How to design a great wholesale catalogue
Do you want to sell your products to shops? In our ‘Selling to Shops’ series, Clare Yuille from the Indie Retail Academy explains how to sell wholesale to shops, how to pitch yourself and your work, how to put together a catalogue, and looks at what not to do.
In this second post Clare looks at wholesale catalogues. What should they look like, what information should you include in them, what kind of photographs, details and extras do retailers need?
Read the first post on Buyers’ Packs here >
What should your wholesale catalogue look like?
Welcome back! Last time we talked about buyers’ packs and how they help retailers make a decision about stocking your products. Today we’re going to zoom in and take a closer look at one of the major elements of your buyers’ pack: your wholesale catalogue. To help me do that, I’ve invited a couple of special guests to a video chat: Anthony, who co-owns our boutique in the Scottish Borders, and Allistair Burt from Hole In My Pocket.
Now, if you’ve been on Folksy for any length of time you’ll almost certainly be familiar with Allistair’s work. He creates bold, bright illustrated cards, prints, mugs, kitchenware and stationery. His products have been featured in places like Mollie Makes, the Guardian, Vogue and even The Great Pottery Throw Down. He supplies dozens of independent galleries and boutiques in the UK, the US, New Zealand and South Korea. Allistair is very kindly allowing us to have a look at his stunning digital catalogue. If you’re just starting out in wholesale, you’ll probably know how difficult it can be to get hold of an example of a trade catalogue. Usually only retailers and suppliers see them, so it’s wonderful that Allistair’s giving us a peek and sharing some tips.
Click play to watch the chat, then check out these catalogue tips!
“Approach your catalogue like it’s an exhibition of your work. How can you guide people through your collection? What kind of information would be useful for them to have? Lay things out so your catalogue is telling a story, just like you would in a gallery.”
“Don’t be afraid to name-drop. If you’ve been featured in blogs or magazines, or if you already have a prestigious stockist, let retailers know right at the beginning of your catalogue. An “As Seen In” section can reassure a new buyer – it demonstrates that other people trust you, and that helps us to feel we’re in safe hands.”
“Merchandise your catalogue. Little badges or banners that say ‘New’ or ‘Bestseller’ on some of your items are like signposts for the retailer. They help us to feel that we’re making informed decisions, and they can also add a dash of persuasive social proof.”
Thanks to Anthony and Allistair for chatting with me, and to you for watching! Tune in next time when we’ll be talking about how NOT to pitch your work to stores. You can see more of Allistair’s work on Folksy in his Hole in My Pocket shop >
Bio: Clare Yuille is the co-owner of Merry + Bright, an award-winning lifestyle store in the Scottish Borders. She’s also the founder of Indie Retail Academy, where creative people learn how to sell their work to shops. Her students work in all disciplines and range from start-ups to established suppliers with dozens of stockists. Clare’s been teaching artists to sell their work to shops since 2012, and her programmes have been taken by over 10,000 artists.
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