Product catalog management refers to the process of organizing, storing, and maintaining all the information related to a company's products in a structured and accessible way. For manufacturers, this typically includes product names, specifications, pricing, images, CAD files, technical documentation, and availability information across multiple markets or channels.
Product catalog management spans across several enterprise systems - PIM, CMS, ERP, DAM, and more. Managing information across all these tools while ensuring accuracy and consistency isn't easy. In fact, according to our State of CMS Report, 91% of manufacturers find it challenging to keep different data and content types consistent. On top of that, many struggle with slow update cycles and digital experiences that don't live up to what customers need.
That's where product catalog management tools come in. These systems help manufacturers deliver consistent, up-to-date product content across regions, platforms, and channels, without duplicating effort or relying heavily on IT.
In this article, we'll explore what product catalog management really means, how different tools like PIM and CMS play a role, and what to look for when choosing the right setup for your business.
#The many faces of digital product catalogs
Product catalogs have evolved significantly over the past few decades. In the pre-Internet era, manufacturers relied on printed catalogs - thick, image-heavy booklets mailed to customers or distributed at trade shows. These catalogs were often expensive to produce, hard to update, and only as effective as the sales rep holding them.
Then came the internet. Many companies took the first logical step toward digitization: converting their print catalogs into downloadable PDFs. This move saved on printing costs and extended reach, but didn't do much to improve product discoverability or usability - there's no way to change any information once the catalog is downloaded.
As digital expectations grew, so did the diversity in how businesses present their product information. Today, manufacturers mostly fall into three main categories of digital catalog maturity:
1. PDF-based catalogs
The most basic digital catalog is simply a scanned or designed version of the print catalog downloadable as a PDF. For companies with multiple catalogs, this often results in a cluttered, yellow pages-style landing page where users must scroll through a long list of links, clicking on the PDF that seems closest to what they're looking for. It's easy to publish, but hard to navigate. Search engines can't index the content properly, and customers have to manually scroll through dozens of pages to find what they need, making it a frustrating and outdated experience. Updates are slow and typically require design resources.
2. Flipbooks
Flipbook-style catalogs offer a more interactive feel where users can flip through pages like a digital magazine. These are often built with catalog software that replicates a tactile experience. However, while flipbooks feel modern on the surface, they share many of the same limitations as PDFs: poor searchability, limited accessibility on mobile, and little to no structured product data. They're more about presentation than function. Even so, the presentation is clunky, and oftentimes it'd be better just to offer a PDF instead.
3. Fully digitized, structured catalogs
The most advanced and increasingly necessary approach is a fully digitized product catalog built on structured data. This means product specs, attributes, and categories are managed in a central system (like a PIM or headless CMS) and dynamically displayed on the website or across digital channels. This setup enables:
- Fast, intuitive product search and filtering
- Easier updates and version control
- Integration with CAD downloads, configuration tools, or CPQ systems
- Consistent omnichannel product experiences
The shift toward fully digital, structured catalogs isn't just about aesthetics or convenience. It's a business necessity. Distributors, engineers, and procurement teams expect immediate access to detailed specs, compatibility information, and downloadable assets, without waiting or digging through static PDFs.
Two common use cases: with and without eCommerce
Manufacturers tend to fall into two website models: those that support eCommerce and those that don't. In eCommerce-driven setups, the catalog is integrated with inventory and ordering systems. In non-eCommerce setups, the website serves more as a digital showroom. Here, the catalog is crucial in helping visitors explore technical specifications, understand product applications, and connect with a local dealer or sales rep.
In both models, the quality and structure of the product catalog directly impact how well the website serves buyers, partners, and internal teams.
#What is a product catalog management tool?
A product catalog management tool is any system that helps businesses organize, maintain, and distribute product information across channels, whether for internal teams, buyers, distributors, or end users. These tools ensure that product data such as specifications, descriptions, pricing, media assets, and availability stay accurate and up to date.
Monolithic vs. composable approaches
When manufacturers modernize their catalog management setup, they usually follow one of two paths: monolithic or composable.
- A monolithic approach involves choosing a single platform that attempts to manage everything - frontend, backend, content, and data - in one tightly coupled system. While this may appear convenient at first, it often includes multiple interfaces or disconnected modules for managing different parts of the experience. This fragmentation creates content silos, where product information has to be updated manually in several places each time something changes like a spec adjustment or asset replacement. It often leads to slower updates, higher risk of errors, and a lack of flexibility when integrating with modern tools or workflows.
- A composable approach embraces modularity. It uses specialized tools, like a PIM for structured product data, a CMS for managing content presentation, a DAM for digital assets, and an ERP for backend operations, with each tool doing one job exceptionally well. These systems are connected through APIs, allowing them to work together without being tightly bound. This setup gives manufacturers the flexibility to choose best-of-breed solutions for each function and replace or upgrade individual components as needed, without disrupting the entire digital infrastructure. It's a scalable, future-proof approach that evolves with your business and tech landscape.
Composable is more future-proof and better suited for manufacturers dealing with complex catalogs across multiple markets.
Types of product catalog management tools
Rather than referring to a single type of software, "catalog management" is a functional category. It spans several types of platforms in a composable setup - most commonly:
- PIM (Product Information Management) systems: designed specifically to centralize and enrich product data across teams and markets.
- CMS (Content Management Systems) that manage the presentation of product pages and content on websites.
- eCommerce platforms that include catalog and inventory features as part of their core offering.
- Custom tools or databases built in-house to handle complex or industry-specific catalog needs.
What defines a tool as a catalog management solution isn't the label. It's the role it plays in maintaining and delivering product data at scale. For manufacturers, especially, where products often have hundreds of attributes, dependencies, and downloadable assets (like CAD files), having a reliable catalog management setup is crucial to delivering a modern and accurate product experience.
PIM vs. CMS: What's the difference?
PIMs and CMSs often get lumped together in catalog discussions, but they serve different roles:
- PIMs handle structured product data: SKUs, specs, measurements, pricing, availability
- CMSs handle how that information is displayed on websites and portals: layout, content modeling, storytelling, localization, UI components
There's a clear gap between the two systems: PIMs don't manage layout or content presentation, while many CMSs lack the ability to properly structure and manage complex product data. Relying on one system alone often results in bottlenecks, duplication of effort, and inconsistent content across channels. A more effective approach is to integrate both systems via APIs - or to use a platform like Hygraph, which is purpose-built to pull in structured product data and present it in a flexible, scalable way.
#What to look for in a modern catalog management stack
Managing a manufacturing catalog today isn't just about keeping product specs online - it's about ensuring every touchpoint, from your internal teams to global dealers, is working with the same accurate, up-to-date information. When evaluating catalog management tools, look beyond feature lists. Consider how well a solution can support the full product experience. Here are six capabilities that matter most:
1. Structured content support
Structured content is what gives live to a modern product catalog. Instead of manually duplicating specs, downloads, and layout elements across pages or regions, a structured content model lets you reuse and reference product information wherever it's needed. Whether it's listing the same spec table across 100 product variants or linking the same CAD file in multiple regions, structured components lets you drastically reduce overhead and errors.
2. Multilingual and multi-market content handling
For manufacturers operating across borders, managing content in multiple languages and markets isn't optional but expected. A modern system must go beyond simple translation and enable true localization: supporting market-specific assets, specs, and content structure while keeping everything aligned in one place.
3. Omnichannel delivery
Product content shouldn't be locked into your website CMS. Whether your users are browsing your main site, logging into a customer portal, or accessing content via a mobile app, they expect a seamless experience. That means delivering the same consistent product information across every digital channel. API-first CMS like Hygraph lets you define your central source of truth for content that feeds your website, dealer and partner portals, customer apps, and more. Your product catalog management tool should allow you to define product information once, and reuse it everywhere.
4. Integration with existing systems
No manufacturer starts from scratch. You likely already rely on PIMs, ERPs, DAMs, and custom databases to manage product and business data. A modern catalog system needs to work with what you have, not force a complete rebuild.
5. Editorial usability and collaboration
Non-technical teams should be able to create, update, and reuse content easily. Look for a platform that supports editorial workflows, version control, and user roles.
6. Scalability and future readiness
Too many catalog updates still rely on IT teams or external agencies. Something as simple as updating a spec sheet, uploading a new product image, or publishing a localized version should be easy for your content or product team to manage directly.
#Komax's journey to find their product catalog management tool
As Komax Group expanded globally, their legacy Sitecore CMS, part of a tightly coupled, on-premise stack, became a blocker. Content updates required developer support, the editorial experience was slow, and product information had to be copied manually across systems, leading to silos and delays.
To break free from these limitations, Komax replatformed to a modular, API-first architecture centered on Hygraph - a GraphQL-native CMS with structured content modeling and reusable components. The goal was to improve content velocity, integrate with existing tools like their PIM, and lay the foundation for scalable digital services like customer portals.
Today, Komax uses a Nuxt 3 frontend that pulls content from Hygraph and product data from other systems via a GraphQL integration layer. Editors create pages with modular components, while developers can launch new features without touching the backend. As a result, content updates now are 2-3x faster, load times have dropped by up to 70%, and Komax now delivers a unified digital experience across platforms.
#Hygraph, the best product catalog management tool for manufacturers
API-First (GraphQL-Native) integration
Hygraph is built from the ground up with GraphQL, making it easy to integrate with existing systems like PIMs, ERPs, or eCommerce platforms. Product data can be pulled from multiple sources without duplication or migration, unified on demand, and delivered to any frontend - all without custom middleware. This gives manufacturers the flexibility to maintain a distributed source of truth and retrieve consistent product information across channels.
Content federation
Hygraph allows teams to unify product and content data from different systems into a single API layer. This makes it a strong candidate to act as the central source of truth for complex catalogs while maintaining data integrity and avoiding vendor lock-in.
Reusable content components
Manufacturers often need to standardize recurring content blocks like specifications, features, or certification details. With Hygraph's structured components and content relationships, these blocks can be created once and reused across multiple products or pages, reducing content duplication and simplifying updates.
Editorial features and collaboration tools
Hygraph provides an intuitive editing UI for non-technical users, along with granular permissions, custom workflows, and validation rules. Teams can securely manage content updates, streamline approvals, and ensure consistency across product pages. The platform also supports collaboration features that allow marketing, product, and technical teams to work in parallel - reducing bottlenecks.
Headless architecture
As a headless CMS, Hygraph works with any frontend framework. Manufacturers can launch faster, deliver product data across web, mobile, and digital displays, and roll out new features without being limited by frontend constraints.
#Wrapping up
Managing modern product catalogs is about delivering accurate, consistent, and accessible information across every digital touchpoint. As manufacturers grow and diversify their digital operations, choosing the right catalog management tool becomes critical to staying efficient, scalable, and competitive.
Whether you're looking to streamline internal workflows, reduce update cycles, or improve your customer experience, investing in a flexible, API-first platform like Hygraph can give you the control and agility needed to manage even the most complex product catalogs - now and in the future.