We have helped hundreds of companies improve their catalog designs in the last two years. In this article, you will find essential tips.
1. Put your product first
Many brands make the mistake of designing a catalog in the same way as a regular advertisement.
Catalogs are built to lead viewers directly to the advertised product.
Make sure your product is the central focus.
Here's how to do it:
Use large products
Use dynamic texts like brand name or product title
2. Less is more
Don't let your design scatter attention. Avoid unnecessary images, busy colors, and a lot of text. In short, keep your design as minimalist as possible so that everything is readable and understandable.
Start with these three basic designs, for example:
Colored frame + brand logo + product
Brand logo in corner + price in opposite corner + product
Brand + Free shipping bottom bar + product
3. Think about your message
Think carefully about what your advertisement is for.
Many companies use TOO MANY arguments to seduce and convince people.
Do not use discounts AND free shipping AND reviews AND texts AND logos all at once in your design.
It confuses the viewer. And a confused viewer buys nothing. Instead, choose what is most important.
The trick is to really think about how the viewer will understand the message in the context of a product advertisement.
What will increase their intention to buy the displayed product?
Not all text needs to be dynamic from the product feed. Many brands also find success by adding fixed text to dynamic product ads.
Social Proof
"100,000 satisfied customers"
"Read in LINDA"
Unique Selling Points
"Handmade in the Netherlands"
"The erasable notebook"
Feature → Benefit
"Special fabric that prevents sweat stains"
"Sheepskin keeps you warm"
Discount
"€30 discount"
"Only €30 discount this week"
Free shipping
4. Price or no price?
Showing or not showing the price has a major impact on the performance of your catalog ads. However, the impact can vary depending on the company. To determine what works best for you, we recommend testing both options.
These are our general recommendations:
👉 USE prices if the price is an important reason to buy. (Discounters)
👉 Do NOT use prices if you sell luxury products at high prices.
Do you judge the success of your campaigns based on the click-through rate (CTR)?
If so, keep prices out of your design.
Because displaying more information, such as pricing, on your carousel ads decreases the likelihood of visitors clicking through. Note, those who do click through are likely more interested.
Instead of showing the price, utilize a discount % to improve the CTR. The customer will be encouraged to click through to discover the actual price.
TLDR:
Put your product first
Don't make your design too busy
Think about your message
Test with prices in your design