Boost your sales with a digital catalogue and lifestyle photography
Posted: Mon Dec 23, 2024 8:16 am
Explore the evolution of lookbooks, from lifestyle photography to interactive shoppable tools, and create a digital catalogue for your brand.
Person seen from above, showing only the legs and hands holding a fashion magazine and a drink.
On this page
What is a digital catalogue?
How to create a digital catalog in 6 steps
Use digital catalogs to achieve your business goals
Frequently asked questions about digital catalogs
Start your online business today.
For free.
Free trial
In the early days of e-commerce, online stores used functional photos: clear, simple images that focused on product details. While these photos are still important, retailers quickly realized they were missing something that brick-and-mortar stores offered: context.
And so lifestyle photography was born. Inspired by fashion magazines, e-commerce brands discovered the power of telling stories through images. Models began to appear in carefully designed canada phone numbers settings alongside product photos, giving rise to a new trend: digital catalogues.
A digital catalogue goes beyond displaying products. It serves to tell a story, establish a stylistic point of view and connect emotionally with customers. A good lookbook inspires customers, helping them imagine how those skinny jeans could fit into their everyday life or how that floor lamp could transform their living room. In short, digital catalogues don’t just sell products, they sell lifestyles.
Click here to start selling online right now with Shopify
Today, lookbooks have evolved from simple image galleries to interactive, shoppable tools, ideal for capturing a customer’s attention and pushing them to buy. In this article, we explore how lookbooks have changed, from their origins as photo galleries to becoming key elements of a digital catalogue. We’ll also show you how to create your own interactive lookbook, inspired by real-life examples that stand out for their creativity and functionality.
What is a digital catalogue?
A digital catalogue, like an online lookbook, is an interactive collection of photos, videos and other multimedia elements presented in digital format. It can be a PDF file, a web page or even an immersive experience.
These tools are popular among artists, designers and consumer brands looking to showcase fashion or lifestyle products in a more visually appealing way across multiple digital layouts and formats.
Model dressed in black poses in front of a shop window
Unsplash
Thanks to platforms and tools such as specialized web templates and lookbook applications, brands can create dynamic catalogs with advanced features.
Animations, image carousels, videos and shoppable photos that lead directly to the product page or shopping cart are just some of the features you can incorporate.
Why create a digital catalogue for your brand?
Digital catalogs don’t just showcase products; they tell stories. For brand creators and owners, they’re a way to immerse customers in the brand experience and narrative.
While in a physical store customers can touch, try or feel the products, a digital catalog must spark imagination and show how the products work in real life.
This can be key to converting visits into sales, as it helps customers visualize how those products will fit into their own lifestyle.
Two people in bathing suits walk between trees holding surfboards.
For example, the digital catalogue of Skatie , a swimwear brand, uses photos of models in motion and in natural settings to show their products in action. These images not only highlight the functionality of the product, but also reflect the spirit of the brand.
Another advantage is that digital catalogues are sustainable and cost-effective. Instead of investing in the production of printed lookbooks that have a limited shelf life, a simple card with a QR code can direct customers to a digital gallery with high-quality photography, stylish designs and integrated shopping options.
The purpose of a digital catalogue can vary depending on the type of business. Some brands that only sell wholesale or B2B may use it as a professional catalogue to showcase products to retailers. For B2C and DTC brands, i.e. direct-to-consumer, the digital catalogue serves to communicate the brand's values, aesthetics, and lifestyle.
Not all industries benefit equally from digital catalogues. While brands in fashion, home decor, skincare, sporting goods or children's products find digital lookbooks a very useful tool, industries such as electronics, automotive parts or more functional products might not be as well suited.
Person seen from above, showing only the legs and hands holding a fashion magazine and a drink.
On this page
What is a digital catalogue?
How to create a digital catalog in 6 steps
Use digital catalogs to achieve your business goals
Frequently asked questions about digital catalogs
Start your online business today.
For free.
Free trial
In the early days of e-commerce, online stores used functional photos: clear, simple images that focused on product details. While these photos are still important, retailers quickly realized they were missing something that brick-and-mortar stores offered: context.
And so lifestyle photography was born. Inspired by fashion magazines, e-commerce brands discovered the power of telling stories through images. Models began to appear in carefully designed canada phone numbers settings alongside product photos, giving rise to a new trend: digital catalogues.
A digital catalogue goes beyond displaying products. It serves to tell a story, establish a stylistic point of view and connect emotionally with customers. A good lookbook inspires customers, helping them imagine how those skinny jeans could fit into their everyday life or how that floor lamp could transform their living room. In short, digital catalogues don’t just sell products, they sell lifestyles.
Click here to start selling online right now with Shopify
Today, lookbooks have evolved from simple image galleries to interactive, shoppable tools, ideal for capturing a customer’s attention and pushing them to buy. In this article, we explore how lookbooks have changed, from their origins as photo galleries to becoming key elements of a digital catalogue. We’ll also show you how to create your own interactive lookbook, inspired by real-life examples that stand out for their creativity and functionality.
What is a digital catalogue?
A digital catalogue, like an online lookbook, is an interactive collection of photos, videos and other multimedia elements presented in digital format. It can be a PDF file, a web page or even an immersive experience.
These tools are popular among artists, designers and consumer brands looking to showcase fashion or lifestyle products in a more visually appealing way across multiple digital layouts and formats.
Model dressed in black poses in front of a shop window
Unsplash
Thanks to platforms and tools such as specialized web templates and lookbook applications, brands can create dynamic catalogs with advanced features.
Animations, image carousels, videos and shoppable photos that lead directly to the product page or shopping cart are just some of the features you can incorporate.
Why create a digital catalogue for your brand?
Digital catalogs don’t just showcase products; they tell stories. For brand creators and owners, they’re a way to immerse customers in the brand experience and narrative.
While in a physical store customers can touch, try or feel the products, a digital catalog must spark imagination and show how the products work in real life.
This can be key to converting visits into sales, as it helps customers visualize how those products will fit into their own lifestyle.
Two people in bathing suits walk between trees holding surfboards.
For example, the digital catalogue of Skatie , a swimwear brand, uses photos of models in motion and in natural settings to show their products in action. These images not only highlight the functionality of the product, but also reflect the spirit of the brand.
Another advantage is that digital catalogues are sustainable and cost-effective. Instead of investing in the production of printed lookbooks that have a limited shelf life, a simple card with a QR code can direct customers to a digital gallery with high-quality photography, stylish designs and integrated shopping options.
The purpose of a digital catalogue can vary depending on the type of business. Some brands that only sell wholesale or B2B may use it as a professional catalogue to showcase products to retailers. For B2C and DTC brands, i.e. direct-to-consumer, the digital catalogue serves to communicate the brand's values, aesthetics, and lifestyle.
Not all industries benefit equally from digital catalogues. While brands in fashion, home decor, skincare, sporting goods or children's products find digital lookbooks a very useful tool, industries such as electronics, automotive parts or more functional products might not be as well suited.