I enjoy sifting through catalogs as much as magazines. I am a perennial viewer of style, trends, and news, and although catalogs show the items from the makers' point of view, it still gives me creative ideas on how to play with the clothes, spruce up my home, or try something out of of the ordinary .
I am not a fan, however, of wasting paper. For nearly five years now I have refused catalog subscriptions, and instead look for the latest product offerings in the companies' websites. Unfortunately, the user experience is just not the same. For most websites, the information is organized differently. Each assortment, for example, garment stores that carry pants, dresses, and accessores would most likely show these in different landing pages. Unlike the editorial look of catalogs, not all these sites show the locations, events, people, surroundings, or other aesthetics that make browsing the catalog fun.
Fortunately, Google is reaffirming its title as the 'King of Searches', by offering a simple way to browse your popular and favorite catalogs through a free ipad App called Google Catalogs. Access is easy. Just open a Google account (who doesn't have one nowadays?) and start browsing! They carry my favorites: Urban Outfitters, Neiman Marcus, IKEA, J.Crew, Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel, Bare Escentuals, and many more! And purchasing is a breeze through their direct online ordering.
But here's some good news to budding Entrepreneurs! You can have your catalog listed with Google Catalogs. They will feature not only the established brands but the start-ups as well! So instead of spending marketing monies developing your own catalog app, try looking into Google's solution.
Google Catalogs...a greener way to shop and an ease of use tool for small business!
Here's an intro:
