewer shows one page at a time on narrow screens, with swiping, zoom and the same links as on desktop.