An inventory catalogue clients can shop

Clients and planners buy décor and rentals from photos long before they see an item in person. Learn to build an online inventory catalogue with consistent listings, honest prices and shoppable collections that shortens quoting and raises the value of every order.

Read the transcript

An inventory catalogue clients can shop.

A client who asks for a quote on "gold chairs and some greenery" is not being vague on purpose.

They cannot picture what you own.

Why a catalogue sells.

Rental and décor businesses are unusual in the event industry because their product is visible and countable.

A planner cannot show a client their judgement in a photo.

What every listing needs.

Write every item to the same template.

Consistency is what makes a catalogue feel trustworthy and easy to compare.

Photograph inventory so it can be compared.

The fastest way to make a catalogue look amateur is to mix phone snaps from five events with supplier images.

Set up a simple photo corner in your warehouse and shoot everything the same way.

Organize the way clients plan.

Clients do not think in your stock categories.

They think in parts of the event.

Worked example: Thistle and Trestle.

Thistle and Trestle is an illustrative décor, floral and rental company in Burlington with about 340 inventory items.

Before building a catalogue, the owners quoted from a PDF and photos sent by text.

That is the lesson. The worksheet and the quiz are just below this video.

What you will be able to do

• Write a complete catalogue listing for any item using a standard set of fields
• Organize inventory into categories and collections that match how clients plan an event
• Set up a quarterly audit that keeps photos, quantities and prices accurate

A client who asks for a quote on “gold chairs and some greenery” is not being vague on purpose. They cannot picture what you own. Until they can, every conversation starts from zero, and every quote takes an hour. A catalogue they can browse at midnight turns your warehouse into a shop, and turns a vague request into a list.

Why a catalogue sells

Rental and décor businesses are unusual in the event industry because their product is visible and countable. A planner cannot show a client their judgement in a photo. You can show every chair, charger, arch and vase you own. A good catalogue does four things at once:

• It lets clients self-qualify. A couple who sees per-item prices knows whether you fit their budget before they write to you.
• It turns browsing into a list. Instead of “some greenery”, you receive “two eucalyptus garlands, eight brass candlesticks and a round mirror sign”.
• It helps planners quote you. Planners building a proposal at night want specifications and prices without waiting for your reply.
• It sells the look, not the item. Collections show how pieces work together, which is how clients raise their order without feeling pushed.

Florists face a version of the same problem. Fresh product changes with the season, but containers, arches, candle holders, hanging installations and signature arrangements can all be catalogued, with a note that stems vary.

What every listing needs

Write every item to the same template. Consistency is what makes a catalogue feel trustworthy and easy to compare.

Write descriptions for people who are planning, not for people who already know the trade. “Chiavari” means nothing to most couples. “Slim, classic ballroom chair” does.

A description template you can copy, in three short sentences: what it is and the look it suits; the practical facts a planner needs; and one pairing suggestion. For example: “A warm, rustic dining chair that suits barns, gardens and loft venues. Solid oak with a cream linen cushion, 180 available, delivered stacked in fours. Pair it with our farm tables and sage linen runners for a relaxed harvest look.” Write every listing this way and the catalogue starts to read like advice, not a stock list.

Photograph inventory so it can be compared

The fastest way to make a catalogue look amateur is to mix phone snaps from five events with supplier images. Set up a simple photo corner in your warehouse and shoot everything the same way.

1. One background. A plain, light wall or a paper roll, the same for every item in a category.
2. One light. Daylight from a large window or a pair of soft lights, so colours match across listings.
3. A scale reference. Shoot small items beside a standard dinner plate or a chair, so clients understand size.
4. A detail shot. Texture, finish and colour up close, because “blush” means something different on every screen.
5. One real set-up. A photo from an event, with the item in context, ideally from a photographer who has licensed it to you.

Organize the way clients plan

Clients do not think in your stock categories. They think in parts of the event. Organize the catalogue in two layers.

Categories by zone: ceremony, cocktail and lounge, dining tables, head table and sweetheart table, bar and food stations, signage, lighting and draping, florals and greenery. Put an item in every zone where it belongs.

Collections by look: five to eight curated looks, each with a name, a hero photo and a list of the pieces in it. A “Garden Brunch” collection might include the oak chairs, linen runners, bud vases and a wooden welcome sign, with a price for a table of eight. Collections are where most order value is won.

Add a simple quote list, sometimes called a wish list or cart, so clients can collect items and send them with their date and guest count. Ask for the venue at the same time, because it affects delivery and set-up.

Worked example: Thistle & Trestle

Thistle & Trestle is an illustrative décor, floral and rental company in Burlington with about 340 inventory items. Before building a catalogue, the owners quoted from a PDF and photos sent by text. The figures below are illustrative.

• Quotes took an average of 45 minutes, for about 120 quotes a season: 90 hours.
• After launching the catalogue with a quote list, most requests arrived as item lists. Average quote time fell to 15 minutes: 30 hours a season, saving 60 hours.
• Average order value rose from $1,850 to $2,400 once collections showed complete looks, a gain of $550.
• On 70 booked orders, that gain is 70 times $550, or $38,500 more revenue in a season.

The catalogue cost about 60 hours of photography and writing, plus a catalogue plug-in for the website. It paid for itself in the first month of the season.

Keep it accurate

An out-of-date catalogue is worse than none, because it promises things you cannot deliver. Run this audit each quarter, and before the January show season:

• Update quantities after losses, breakage and new purchases.
• Retire items you no longer stock, and remove their photos everywhere they appear.
• Check every price against your current price list and your quote template.
• Replace any photo that no longer matches the item, such as a re-upholstered sofa.
• Look at which items clients add most often, and which nobody ever adds. Feature the first; consider selling the second.

In Canada and the GTA

Catalogue prices must be attainable. Since June 23, 2022, the Competition Act has treated drip pricing as a false or misleading representation. A price is drip-priced when it cannot be attained because of fixed obligatory charges or fees, unless the extra amounts are only those imposed by law, such as HST. For a rental company, that means a mandatory damage waiver, cleaning fee, handling fee or “booking fee” that every client must pay belongs inside the item price, not added at checkout. Charges that are genuinely optional, such as set-up labour when clients can set up themselves, can be listed separately. Delivery is the hard case: if clients can pick up from your warehouse, delivery is optional; if every order must be delivered, say so beside the price and show the delivery charge clearly before the client builds a list. The Competition Bureau says consumers should see the true total cost upfront, and that variable charges can also raise concerns. Read the Bureau’s guidance on drip pricing.

Sale and clearance items. If you mark an item “regularly $12, now $8”, the Competition Act requires that you sold a substantial volume at the regular price or offered it in good faith at that price for a substantial period. The Bureau’s tests are more than 50 percent of sales at that price or higher, or offering it at that price for a substantial period, usually within a year before or after the promotion. Keep records of your regular prices and promotion dates. Selling off retired inventory is a good reason for a sale, but describe it honestly.

HST. Ontario’s HST rate is 13%. Once registered, tell clients either that prices include HST, or show the HST separately at the total 13% rate. Most rental catalogues show prices before tax, which the drip pricing rule permits because HST is imposed by law, but say so on every page and in the quote list. For invoices of $500 or more, the CRA also expects your registration number, the client’s name, a brief description and the payment terms.

Accessibility. Under the AODA, businesses with 50 or more employees in Ontario must make their public websites meet WCAG 2.0 Level AA. Most décor companies are smaller, but the same habits help every visitor and help search engines: describe each photo in its alt text, use real text rather than images of text for prices and dimensions, and make the quote list usable with a keyboard. See Ontario’s guide to accessible websites.

Photos of events. Since November 7, 2012, photographers own copyright in their photos by default. Event photos of your décor belong to the photographer unless they assign or license them to you in writing. Ask for a written licence to use them in your catalogue, and credit the photographer.

The GTA market

Typical GTA rental prices vary widely by quality and quantity, so publish your own rather than quoting market averages. What clients consistently want to know is the minimum order, the delivery area and whether you can supply a 250-guest wedding, which is common in the region’s South Asian, Italian, Portuguese and Chinese communities. Show quantity available clearly, and add catalogue sections for cultural décor you stock, such as mandap structures, mehndi lounge pieces or tea ceremony sets, with plain-language descriptions.

Planners are heavy catalogue users. Many build proposals in the evening and want a link they can send to clients. Offer a planner view or a downloadable line sheet with dimensions and prices, and refresh it before the January wedding shows, when many couples start shopping. Corporate buyers planning holiday parties start looking in late summer and early fall, so have your winter and holiday collections photographed and published by August.

Worksheet

Download the worksheet and complete it for your own business, using Lantern & Lane as the model where it helps. Keep it with your marketing plan. It takes about 10 minutes.

Download the worksheet (PDF)