Looking for the perfect digital catalogue maker? I know the struggle, I have been there. I spent hours researching various kinds of publishing software online to finally narrow down the 11 best ones including the overall winner, the free digital catalog maker Yumpu.com.
Further below I will give you some deeper insights into each catalog software in detail.
Let?s start at the very beginning of my catalog software publishing journey.
The reason I started looking for a catalog maker was this simple question:
How would you like to be able to challenge the big brands in the market place?
And I mean really challenge them.
If you?re a small business owner like myself, fighting for space in the market amongst big brand names often takes up more effort and time than actually recording some sales.
It can be incredibly hard and frustrating when big names have huge advertising budgets.
How can you compete against that?
Well, I have found a way to do just that.
By creating an online catalog I have been able to reach more customers than ever before!
Not only has my reach increased, my brand awareness has never been higher and neither have my sales figures.
And I didn?t have to spend thousands on advertising either.
No, really!
And the best bit?
I?m going to tell you how you can do the same and share with you my experience .
Digital catalog maker- an absolute game changer
The secret?
All you need is a free digital catalogs maker online. Really that is it.
Ok, well now I spilled it, but that?s what this article is all about!
What is catalog maker?
It is a piece of flipping book software which allows you to create a virtual online catalog in simple, easy to follow steps.
All you need is the images of your products and you?re on your way.
You don?t even need any special technical know how to use a catalog maker.
There is a wide variety of digital catalogs creator freeware to choose from online. The hardest part is finding the best catalog maker software.
I have to warn you now that there is a chance you may get lost in the amount of online catalog maker options available. I know I did. But that was before I found Yumpu.
Using Yumpu I have been able to create interactive e-catalogue flipbooks for free which I have shared online.
My buyers can purchase directly from the catalog online as they browse. It has revolutionized my business.
Now, in order to save you the time and hassle that I had to go through to find the best catalog builder software, I have created this list.
Below are some of the top online pdf catalog creators that I came across.
My own search for an online pdf catalogue maker took more hours than I care to admit.
With this list, finding your own flip catalog creator shouldn?t take anywhere near as long.
What is the meaning of e catalog?
To answer this, first you need to know what is a catalog.
A catalog is a magazine or publication which lists the products or services which you have to offer.
Potential readers will be able to browse and see pictures and view information on prices and other information.
An e-catalog is essentially an online version of this rather than a print copy.
Customers can flick through a virtual design magazine on the web via a computer, mobile or tablet and see the same information.
However, an e catalog can be much more.
You can make an e catalog interactive with features such as image, audio and video. Your readers can get a much more inclusive experience.
You can also embed links to external sites such as YouTube where you can show videos of your product in action.
Most importantly, you can sell direct from an e-catalog.
You can include options to add to cart products on each page and link to a checkout for buyers to purchase online.
You will often be able to link to your existing online shopping platforms such as shopify, bigcommerce and woocommerce.
You will be giving your readers the chance to browse and online shop at the same time.
So, now you know just some of the benefits you must be wondering which is the best catalog maker/creator?
Well, that?s what I?m here to tell you.
Choosing the best catalog maker online free software
As I mentioned, there are a lot of catalog maker freeware options to decide from online.
Choosing the best catalog creator software free tools for you may depend on your business.
But this list and review should give you a good idea of what e catalog creator software can do for you and your business.
FlippingBook
Website of FlippingBook
This e-catalog maker free site turns pdf files into professional looking electronic catalogs online with realistic page flip features.
You can include links to your website from items in your catalog/ publication to allow them to shop directly from your flip book catalog.
FlipBook allows you to customize your magazine and create an interactive contents table so buyers can go directly to the pages that they want.
They can also use a text search tool to look for the products they are interested in.
This means that even the longest product catalog becomes easily navigated.
You can gain valuable knowledge about your customers with this catalog maker online.
Document tracking allows you to gather information on what your buyers are searching for to see which of your product lines are proving most popular and who is buying your products.
Flip PDF
Website of FlipPDF
Flip PDF is one of the simpler catalog creator freeware options.
While it does allow you to create a virtual magazine in just three steps this online catalog creator software does not come with as many features as some others.
However, if you have never used an online catalog maker before then this may be perfect for you.
Just upload your pdf catalog, pick one of the present catalog template designs and publish your catalog.
This free digital catalogue maker does allow you to publish your catalog in HTML5 format.
This makes is accessible on mobiles and tablets.
As many people prefer to access the intent on such devices, this is an essential benefit when looking for the best catalog maker software.
3D Issue
Website of 3d Issue
This free catalog maker service offers both downloadable desktop software and an online 3d catalogue maker for mac and PC.
You can decide to host your catalog design on your own server or on that of 3D Issue.
This app also gives you the ability to distribute your e catalog however you want.
You can integrate it into your website, your own app or offer it as downloadable content.
3D Issue pdf catalog maker free allows you to use a range of interactive a responsive content such as video and also offers templates .
It also has excellent customer services to help you should you require help when using it.
Issuu
Issuu Website
Using a new free catalogue maker like Issuu is guaranteed to result in a polished and professional looking online catalog. You can even have a look at some of the magazine and brochure examples that are already published on their website.
This catalog maker is available online for free for a trial only.
If you want to keep using it then you will have to pay but there are a couple of pricing options.
This shopify pdf catalog creator offers the ability to embed your catalog into your own website without the need for any coding.
You can share your catalog on social media and include links to specific pages in your publication.
You can embed links from this online catalog builder software free to your website so people can order directly.
You can also sell ad space to other businesses if you decide to.
Issuu also includes statistical analysis of your viewers in their pdf catalog creator free software.
You can track how many viewers you have and what it is they are looking at.
This can help you to boost sales as you track your most popular products.
Flow Paper
Website of Flow Paper
Flow Paper is a catalog creator free online that is ready for both desktop and mobile devices (iphone, android phone,?).
This flash catalog creator is retina ready as it lets your users zoom in to any part of the page while keeping the content in sharp focus.
You can include video, image, audio and animation to your online catalog, as well as photos and hyperlinks.
You can password protect your content and also choose to include an expiry time for certain content.
This is handy if you are promoting a time limited sale through your shop system.
Flow Paper use SEO optimisation as part of their pdf catalog creator free.
This will help your online catalog rank higher in an internet browser search.
The catalog maker software will also ensure that your content is accessible for customers using a screen reader by ensuring the output is in a logical order.
Yudu
Yudu Website
Yudu is an online catalog pdf maker adobe which has something to offer both B2B sellers as well as B2C.
Its benefits include ecommerce integration for businesses looking to increase sales and also order forms, email sending and lead generation for companies whose business is in selling to other businesses.
You can add an in-catalog shopping cart to allow customers to buy direct from your catalog.
The high conversion email order form is also ideal for B2B selling.
Yudu catalog maker software allows you to add pop-ups to pages of your create online catalog.
A reader can click or hover with a mouse to view more information about a product or access interactive content such as 360 view.
This gives you more scope as you can focus on imagery but still add all the necessary text without overwhelming your reader.
Use the built-in statistical analysis tool or link your own Google analytics account to track your customers reading habits.
Flipsnack
Website of Flipsnack
If you?re unsure about how to make a catalogue free download then Flipsnack may be the catalog maker for you.
It is really user friendly and straightforward to follow. You can either upload your pdf file or you can start from scratch and make your catalog online.
Flipsnack also allows for more than one person to access the catalog at the same time so that you can work as a group to create your catalog.
Flipsnack comes with a selection of templates which you can use to make the process easier.
There are a selection of customizable layouts including photo albums, brochures and magazines, so you can simply create the perfect catalog for you with this catalog builder.
Interactive content such as image, videos, GIFs and audio is also included and can be viewed on any device .
You can also export your catalog back to pdf if you want a printable catalog.
Cloud Catalogue
Website of Cloud Catalogue
Cloud Catalogue is a cloud based catalog maker program ? no download. It has been designed with sales in mind.
Cloud Catalog allows for paperless order creation as customers can order direct from your catalog.
There is a multi-currency tool to allow for international sales and you can manage your sales quickly and simple.
You can print orders directly from the admin side of the software to help you to process sales quickly and easily.
You can customise your catalog when using Cloud Catalog so that it fits in with your own branding.
There are search features to allow your customers to access their desired content easily. This is an all-round simple to use catalog creator software.
Catalog?n Time
If you are looking for an online catalog maker to help you to create large-scale product catalogs then this might be the software for you.
It has been designed to help businesses who want to create online magazine with 200 pages or more but users wanting to publish smaller, monthly publications will also benefit from this software.
Customizable templates make creating an online catalog straightforward and its multi-user function allows for several users to be able to access and edit the catalog.
There is online support you can contact, training and webinars which can help you and your team learn how to use the software.
If you have questions such as how do you make a pdf catalog, then the team behind Catalog?n time will be on hand to help with their 24/7 online help feature.
CatBase
CatBase Website
CatBase is a catalog maker which allows you to either create your catalog manually through the software or upload your content through a range of sources.
You can import from PDF, text files, spreadsheets, CSV and more.
You can publish in Word format for a printable copy too.
CatBase also allows you to print labels, letters and emails to your customers who are shopping through your catalog.
Add hyperlinks to your website to make the shopping process smooth and efficient.
You can even create QR codes and barcodes on your catalog for mobile shopping.
You can create and edit your catalog simply and update with any new products as your business needs grow.
This catalog maker software can be a bit daunting to set up however, CatBase offers so many features, even a website builder.
However, there is online support to contact and once the software is installed, it is simple to create a catalog.
Yumpu catalog maker free
Website of Yumpu
For my business, the best online catalog creator free that I found was Yumpu.
It was incredibly user-friendly and from cover to cover I have created professional looking catalogs for my customers to browse and buy from.
To start creating a catalog is really easy, all you have to do is to drag and drop your pdf documents to the flipbook converter and voila ? you got your digital product catalog within a matter of 2 quick minutes.
The digital catalog software has allowed me to use my own company branding throughout the catalog as well as include images, audio, and external hyperlinks to my own website for ordering, as well as to sites like YouTube.
Yumpu is SEO optimized so that my online catalog is ranking high on search engines and reaches my target audience . (You even get to integrate Google Analytics)
I have been able to integrate my catalog to my company social media which has seen my reach grow well beyond expectation.
The custom service I have experienced has been second to none.
This online free catalog creator is HTML5 formatted too so my catalog can be viewed on any device.
This digital publishing solution offers a free plan but you can also always upgrade to one of their paid plans such as the AdFree plan (comes with a 30-day free trial) the price is $19.95. From my experience, I can tell you that the AdFree plan is definitely worth a try.
And the best catalogue maker free?
There are many different questions when it comes to making catalogs, such as is it catalog or catalogue? (It?s both, depending on where you live, by the way) and Digital vs analog ? what?s the best? (Digital all the way for me) but when it comes to choosing the best catalogue maker free, for me it was an easy decision.
The free platform Yumpu answered the how do you make a catalog question with aplomb, providing an easy to use format, all the SEO optimisation I was looking for and I got a great final product I could be proud to show off.
Next time someone asks me how do I make a multi page PDF in Photoshop, I?ll tell them not to bother, and instead use one of these easy to use online catalog makers instead ? it?ll save time, and give a great result as well!
I hope my reviews were of help to you ? leave a comment here on this blog post and share your experiences with us!
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