How to make a free digital catalog for your business?

Creating a virtual or digital catalog helps boost business sales. For this reason, it is considered a necessity, but many entrepreneurs do not know how to make a free digital catalog in just a few steps.

In this post I am going to share 5 ways to make your digital catalog for free and without the need to spend months on the computer. You will only need photos of your products with good lighting, your logo, the description and the characteristics of each item. If you already have all this, let’s get started!

How to make a digital product catalog?

There are a number of special programs to design, but most require technical knowledge or several weeks of training to handle properly. The good news is that there are other tools that allow you to make a PDF catalog in just a few steps.

If you don’t know how to make catalogs to enhance your business, in this section we share 5 platforms that will allow you to solve it.

1. Product catalog in Power Point

PowerPoint ―or Google Slides― is a very friendly and easy to use program. It allows you to adjust the size of the sheet, add images and elements easily.

Steps to create a digital catalog in PowerPoint

I opened a new document. You can choose to create it from scratch – in a blank document – or use a template from the program. We recommend the “Photo Menu” template for PowerPoint.
Adjust the measurements of your sheet by going to “’File” > “Page setup” and select the size of your preference. The perfect size for a digital and printed catalog is A4 (21 x 29.7 cm). I chose the orientation of your work area, either vertical or horizontal.
Add a catchy title on what will be your cover. You can use the name of the season or create a collection for your next product launch.
I added a star photo on the cover.
On the next page insert the photos of your product, its description, characteristics and price. If you want to learn how to write awesome, we invite you to click on the link and download our free resource.
Use bold, italics and to harmonize your catalog. To fit the photos in the boxes, click crop and edit the photo however you like.
Add the logos of your social networks with their respective links to your profiles.
I included a QR code that takes them to your online store or to your WhatsApp. If you don’t have one, you can create one for free with this .
Save it as a PDF and PNG image format for easy sharing.
Clever!

Estimated creation time: 2 hours without taking into account the photo session.

⭐ Tip: don’t use more than 2 different fonts. Play with sizes, colors and thicknesses.

I show you what an example would look like (the images are illustrative):

2. Digital catalog in Word

Just like PowerPoint, Word is a very common and easy-to-use program. Many people think that it can only be used for writing text or doing school work. This is one of the tools that you can take advantage of to solve tasks such as making a digital catalog. Let’s see it!

Steps to create a digital catalog in Word

Create a new document and choose the background color, dimensions and orientation of your work area. You can also select a template to make the first part easier. However, most of them have very specific purposes that are not compatible with our objective.
I included the images of your products and order them.
Add titles or names of the items, categories and .
I added basic shapes or decorative elements that you can download from free icon banks.
Give strength to what is important by using bold, italics or colors.
Use the logo of your brand with a link to your and the logos of social networks. You can even add links to product photos to direct your customers to your e-commerce site.
Make a final review and take care of the last details.
If you were wondering how to make a PDF catalog, export it in that format.

⭐ Tip: To arrange the images freely, select the ‘Narrow’ option in the image format.

This is what a catalog made in Word looks like:

3. Product catalog in Canva

Canva is an increasingly popular platform within the world of entrepreneurship. It has many templates – free, paid and premium – where you just have to replace the elements. In addition, you have the option to start from scratch to create your catalog.

Steps to make a digital catalog in Canva

Go to your profile. If you don’t have one, you can easily create one with your email and password or your Facebook account.
Select a template. We recommend you look for the “product catalog with prices” option and choose the one you like best.
Change the images of the template, update the prices and add the information of your products. The side toolbar allows you to add your own photos or search for items from the image bank.
Use shapes or signs to decorate, for example, stripes as dividers. Take advantage of free resources!
Modify the colors to match the look and feel of your brand or your collection.
Add your brand logo and those of social networks. You can also add links to drive traffic to your site and digital platforms.
Review the details and data of the products to avoid errors.
Change the title of the document and download in PNG or PDF format.

⭐ Tip: If you don’t have a design team, the premium version of Canva can be of great help.

There are influencers on Instagram and YouTube who share tips to exploit this tool. An example is .

Take a look at a Canva template:

4. Catalog in PDF

The PDF format is one of the most popular for making digital catalogs, as it is very easy to share and can be compressed without losing image quality.

If you already have a catalog in another format, you can use tools to convert it to PDF. I share some:

Adobe Acrobat
iLovePDF
Canvas
freepdfconvert

So how to make a PDF catalogue? To do it from scratch and save it in this format you have to:

Create a design of your catalog in one of the previous techniques (in Word, Canva or PowerPoint).
Download and choose the “Save as PDF” option.

Another way to make PDF catalogs is in specialized programs like InDesign or Illustrator.

🥇 Star resource! Did you know that we designed a free e-book with and tips to create them? This resource is unmissable:

Digital catalog on WhatsApp

WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business have become indispensable tools for entrepreneurs.

Recently, this application launched a feature that makes it easier to work with it: one that can be shared with the application’s contacts or with anyone through a link.

Here we tell you the steps to make a digital catalog in WhatsApp Business:

If you already have your , click on the three dots on the right and then on “Settings”.
I chose the “Tools for the company” option. Within that menu you will find the “Catalogue” option.
Click on “Add a new article”. The app will open a screen where you can add up to 10 different images, item name, price (optional) and description (also optional) as main fields.
After you’ve added the first few fields, click “More Fields” and add your online store link and item code (this is not required). We suggest that you add all fields if possible.
Now save the product and add more.
When you have added the products you want to share with your customers, you have to wait for a validation period.
When your products are accepted, click on the three dots on the top right and then on “Share”.
Select one of the options to share your digital product catalog on WhatsApp. Either copy the link or share with your contacts, among others.
Clever! You already have a virtual product catalog that will be a great way to drive traffic to your sales website.

⭐ Tip: read the terms and conditions of WhatsApp to know the prohibited products and wait until your products are validated to share the link.

Preparations for creating your product catalog

Product photography session.
Fully updated inventory.
Complete product information.
Graphic brand identity or color palette.
and online store with your preloaded products.

These 5 elements are very important. By having them before you start making your digital catalog, you will speed up the process and avoid frustration for not being able to move forward or stop at some stage.

You could start creating your catalog with the first 3 items on the list, but if you complete the 5 preparations, your chances of closing sales will increase significantly.

Tips for making a catalog

Choose good quality photos.
Set correct prices.
Check with your inventory.
Write useful descriptions.
Include the technical characteristics of the products.
Add links to your online store.
Compress the PDF file for easy download.

1. Choose good quality photos

Photos are the vehicle to make your potential customers fall in love. So, having clear, realistic images, with good lighting and composition are one of the most important things to make an eye-catching catalog.

You don’t need an expert (although it’s ideal), if you don’t have a big budget you can take them with a cell phone that has a good camera and using things you can get at the nearest stationery or haberdashery.

Check out the tips in this reel and get creative:

2. Set correct prices

To avoid claims and inconveniences, respect what you are promoting and advertising through a digital catalog. Before sharing it, verify that the data and prices are correct.

3. Check with your inventory

The good is one of the most powerful strategies to get more sales. With good attention you get recommendations and frequent consumers.

It is very conflictive to offer a product and not have availability. In digital catalogues, it is preferable that articles appear with few units or that they be clarified with a legend such as “Until stock lasts”.

📦 To improve the management of your stock, we invite you to download our free spreadsheet along with the e-book that tells you how to get the most out of it:

4. Write utility descriptions

The description helps users and consumers get the information that they cannot see in the images. A good product description can be the difference between a person choosing to buy your product or not.

5. Include the technical characteristics of the products

Even if you think that it is information that users do not consult, you would be surprised to know how many people pay attention to this.

Add data, such as type of materials, model, functionalities, etc. It is of great help to consumers, especially in categories such as technology, accessories, fashion, toys and processed foods. Don’t let this…