What is a product catalogue? (and how big should yours be)
Your catalogue is the full list of what you sell, and a small, well-chosen starter range is easier to photograph, stock and explain than a huge one.
The simple meaning
A product catalogue is the complete list of the things you sell, with the details a buyer needs: name, photos, price, size or variants, and a short description. On an online store it is every product page together. On WhatsApp it might be a PDF or a set of pictures you forward.
Think of it as your shop shelf, only on a phone.
How big should it be
There is no ideal number, and anyone who gives you one is guessing. The better question is how many products you can photograph well, keep in stock, pack safely and describe honestly. A catalogue you cannot maintain is worse than a short one you can.
If you are starting out, a range of around a dozen products is often easy to manage. Here is an illustration for a home brand that sells handmade candles and a few gift items.
- Four candles in different scents.
- Two candle holders.
- Two gift sets that combine a candle and a holder.
- One wax melt pack.
- One matchbox or wick trimmer as a small add-on.
- Two seasonal items that you can remove after the festival.
That is twelve products. Notice the pattern. There is a core item, a few matching accessories, a ready-made gift option and a low-priced add-on. Each one has a job.
Why smaller can be better at first
- Every product needs photos from several angles, a description and a price. Twelve products means twelve of each, and you will do them well.
- Every product also needs stock tracking. More products means more to count.
- Shoppers can feel lost when faced with too many choices from a brand they have never heard of.
- You learn faster. After a month you can see which of the twelve people actually ask for.
Our post on the case for a smaller catalogue goes deeper on this, and planning your catalogue before uploading shows how to prepare the details first.
Group it so it is easy to browse
Once you have more than a handful of items, put them into collections or categories such as Candles, Holders and Gifts. Customers who know what they want go straight to it. See organising products into collections and categories.
Keep the data consistent
Use the same style for names, the same photo shape and the same level of detail on every product. A catalogue that looks tidy feels trustworthy. A simple spreadsheet helps: catalogue spreadsheet columns every seller needs lists what to record.
When to add more
Add a new product when customers ask for it more than once, when a supplier gives you a better option, or when a gap is obvious, such as people wanting a gift set. Remove or hide items that never sell and take up shelf space. Your catalogue is not fixed. It is a working list you review every few months.
Start with what you can do well, and let your customers tell you what to add next.