Catalog Cloning and Automating Multivariant Catalogs

1. What is product catalog cloning?

Product catalog cloning creates multiple versions or “multivariants” of a product catalog based on a single template. You can use a PIM to save time and effort using catalog cloning to ensure accuracy across all versions of your product catalog.

Cloning is the best way to ensure each catalog or product data version across all channels is up to date. You’ll share the latest version so customers can access the correct information in enough detail to make purchasing decisions.

By cloning your high-quality branded product information and images, you gain control of the versions and standards of content as well as consistency across various marketplaces. For example, when operating a multi-channel eCommerce business, you need an easy way to manage your tiered distribution, whether it is across different geographies or from a wide variety of marketplaces. Cloning enables you to leverage your existing catalog to expand your reach, increase your revenue and maintain a consistent message to improve brand trust.

Also, if you sell technical products, you have to manage complex product data related to several product variations. Dealing with this level of product information manually is a nightmare fraught with the risk of errors. If your catalog is based on a spec and sell sheet template, you can use that resource to clone identical pages ready for use across multiple channels or to share with distributors. You’ll always showcase the product features essential for customer purchases because they can find the exact product they need.

2. Cloning enables you to create:

• Customer-specific catalogs with customer-specific images, descriptions, and pricing
• Localized variants to sell in different geographies using the appropriate language and currency
• Sector-specific catalogs for distributors

A PIM automatically collects the data and assets from a centralized system making it easy to clone and upload multiple catalog versions to the relevant channel. As a result, you shorten the time to market with catalogs available immediately for use in new countries, markets, and marketplaces. Manufacturers can also share multiple versions with various distributors.

3. What are multivariant catalogs?

Multivariant catalogs are collections of products or services that share major characteristics but have variants that set each order apart. Consumers favor companies that are consistent with product representations of multivariant products as it makes it easier to understand whether they are viewing two different products or the same product. When consumers encounter variations in the content or quality of a listing, it causes confusion and can discourage customers from buying a product.

For example, when someone shops for dining chairs, they’ll have different ideal attributes they’re seeking, such as the color of the seat upholstery, the material for the frame and whether the chair has arms. If your product catalog has an individual product page for every possible variation of a single chair, a customer might find a chair they love but in the wrong color. As a result, they’ll have to continue their search. They might then come across the same chair but in a different color, only to realize it’s the same product.

Now they’re wondering if it comes in red, with a brass frame, but they don’t have an easy way to find it. As a result, they abandon their search in frustration. However, multivariant catalogs enable customers to view the chair style with all the possible variations from a single product page. The customer selects red for the seat color and brass for the frame, and voila, they place their order.

Multivariant catalogs customize variations under a single listing. Drop-down or clickable attributes enable customers to customize their purchases based on all available options. Instead of presenting a separate product page for each possible product variation and creating a tedious selection process, you enable the customer to select the ideal combination for their order from a single page.

4. Why automate?

Catalog cloning and multivariant automation offer many benefits, including:

• Reduced errors: Automation avoids human errors related to manual entry and processes. As a result, you save time and money spent correcting errors when they are discovered further down the line.
• Faster to market speeds: Automation speeds up deployment times for new products, while cloning accelerates time to market for your entire catalog. Whether you’re getting products to a new marketplace or are expanding to new countries, your cloned catalog is ready to go more quickly than ever before.
• Improved scalability: Automation increases scalability by making it easier for you to manage large numbers of products with minimal effort. You not only get to market faster but also manage massive amounts of product information simultaneously so you can expand your reach through new retail channels.
• Customer experience: Multivariant catalogs improve customer experience and make it easier for them to make purchases.

Catalog cloning and automating multivariant catalogs enable you to expand to new countries or marketplaces the next day. It also creates more enjoyable customer experiences to increase customer lifetime value for longer-term profitability.