How to Test Catalog Management Software Before Buying?

A catalog management platform can look perfect during a sales demo and still fail when your team uploads thousands of products, manages variations, or updates information across channels. The only reliable way to evaluate software is to test it using your own catalog data and daily workflows before committing.

Before starting the trial, create a miniature version of your actual product catalog. Add various kinds of products, variations, product categories, images, and a couple of records that lack or contain wrong data.

Realistic data will give you a clearer idea of what the software can do with your own catalogs.

The ideal trial involves having your team do real jobs they do regularly. Don’t consider only basic features. Make a small copy of your actual catalog and try out the software on your everyday product management.

Click the Import Product File link first to import a sample product file. See which formats you can import and how easy it is. Review the software’s product names, descriptions, SKUs, prices, images, categories, and more.

Check data accuracy when importing. At first, it might seem simple, but if you have to correct information after several hours, it will be hard.

Create a different product description within the platform. Change product attributes, description, specifications, pictures, and prices.

Note and monitor the product-finding and editing process. Even simple changes mustn’t be too onerous – otherwise, a large catalog may be problematic later.

If you sell products that have different sizes, colors, models, or other options, conduct tests of these options in the trial. Make sure there’s a simple way to set up variations without creating duplicate products.

Managing products one by one can be very time-consuming. This is one of the top reasons businesses use product catalog software: to make big changes easier.

Select several products and try to change common information at the same time. For example, update a category, price, brand, or attribute across multiple products.

Check whether there is an easy way to do this, and whether you can see how things will change before you make the changes.

The best catalog software will also help you determine whether any information is missing or incorrect. Investigate the consequences of uploading partial product information or entering an incorrect value.

Determine whether the system clearly explains the problem and helps you solve it, rather than leaving you to solve it.

Test imported products that already exist. Check whether the software identifies possible duplicates and generates new records. This matters because product duplication can create mismatches in catalogs and across sales channels.

Businesses can arrange products in various ways. When selecting a platform, make sure it aligns with how your business operates.

Make a couple of categories and subcategories while conducting the trial. Determine whether you can arrange products in a way that makes sense for your business.

Also, test relationships between connected products, such as accessories, bundles, replacement products, and products in the same product family.

If your catalog includes parent and child products, try out the relationship between them. For example, a shirt may be a parent product, and shirt size and color may be child products.

The software should make these relationships easy to understand and manage without confusion.

A catalog platform should be usable for everyday users, not only technical users.

Set up several user accounts and test access to various resources. Depending on the employee, they may need editing capabilities, or they may be granted approval and publishing abilities.

Permissions can prevent accidental changes to critical catalog information.

Try product adjustments from editing through approval and publishing. It should be easy to see in a useful workflow which products are ready, need review, or still need changes.

Make changes and see whether the program documents them. View change history to see when changes were made to the information and, where possible, who made them.

Try modifying some product data and see whether you can undo or restore it. If the software has version history or rollback features, check how easy it is to retrieve previous information.

This can be especially helpful when several team members update the same catalog.

Catalog software typically won’t be used on its own. Your business may already use an ecommerce system or ERP, PIM, marketplace, CRM, or another system.

When testing, review the available data connections and integrations. See whether product data can transfer between systems with minimal manual work.

Also, learn how often data syncs and what happens when it encounters errors. By streamlining the process, your team can save considerable time.

Software that works with 500 products should scale to 50,000. When testing, consider your future needs.

Upload more of your catalog items, if possible. Observe the import time and whether anything affects system responsiveness.

This can help you determine if the platform will work for the size of catalog you’re looking to have.

Perform bulk updates and see how the system reacts. Verify that updates complete correctly and that you can continue working during the updates.

Performance matters because as you add more products, slow cataloging can become a major issue.

Check whether a feature is doable, not just whether it works. See how much time your team needs to complete common tasks such as editing products, making bulk updates, or correcting product information.

Some platforms may do the job, but they may take more steps, which may not deliver the efficiency you want after you buy.

After testing, don’t choose software based on its user interface.

Make a basic list of what you need and compare it with what you did in the trial.

Consider:

Before making your final choice, consider support, security, pricing, and scalability.

Real-world task testing of catalog management software can help you make an informed purchase decision. Don’t rely only on what they feature on their website; test it with your catalog structure and workflow.

The trial stage should demonstrate that the software will save time, keep product information organized, assist your team, and accommodate expansion. Before deciding, test these areas to avoid choosing a system that looks ideal in the demo but is hard to manage in the real world.