I believe most companies don't have CD catalogs because they don't where to have them developed. CataDisc is an interactive, multimedia shoppable catalog on CDs that offers the consumer four secure ways to order. You can learn more about CataDisc at www.catadisc.com.

Your complaints against catalogs are valid for your specific experience. But lugging catalogs at a trade show isn’t their intended use. At the show, ask your suppliers to send catalogs to your store. Most catalogs are shipped to their destination and used interactively in a sales environment; at the sales counter with your customer or in your office with your staff or supplier. Catalogs are extremely efficient at providing visual reference and random access to products and information. Thumb through the pages, stop and scan, or jump to another page all with a common user interface called the printed page. CD’s though small and lightweight require a computer and an appropriate display device. After loading the CD, bringing up the “user interface”, and mentally trying to correlate an inquiry to the CD’s contents, there is typically no quick and easy method to scan or skim the products.

CataDisc is a CD catalog with a search engine; products can be seen in 3D rather than flat on a page in a paper catalog...a truly interactive, multimedia catalog experience that can be viewed without a web browser or Internet connection.

Both answers are right. I like CDs for high quality photography, but I find that catalogs are very convenient for face to face customer meetings. The smartest manufacturers will offer both, and also have the photos on their websites with current retail prices and only allow registered jewelers to see wholesale prices after logging in to the website. Stuller is probably the best examples of all 3 of these resources. The main thing that manufacturers need to learn is not to list their contact information in their catalogs, and not to show any information that reveals the jeweler's cost. Who wants to show customers a catalog that says "

(second part of my previous comment) ... Who wants to show customers a catalog that says "

This website keeps cutting off my comments at the quotation mark. One last try: (second part of my previous comment) ... Who wants to show customers a catalog that says 3 Key Pricing and a toll free number at the bottom of every page? Another helpful thing that only a few wholesalers/manufacturers do is show retail prices in their catalogs at the prices of the metals when the catalog was created, and also give the retailer a formula (in a separate document) to calculate the price difference at the current gold price. It makes closing sales easier if you don't have to call the manufacturer or go to their website. The savvy manufacturers who view thins from the retailer's point of view are the most successful in the long term. No one can afford to be unaware of computer and internet technology in today's world, or the retail customers will pass them by. Some of my best ideas come from customers now. (email: info@sabyls.com)