WHAT IS THE CUSTOMER USE SENARIO FOR THE CATALOG ONLINE PAGES?
A customer receives a catalog in the mail. He or she finds an item of interest, and decides to look up more information about the product, or place an order for it, on the company’s website. They log on to the website and choose the Catalog Online link. A page opens, similar to the illustration shown below, displaying all current catalog covers.
The customer simply chooses the cover that matches the catalog they have in their home, then picks the page number from a dropdown list. A scan of the page opens, exactly as it appears in their catalog (see below).
The customer can then quickly and easily access all the web functionality for the desired product (product info, customer reviews, shopping cart, related items, etc.) simply by clicking on the photo from the catalog. The customer quickly finds information on the exact product he or she wants from the catalog, without having to search the site by browsing categories or entering item numbers.
HOW DO CATALOG ONLINE PAGES WORK?
A scan of a physical catalog page is made into a simple web page. All the pages in a given catalog are combined into a “virtual catalog,” which can be navigated basically just like the print catalog, using a dropdown field to choose “page numbers” that correspond to the physical catalog page numbers. Customers simply use a mouse to point to any product on the page, and from there they can be directed to any information or web pages that can be stored in the Expanded Data module of Ability Data Warehouse—product descriptions, sale offers, web pages, manufacturer websites, additional photos, and so on. Information can be displayed below the scan of the catalog page (see illustration to the right) when the mouse cursor is positioned over the image, or links to other pages can be accessed by clicking on the item of interest.
WHAT DOES CATALOG ONLINE UTLITY DO?
The Catalog Online utility is designed to speed development of the links between traditional catalog spreads and web product pages. The utility itself provides a quick, easy way to accomplish the following tasks: add scans of catalog pages to a company website, organize the pages into “virtual catalogs” that match the physical, mailed catalog, and link each item on the pages to associated web pages or to other data stored in Ability Data Warehouse (Expanded Data).
HOW DOES THIS UTILITY WORK?
The utility works by accessing a list of available product information in Expanded Data; the list is automatically generated by accessing the Expanded Data information, so there is no need to search for the desired information to link to each product. A simple-to-use interface is provided where users can add new “virtual pages” or new “virtual catalogs” simply by entering a few pieces of information about the page, and about where the scans of each page are located on a server.
The utility also allows the user to simply “draw a box” on the catalog image to create the link area for each product, so detailed knowledge of how to create HTML links on web pages, or of how to designate link locations, is not necessary. Using this feature is also much faster than manually designating the location for each link.
WHAT ARE THE SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE USE OF THIS UTILITY?
The current utility uses the Expanded Data module of Ability Data Warehouse to generate the lists of products and product information available to be linked to the Catalog Online page. Therefore, use of the product by a company for its current purpose requires the use of Ecometry and Expanded Data. Other software requirements may also apply as the utility is developed.
WHAT IS THE BUSINESS NEED FOR CATALOG ONLINE PAGES & THE CATALOG ONLINE UTILITY?
A catalog in the mailbox provides the direct marketing “push” to the company’s product, while the web site “clinches the deal” and completes the sale by providing additional product information and a fast, easy method of ordering the product. Catalog Online pages leverage such cross-channel sales possibilities for companies who market via catalog mailings and web sites—they provide an easy, intuitive way to find catalog items on the web site.
Web development personnel and traditional print catalog creative staff typically have different skill sets that don’t overlap much; production schedules for print and electronic content also tend to run on different timetables. The Catalog Online utility makes it easier for print catalog staff to assist in development of their own Catalog Online pages by automating and simplifying the process. Thus, the utility increases staff flexibility and productivity, and ensures that Catalog Online pages can be created as soon as new catalogs are produced, so that they’re ready as soon as the catalog “drops” to customers.
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