What is an online catalogue and shop?

The online catalogue

The online catalogue is the database used by a business to store a listing of the items for trading online. You can easily add, update or remove catalogue items whenever you need to, in whatever way suits your system. This allows you to keep the shop content up to date at all times and at no extra cost, as there is no need to go back to your web site developer for catalogue amendments.

Each item in the catalogue is programmed to meet your specific business needs, providing appropriate fields that can be used to enter information for each item. These fields include:

product name
description
colour options
price
thumbnail photograph
large photograph
number in strock and availability

The online shop

Items from the online catalogue are used to populate the online shop. An online shop is simply the Internet equivalent of a traditional ‘bricks and mortar’ establishment. However, it often has many advantages and extra features, such as 24-hours-a-day trading and the ability to reach a global audience. For the purpose of this guide, we are using the term ‘online shop’ to cover all forms of e-commerce.

Depending on your type of business, you can divide the catalogue items into appropriate categories. This makes it as easy as possible for customers to browse through the shop and locate items and add them to their shopping cart.

The shopping cart

The shopping cart keeps track of items the customer has selected to buy from the shop. These items can be updated or removed while in the shopping cart. Once happy with the items listed there, the customer proceeds to the checkout, where they complete their purchase and make an online payment for the items.

All orders made through the online shop are recorded in the catalogue, and you are informed of new orders being placed (normally by email). Payment is then processed according to the system you have adopted (for example, internet merchant status from your bank or a person to person payment provider such as PayPal).

The systems vary in their complexity and the way they function. Your business may need only a very basic system which simply allows customers to place items in their cart and ‘proceed to checkout’ to complete their purchase.

Alternatively, you may need extra features such as:

gift service (for example, message card, wrapping service and delivery requirements)
associated selling suggestions which allow you to link related items, encouraging customers to look at other items and perhaps boost your sales (for example, if you are selling rabbit food, you can link water bottle, straw and chippings to the item)
delivery options (for example, next day service and differing costs by delivery area)
saved shopping carts where customers can leave their shopping at the checkout and recover their details at a later date (an ideal option for customers who have regular orders through your web site, as they can save valuable time by clicking straight to their details)

Online shop formats

Online shops operate in three main formats:

e-commerce ‘add-on packages’
software packages
developer built packages

E-commerce ‘add-on packages’

These software solutions can be added to an existing web site, providing e-commerce facilities for a modest cost. They are easy to set up. The software is provided complete, ready for items to be added to the online shop.

Depending on the software type, the catalogue items will be added to the shop either online or offline. The shop template can often be altered to suit the desired function, colours and styles. The software is often available as a free download, with charges made on each transaction or the number of items in your catalogue.

An example of this type of package is ‘Shopfitter’.

‘Shopfitter’ gives you the tools needed to set up a secure e-commerce web site. The software is free to download and you build your shop offline, so there are no initial costs. You only pay when you are ready to sell. By using a standard Windows interface, ‘Shopfitter’ allows you to create a web-based product catalogue with ‘drag and drop’ simplicity. No web developer skills are required.

‘Shopfitter’ features include:
building offline
unlimited products and catalogue classification
choice of site themes
site preview
integrated order viewer
integration with WorldPay payment processing
special offers
tax and shipping
multi-currency

Software packages

Facilities offered by software packages will vary depending on the product, but you should expect them all to offer:

catalogue management
payment processing options
enhanced order processing
customer management
design template options

More advanced software packages may offer:

integration with your other office systems (for example, your accounts systems)
order tracking

An example of an e-commerce software package is ‘Actinic Catalogue’.

The Actinic Catalogue features include:

a Windows-based application that installs in any standard PC and allows you to upload and maintain your shop from one PC and if necessary process orders from another
adding up to 10,000 items to the catalogue and duplicating them in any number of categories
hiding products and sections on the web site if you do not want customers to view items
offline stock monitoring, with alerts for low stock levels
automatic suspension of ordering on out-of-stock items
creating content pages alongside your shop pages
customising the layout and style of each page
linking information items to shop items
processing card payments online with a selection of payment service providers
managing delivery and handling charges
site search facilities

Developer built

These are bespoke applications designed to meet the specific requirements of the shop and its customers. The wide range of facilities and functions is likely to be determined by your budget. Benefits include:

ability for visitors to customise their ‘online shopping experience’
personalised pages which will ‘recognise’ previous visitors and display appropriate content
associated selling opportunities
complete control of catalogue structure and management
extra shop features and functions
full control of all design aspects
comprehensive customer account management
stock management
multiple payment processing options
integration with your business systems (for example, automatic business-to-business triggering of restocking commands)

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