A product catalog is the comprehensive database of all products a retailer sells, including product names, descriptions, images, prices, variants (size, color), inventory status, and categorization. In ecommerce, the catalog serves as the foundation for the entire shopping experience.
Catalog management involves maintaining accurate product information, adding new items, retiring old ones, updating prices, and ensuring consistency across all sales channels. Large catalogs with thousands of products require sophisticated systems to manage efficiently.
Catalog analysis provides competitive intelligence gold: understanding what products a competitor offers, at what price points, in which categories, and how their assortment changes over time. Tracking catalog additions and removals can signal trend directions and strategic priorities.