InBetween Solutions
Catalog
Automation
Create and update product catalogs automatically from your product data. With InBetween, manufacturers and distributors automate the creation of their product catalogs. Product data flows directly into the desired catalog layout and can be quickly updated whenever information changes. This makes it easier to publish even extensive product ranges for different markets, languages, and catalog versions.
Let’s discuss your catalog projectFor manufacturers and distributors with extensive or frequently changing product ranges.
The challenge
New products. New prices.
A catalog that keeps up.
A comprehensive product catalog involves more than lists of items: product groups need a logical order, technical specifications need checking, images need assigning, and pages need designing. Each new edition brings changes to the product range, prices, and language versions. Transferring content manually from multiple systems into a layout means spending considerable time on repetitive work.
InBetween takes product information such as descriptions, prices, and images directly from sources such as PIM, ERP, or Excel and automatically places it in layouts that follow your corporate design. Predefined rules and templates determine how content is arranged and displayed on each catalog page.
When products, prices, or other information change, you only need to update the relevant data source. InBetween uses the updated data to generate a new catalog edition.
This makes it possible to efficiently create and update extensive product catalogs with several hundred pages, including versions for different product ranges, customers, markets, and languages. It reduces manual work in catalog production, shortens time to market, and ensures that product information is presented consistently in line with your corporate design.
When does catalog automation make sense?
Catalog automation makes sense if you regularly publish large volumes of product information and want to make your catalog production more efficient.
- Extensive product ranges Automatically generate catalogs spanning hundreds of pages and featuring thousands of products.
- Frequent product and price changes Quickly update your catalogs whenever your product data changes.
- Multilingual catalogs Publish content for different countries, markets, and languages from a central data source.
- Customer-specific catalogs Publish tailored product ranges, prices, or content for individual customers and target groups.
- Multiple catalog versions Create main catalogs, product range catalogs, price lists, and other publications from the same product data.
Results in practice
What can automated catalog production achieve?
SOMFY
30 catalogs in just 4 months
87% lower costs
The manual process allowed for just one catalog per month. Today, Somfy creates catalogs for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, as well as for different customer groups, with 98% less time spent on production.
Read the success story
STIHL
25 country editions in 25 languages
Tailored to each market and kept up to date
Previously, the 180-page catalog featuring around 1,000 products was published just once a year and was often already out of date when delivered. Today, STIHL produces 25 country editions, each with its own product range and country-specific legal information. Updates are possible several times a day.
Read the success story
ABB MOTORS AND GENERATORS
18 hours instead of up to 8 months
99% shorter production time
The 600-page catalog with almost 8,000 product references used to take six to eight months to produce, involving several teams. Today, the data comes directly from Akeneo PIM, and the catalog can be updated daily.
Read the success story
Figures are taken from published customer projects. Actual savings depend on the product range, data quality, and previous production process.
The process
Four steps to an automated catalog
Connect your data
InBetween takes descriptions, attributes, prices, and images from your existing systems. Your data stays where it is.
Plan the structure
Define which products belong in each catalog and chapter, including accessories, editorial pages, and indexes.
Define the layout
Templates and rules determine the presentation, including which page layout applies to each product type and which attributes appear in tables. Once defined, they apply across editions, languages, and markets.
Generate your catalogs
InBetween generates the finished catalog as a print-ready PDF, a digital PDF, or an InDesign file. Reuse the same structures and rules for the next edition.
Integrations
Your data stays where you maintain it.
Product attributes, prices, and images are often managed in different systems. InBetween brings together the information needed for catalog creation. PIM, ERP, and DAM are common sources; additional structured data can be included depending on the project. The appropriate interfaces are selected based on your existing systems.
You can then organize the catalog around the way your readers navigate your product range, even if your PIM uses a different product hierarchy.
PIM
Product descriptions, attributes, and product ranges
ERP
Item and pricing information
DAM
Product images and media assets
CRM
Customer or target group data, where needed
Databases
Additional structured product information
Excel, CSV & XML
File-based data sources
Your options
Automate where it helps. Design where it matters.
Reusable catalog structure
Plan chapters and product groups before generating pages, then reuse the structure for future editions.
Product data in your layout
Templates are populated with information from connected sources. Updated data can be imported again for a new edition.
Languages and markets
Use the structure for country-specific product ranges and the relevant content for each market.
Editorial freedom
Combine automated product pages with custom content and continue editing in Adobe InDesign when needed.
Discover Catalog Structure Builder: Plan catalogs and reuse structures
FAQ
What to know before you get started
Answers to common questions about data sources, data quality, output formats, and collaboration in automated catalog production.
Do we need a PIM system to get started?
A PIM is a useful central source of product information, but it is not the only possible data source. InBetween can also connect to other structured sources, such as ERP systems, databases, XML, CSV, or Excel. What matters is which data you need for the first publication and how reliably it is available. We assess this together using a specific catalog example.
What happens if product data is incomplete or inconsistent?
Automation does not replace data maintenance. Missing descriptions, images, or attributes should be identified and resolved by the responsible teams before publication. At the start of a project, it helps to define the required information for each product type and catalog page. This shows which data is ready to use in templates and where product management or marketing needs to add information.
Which output formats are available for a catalog?
InBetween can generate PDFs for digital distribution or print, as well as editable Adobe InDesign files. The appropriate output formats, print specifications, and any further editing requirements are defined during the project. A catalog that has already been printed cannot be changed retrospectively, of course; new editions and digital files can be generated using updated data.
Who works on the catalog, and is Adobe InDesign required?
Adobe InDesign is not required for automated catalog creation. In the web-based Publication Wizard, teams such as product management and marketing, as well as external contributors, can work together to plan catalogs, edit content, and manage approvals. Responsibilities are defined around your workflows and approval processes.
Individual pages or sections created by your design team in Adobe InDesign can also be integrated into the catalog when needed.
Can special pages, accessories, and cross-references be included?
Yes. Alongside product groups, a catalog structure can include accessories, information pages, editorial pages, and indexes. Products and accessories can be organized to help readers navigate the catalog. The structure complements the product data and can differ from the hierarchy in your PIM.
How does an automation project for an existing catalog begin?
The starting point is a representative selection of catalog pages, the required data sources, and the desired outputs. These are used to identify data fields, product variants, page types, and the points where editorial input is needed. A suitable initial section can then be selected for template creation and a joint test. The scope and timeline depend on the available data and the complexity of the catalog.
Next step
Questions about your catalog project?
Bring an existing catalog and an overview of your data sources. Together, we will identify which pages, versions, and production steps can be automated first.
