A Guide To Creating Your Own Gourmet Gift Basket Catalog

Introduction

At epicureanfoods.com, we made the decision in 2005 to discontinue our printed gourmet foods and gift basket supplies catalog and focus exclusively on our online catalog ... this website!  There were several strategic reasons why we made this decision:

Our product portfolio of gourmet foods and gift basket supplies is constantly growing and changing.  Literally, within days of being printed, our catalog would be obsolete.

Our B2B and B2C customers responded our surveys and overwhelmingly preferred that we eliminate the huge printing costs associated with a catalog and pass those savings on to them through lower prices.

We are able to provide much more information about each of our gourmet foods and gift basket supplies (such as ingredient lists, suggestions for use, whether is kosher, vegan gluten-free, suitable for diabetics and organic, where the product is produced and under what circumstances etc.) on our online catalog than we ever could possibly "squeeze" into a printed catalog.

We have made a conscious decision to be as "green" as we can as a company.  If we can reduce our "carbon footprint" by offering our gourmet food and gift basket products to our customers through our online catalog and save thousands of trees at the same time, we are all for it!

For these reasons, we believe that we can effectively operate our gourmet foods and gift basket supplies business without a printed catalog.  However, the circumstances of your gourmet food or gift basket company may be significantly different than ours.  We fully respect this and offer the following information as advice on creating your own gourmet gift basket catalog.  If you do decide to create your own gourmet foods and gift basket catalog, and would like to use professional pictures of the products featured on our website, please contact us and we will be happy to assist you in any way that we can!

P.S. If you haven't already done so, click here to gain access to our online wholesale catalog of our fabulous gourmet foods and gift basket supplies!

Help and Guide in Creating a Useful Catalog

By Salvador Daet Jr.

Catalogs, especially in business sector, are used as a promotion tool to advertise their products, services and also to attract buyers or customers. Catalog can be classified in to two kinds, a software or database catalog and a hard copy catalog. When we say software or database catalog, this is the kind of catalog which is made by computer programmers. As the name implies it can only be viewed by the use of a computer. A hardcopy catalog is like a brochure, magazine, and booklet, anything that shows pictures of products and listing of services of a certain company. However, these two is the same when it comes to use but they are different in function that is according to their purpose.

When making or creating a catalog both database and hardcopy is not simple. You have lots of things to consider. First you must decide what kind of catalog you want to create. Will it be a consumer catalog or a B2B catalog? Secondly, how many products do you want per page? Basically a consumer catalogs have from 1-12 while B2B catalogs may have higher density. Third, what other supporting elements do you want: order envelope, sales terms, table of contents, index, etc. Fourth, will the catalog cover contain products for sale, highlighted products, or no products? And lastly, how many catalogs will you need to print?

If you are able to answer these questions, you are ready to make your own catalog. But we are not done yet, because we are just starting in making a catalog. One of the most difficult things in creating a catalog is when you are conceptualizing your own design or style. You must have a vast amount of technical knowledge as well as skill when it comes to designing a catalog for printing. If you are having a hard time with this you can always ask for help from a catalog designer or from a printing company that has catalog printing services. You must look for a company that has produced catalogs and knows what they're doing. Also, confirm that the catalog designer has an opening in their schedule for your catalog job.

The last part of creating a catalog is the printing part. Printing a catalog also needs a specialized printing process. If you don't know what is the correct printer for your catalog ask for help from a catalog designer. Because these catalog designers are typically working with many printers and can refer you to the right printer you need. Or better yet, have them get the quotes for you. They speak their language and will make sure you are comparing the right numbers and specifications.
So that's it, hope you have a great time creating your own catalog. Above guides are just pointers in designing and printing your catalog. Remember that it is always better to get the help of professionals when it comes to creating materials that would represent your business in the market.

For comments and suggestions kindly visit Print Catalog, Digital Brochure Printing, Print Online Services

Phyllis and Greg Sprout began their company, epicureanfoods.com, in July 1993.  They specialize in supplying hard-to-find gourmet foods and gift basket supplies to gourmet shops, gift shops and gift basket companies across North America. 

They have helped the founders of literally thousands of gift, gourmet food and gift basket companies start and grow their businesses.  Many of these companies remain excellent customers of epicureanfoods.com today.  They can be reached at phyllisandgreg@epicureanfoods.com.