MARSHAL / PRACTICAL GUIDE
Updated
How to plan a parts catalogue buyers can actually search.
A parts catalogue has to answer a harder question than “does this look good?” A buyer needs to know whether the item fits the job. Start with the information they use to find and check a part, then decide how they should ask for it. The Falcon International website is a real Marshal client example of catalogue browsing, bike-fitment search and dealer sign-up.
Inspect the Falcon catalogue and fitment example ↗A practical guide from Marshal Studios. Explore the linked project examples and use the checklist for your own brief.
Give buyers more than one way to find a part
A returning buyer may know a part code. Someone else may know only the vehicle and the part category. Plan a direct search route and a way to narrow the catalogue by the attributes your customers actually know. In the Falcon reference, the vehicle route offers bike-model choices. For another catalogue, machine model, dimensions or an industry specification may be more useful.
Separate the product record from its compatibility records
A part can fit more than one vehicle. Keep its identifier, name and images in a product record, and list supported vehicle combinations separately. The sample below is an illustrative data structure, not Falcon inventory. Decide how variants, model years and alternatives are recorded before importing a full spreadsheet. Treat an unknown match as unknown; a similar photograph is not fitment evidence.
Make an enquiry identify the item
If your team confirms availability or trade terms, a catalogue can end with an enquiry. Include the product identifier and selected variant or fitment in the message so the buyer does not have to explain which item they meant. Ask only for the details your team needs to answer. Decide who receives the enquiry and how an unanswered one is noticed.
Decide what is public and what needs dealer access
A dealer sign-up page is only the start of an account workflow. Write down who approves applications, which information an approved account can see and what happens when access is removed. If prices or trade terms are restricted, the underlying system must enforce that restriction. Hiding a field on a screen is not an access rule. The Falcon guest preview demonstrates browsing; it does not demonstrate private account permissions.
Show enough product information to make the next step sensible
Agree which details belong on the product page: part identifier, category, images, supported fitment, relevant dimensions and any verified instructions. State availability or price only when there is a maintained source for it. For an item that needs human confirmation, make that next step clear rather than presenting an incomplete checkout.
Assign someone to keep the catalogue correct
Record who can add a product, correct compatibility, replace a photograph and retire an item. Decide whether the website and app read from the same catalogue or separate copies. A frozen portfolio preview is useful for showing an interface; a live catalogue needs an update process. Put a small real sample through that process before scaling it.
Test the awkward searches before launch
Try a known part code, a misspelling, a vehicle with several matching items and a vehicle with no confirmed matches. Check that filters can be cleared and that an enquiry preserves the selected item. Have the catalogue owner verify the results. These checks assess the planned site; they are not a promise about every feature of the Falcon reference.
A small sample data sheet to bring to a developer
| Record | Illustrative fields | Check with the catalogue owner |
|---|---|---|
| Product | Internal ID, part code, name, category, image reference | Is the part code unique? Which field do buyers actually search? |
| Variant | Product ID, variant code, dimension or other distinguishing attribute | Can two similar-looking variants be told apart? |
| Fitment | Product or variant ID, vehicle make, model, confirmed year or version | Who verified the match, and what should happen when it is uncertain? |
| Enquiry | Selected product ID, variant, buyer contact and question | Can the receiving team identify the item without another round of messages? |
| Maintenance | Update owner, record status and last verified date | Who corrects a stale record and removes an obsolete product? |
Before we start
Do I need online checkout for a B2B catalogue?
Only if the business can complete the intended order online. If fitment, availability or trade terms require confirmation, a clear catalogue enquiry may be the more useful first release.
Can one catalogue support a website and app?
It can be planned that way. Agree the source of product data, update process and access rules before estimating the second surface. Two screens do not automatically mean two independent catalogues.
LET’S MAKE IT
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