By Artem Korsakov ·
In short: An industrial product card should let a procurement specialist identify the product unambiguously, check the parameters that drive the decision, open the documents for the right version and understand the price, availability and next step. The card is best tested on a real request: can it be prepared using only the website?
A product card in a B2B catalog should help check the exact designation of the product, its specifications and operating conditions. One photograph and a promotional description are not enough for this. The card should help match the product to the task, check the data and send the supplier a request without losing the selected model. That is why work on the card starts with the content, and the design follows.
Make the product unambiguously identifiable
Show:
- the name;
- the manufacturer;
- the model;
- the part number, if it is used in your product range.
Do not replace the designation with an internal code that only a manager understands. If a product has several variants, the visitor should see which one is currently selected.
The unit of sale affects the meaning of the price and the quantity. A piece, a set, a meter and a package are not interchangeable. Clarify whether part of a package can be ordered and how many items a set contains. This information helps avoid a request that a manager will have to rebuild.
Show the parameters that drive the decision
For each category, highlight the main specifications. They will differ for pumps, fasteners and measuring instruments. A generic “color, size, weight” table for the whole range rarely reflects the real selection criteria for an industrial product. The same criteria later become the basis of filters; more in the article on search and filters.
A hypothetical buyer is selecting a drive with a specific power supply and dimensions. The card should let them check these parameters without searching inside a long promotional text. If a specialist’s calculation is required, it is better to say so and offer to pass on the input conditions.
Do not add unverified values just to fill in the table. A missing parameter should be clarified with the person responsible for the range. For technical data, it is useful to keep the source and the date of verification within the catalog preparation process, even if the visitor does not see this internal information. How to prepare such data is covered in the article on preparing products and the price list.
Link documents to a specific version
A drawing, a datasheet, instructions and other materials should relate to the selected product. A manufacturer’s collection of documents may be useful, but the visitor needs to be told where in it to look for the relevant information. You should not create the impression that any attached file confirms all variants of the product.
Check that documents open on a phone and that the file name is clear. A “download document” label explains the content worse than the title and purpose of the material. Outdated versions require a decision: replace them, mark them or remove them from the public card.
If you show alternatives, explain the basis for the selection and the need to check compatibility. A similar name or photograph does not prove interchangeability. The website can suggest candidates for discussion without promising a technical result without confirmation.
Explain the price, availability and next step
A price is useful when it is clear which unit it applies to and which terms need clarification. If the total depends on quantity or the contract, this should be stated next to it. A “from” value without an explanation of what it includes can create a false expectation.
The availability status should also have a clear meaning. “In stock” and “available to order” describe different situations. If delivery is confirmed by a manager, the interface should not promise a ready shipping date as an established fact. When full ordering is appropriate is explained in the article “B2B catalog or online store”.
Test the card on a real request
Take one ordinary request from the company’s practice and try to prepare it using only the website. Can you determine the product, the unit, the necessary parameters and the documents? What will you have to ask additionally? The check is carried out by an employee who understands the range: a designer alone is not enough here.
For development, prepare several different cards:
- a simple item;
- a variant with a configuration;
- a product with terms that need clarification.
This will help avoid a page layout that only suits the most convenient example.
The trike_dev B2B catalog demo can be used as a basis for discussion. In your own project, the content of the card is best defined together with the person responsible for the range and the employee who prepares offers for procurement specialists.
Частые вопросы ### Can variants be combined in one card?
Yes, when the visitor understands the differences and the choice changes the relevant specifications. If variants have significantly different operating conditions, separate cards may be clearer. The decision depends on the data; the outward similarity of the products is not enough to base it on.
What if the exact price cannot be shown?
Provide a meaningful request: product, quantity, comment and contact details. You can explain which information will help prepare an offer. That way the absence of a price does not turn the card into a dead end.