What a B2B product catalog should have

In B2B, the catalog is no longer a supporting material. It is a critical part of the digital buying process, especially when the sale goes through a customer portal Or a B2B eCommerce.

The trend is clear: more and more buyers prefer to research and move forward on their own, with as little business contact as possible. For example, 61% of B2B buyers prefer a commercial-free experience according Gartner.

The challenge is that in B2B, products tend to be more technical, with variants, compatibilities, regulations and associated documentation. Even so, the customer expects a comfortable and fast experience, with the same standard of clarity that they have in B2C.

In this article, we explain to you what a B2B catalog must have to work without friction today.

The catalog is no longer a document

If the B2B catalog doesn't work, it's almost never due to a lack of content. It's because the iInformation is scattered, duplicate or mismatch between Excel, ERP, PDFs and shared folders. This means that there are different versions for each department.

In this context, the PIM (Product Information Management) appears naturally: not as an additional tool, but as a way to order and govern product data in order to scale.

Without PIM, the catalog is a file. With PIM, the catalog is a system.

What does B2B catalog mean in 2026

In 2026, a B2B catalog isn't a format: it's an information system.

Its function is not only to describe products, but to make it possible for those products to:

• To sell
• Get set up
• Budgeting
• To be served
• Stay

A current catalog must answer questions that were previously resolved by talking to the sales representative.

How a B2B catalog should work

The question is not what fields a token has, but what behaviors the catalog supports to operate digitally without exceptions or manual tasks.

In industrial and distribution projects six capacities always appear.

1. Single source of information

The first need is to prevent the product from having several truths depending on who looks at it.

When the catalog is used to operate, that dispersion becomes expensive. Not just because of errors, but because of the time it takes to align versions and answer repetitive questions.

A single source does not mean that everything is born in a single system, but rather that there is a place where the information that is published is consolidated and validated.

2. Structured data

A modern catalog can't just be read: it's processed by systems.

Structuring means defining:

• Attribute types
• units
• allowed values
• hierarchies
• relationships

This enables the self-service and gives the customer freedom to filter by their own attributes.

3. Coherent technical data sheets

The technical sheet is where the customer decides if they fit in and if they assume the risk, so being consistent is key to closing an operating contract.

In industrial sectors, the token usually mixes different layers: commercial, technical, regulatory and logistics. If they are presented without judgment, the user is lost.

That is why the catalog must be able to display information with a constant logic, where each type of data takes its place. It should cover:

Identification: Codes, family, variants, equivalences.

Specification. Technical attributes with units and ranges.

Use: Compatibilities, applications, maintenance.

Compliance: Regulations and certifications.

Operational: Packaging, minimum unit, logistics.

4. Ready for a B2B and self-service portal

A 2026 B2B catalog must be designed so that the customer can move forward alone, but with the nuances of B2B.

Self-service it's not just adding to the cart, but being able to find, validate, compare, repeat orders and answer frequent questions with reliable information.

In addition, the catalog intersects with commercial conditions such as prices per customer, availability, agreements and personalized catalogs.

When this is not resolved, the classic symptom appears: the portal exists, but users don't use it.

5. Multichannel publishing

Multichannel in B2B doesn't just mean web and PDF. It means that product data must be able to be published consistently across multiple environments.

The challenge is not to publish, but to prevent each channel from creating their own version of the product.

6. Data Governance

Governing the data means defining processes and responsibilities.

The main problem with the catalog is not technological, it's organizational.

Incomplete forms and constant delays appear without defining who creates, validates or approves.

In industrial environments, poorly communicated data can generate real operating costs.

The role of the PIM in a product catalog

If we combine the above capabilities, a clear pattern appears: the catalog needs a product system that is capable of consolidating, structuring, enriching, versioning and distributing information.

And that's where The PIM fits as a functional part of the flow:

• Normalize data
• Model families
• Manage enrichment
• Validate publication
• Distribute to channels

The PIM acts as a product information management layer.

Product catalog as an advantage

If the catalog is already influencing how you sell, serve and operate, it's not enough to keep it up to date: you need it to be reliable, scalable and ready to grow.

At Novicell we can help you to evaluate your current situation and define the next steps with a practical and results-oriented approach.