People love to shop. Show folks a nicely produced shopping catalog filled with gorgeous things to buy and sooner or later you’ll have customers beating down your door. It’s a retail fact – drum up the interest and people will respond. And nothing could be truer with catalog design.

The nicer-looking your content, the more appealing the photographs, the shorter but more informative the notes and price tags, and you’ve got a marketing tool like no other. In short, the more attention you give your catalog design, the more successful it will be in drawing people to your wares.

But hold on - we’re preaching to the choir here. If you’re in the retail and marketing business, the power of design is something you already understand like the back of your hand.

What you should be aware of then is that with the advent of cutting-edge technology, catalog design can be taken to a whole new level, one that is brimming with new possibilities and extra profits on the horizon. So… ever heard of a flip book?

Errr… What’s A Flip Book?
A flip book is an online document format made special by its many innovative features, making it such a great communication platform. For example, a flip book is so called because of its page flipping functionality. Whereas you have to scroll down to read most other online documents, a flip book acts like a real-world publication where you can flip pages over. Plus, while you read the first few pages, the rest of the book downloads and prepares itself for you.

The ability of a flip book to mimic its offline counterpart and look similarly captivating in the process is what makes it instantly recognizable from other online document formats and a great boon to digital catalog design.

Another great feature of a flip book is that it can also copy the exact layout of a real world catalog (or magazine, newspaper, journal. etc). It is not encumbered by rigid HTML coding for websites and therefore can be made to look just like what you see if you had a catalog in your hands.

Plus, there is a whole range of other features unique to certain flip book software, from DRM (digital rights management) tools to advertising aids to audio and video inclusion – many are available to deepen and enhance the flip book and make it more interactive and satisfying to readers.

How A Flip Book Elevates Catalog Design To A Whole New Level
If you’re a company that relies on catalogs to inform your customers about your products then a flip book digital publishing solution could be just the thing for you to bring your catalog design to the next level. But don’t just go with the first flip book solution you see, shop around and opt for the one that enables you to truly make your catalog design hyper-interactive!

For instance, don’t just opt for page flipping features; go for the digital publishing solution that also enables you to introduce audio and video into your catalog. And what about bookmarking? When people go through your catalog, wouldn’t you want them to be able to mark a certain item or page so they can come back to it easily? Search, highlighting and linking features are also great catalog design elements to have not just for interactivity but to truly encourage the reader to order from your catalog!

One thing is certain: costs will go down as interactivity goes up. And as we all know, when it comes to catalog design, the more engaging your presentation, the more people will respond.

Further, note that flip book technology is a two-way street. Apart from increasing the user experience of your catalog audience, the way they use your flip book catalog also tells YOU many things such as which pages the reader actually read, how many times an ad impression is displayed on the pages, and more.

Catalog Design - Creating Your Catalog Flip Book
Creating your flip book catalog design isn’t as hard as it may sound as most flip book vendors will send you easy to use flip book maker software should you decide to pursue flip book technology. Your catalog design will then only be limited by your imagination. Just remember, think in terms of interactivity. What would your customers want to see and read?

Your online catalog must be a significant improvement on your offline catalog in terms of visual and audio representation. Use the interactivity options to your advantage. Perhaps you can add user ratings next to items or allow a level of buying functionality just like a shopping website - online catalog shopping, if you will.

Your catalog design needn’t be painful or limited to what a traditional offline catalog might look like. It can be the exact opposite. That’s the beauty of flip books – you can mimic real-world publications in style, layout, and design, but make them work even harder for you with media rich elements available nowhere else.

Software is your tool…
Excellent catalog design is your medium…
Positive customer reaction is the goal.

With flip book technology, you can make this goal - and so much more - happen.