How to build an export product catalogue buyers can actually use
Updated
An importer comparing suppliers isn't browsing. They're checking whether your product fits their market, their customers and their logistics. A good export catalogue answers those questions before they're asked.
What an export catalogue is for
A retail catalogue sells a product to the person who will use it. An export catalogue helps a professional buyer decide whether to import it: whether it meets their specification, how it's packed and shipped, what it will cost landed, and whether you can be trusted to deliver. That changes what goes in it. Mood photos and slogans matter less; numbers matter more.
The fields buyers check first
| Field | Why buyers need it | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Product name and grade | To match their specification | Cashew kernels W320 |
| HS code | To check duties and import rules | 0801.32 |
| Origin | Duties, labelling, customer preference | Vietnam |
| Specifications | Quality and compliance | Moisture max 5%, broken max 5% |
| Packaging | Warehousing and resale | Vacuum bags in cartons |
| Units per carton, carton size and weights | Freight and handling costs | 22.68 kg net per carton |
| Container loading | Landed cost per unit | 40 ft dry, floor loaded, number of cartons |
| MOQ | Whether a trial order is possible | One pallet, or one 20 ft container |
| Price and Incoterm | Comparing offers on the same basis | USD 7.60/kg FOB Ho Chi Minh City |
| Certificates | Market access and retailer requirements | Organic, HACCP, Halal, Kosher |
| Shelf life and storage | Planning and rotation | 12 months, cool and dry |
| Lead time | Ordering ahead | 3 to 4 weeks from confirmation |
The examples are illustrations; use the facts and units that are standard in your trade.
Writing specifications
Specifications are where catalogues are most often vague. "Premium quality" tells a buyer nothing; "Moisture max 6%, aflatoxin within EU limits, foreign matter max 0.1%" does. A few principles:
- Use the grading language of your trade. Kernel counts for cashews, size per ounce for almonds, ASTA colour for paprika, screen size for coffee.
- Give limits, not adjectives. Maximums and minimums a lab could check.
- Keep labels consistent across products, so buyers can compare: always "Moisture", not "Humidity" on one and "Water content" on another.
- Separate what's standard from what's possible. "Standard: 25 kg bags. Available: 10 kg cartons, private label."
Prices, Incoterms and validity
A price without an Incoterm and a place can't be compared. "USD 6.40/kg" could mean ex works or delivered to the buyer's warehouse. Always state:
- The Incoterms rule and named place, for example FOB Oakland or CIF Jebel Ali, and the edition (Incoterms 2020).
- The currency.
- How long the price is valid, especially for commodities that move.
- Any price breaks by volume.
If prices change too often to print, say "price on request" and quote per enquiry. Buyers understand this; they don't like finding last season's prices in a PDF that's still circulating.
Photos
- Show the product as it ships: the kernel, the bag, the carton, the pallet.
- Use plain backgrounds and good light so colour and size are judged fairly.
- Include a close-up for products where grade is visible: size, colour, broken pieces.
- Use your own photos where you can. Stock images make buyers wonder what they'll actually receive.
PDF or online catalogue?
| PDF catalogue | Online catalogue or product sheet | |
|---|---|---|
| Updating | A new file each time; old copies keep circulating | Update once; the link always shows the current version |
| Sending | Attachment, often large | A link or QR code |
| Reading on a phone | Pinch and zoom | Designed for the screen |
| Knowing it was read | No | Usually, through view counts |
| Offline and printing | Yes | Best when it can also export a PDF |
Most exporters need both: a link to send and a PDF for buyers who want a file for their records or their own customers.
Keeping it current
- Keep one master record per product and build every catalogue, price list and quotation from it.
- Make separate versions for different markets or seasons rather than one catalogue for everyone.
- Put an issue or validity date on every version.
- Watch certificate expiry dates, and replace certificates before they lapse.
- For price lists you don't want forwarded, use expiry dates or a PIN where your tool allows.
Checklist
- Every product has a name with grade or variety, HS code and origin.
- Specifications use measurable limits and consistent labels.
- Packing, carton weights and MOQ are stated.
- Prices, if shown, have an Incoterm, place, currency and validity.
- Certificates are attached and in date.
- Photos show the real product and packing.
- Your company name, address and contact details are on every page.
- It reads well on a phone.
Doing it in Abanro
Abanro Export keeps each product once: HS code, origin, weights, packing, units per carton, carton size, MOQ, specifications, certificates with expiry dates, photos, price and default Incoterm, and how you load it in a container. From those products you build Product Sheets for a season or market: share them by link, QR code or PDF, set prices for that sheet or show "price on request", add a PIN or expiry date, and see how many times buyers viewed them. The same product data flows into quotations, invoices and packing lists.