This series uses Dingli, a Patisco demo account. Every system screen and all the data shown here came from real operations in the system, including the exchanges between buyers and suppliers; they are not mock-ups. The people and dialogue are dramatized, and the illustrations are for illustration only. Screens are shown in the system's Chinese interface; Patisco is also available in English and other languages.
In the story: three weeks before the trade show, Monday
Three things blow up at once
Monday morning, three calls come in within ten minutes.
The printer: "The catalog absolutely has to be final this Friday, or we can't get it on the press." (Same line last year. Same Friday, too.)
The show organizer: "We still haven't received the file for your booth stand."
Chairman Lin leans out of his office: "This year, do separate price lists for Europe, the US, and Japan. Not like last year."
What happened last year? Last year there was just one price list, in US dollars. A Japanese customer at the booth took out a phone, converted to yen on the calculator, and when the math was done, frowned slightly. Chairman Lin still remembers that frown.
How it used to go
Before every show, Dingli has three jobs to do, and every year they start from zero.
Printing the catalog. Pull the content together from Excel and photos, hand it to the design firm for layout, proofread, print. From the moment it's printed, the prices and specs inside start going out of date. When the show ends, the warehouse corner gains two boxes of catalogs nobody handed out.
Making the price lists. One for Europe, one for the US, one for Japan, each with its own currency, prices, and trading terms. Three Excel files, each edited separately, each converted to PDF separately.
The sample list. Which samples to bring, and whether the models and prices line up. A-Mei sticks a handwritten label on every sample. By the second day of the show, one has fallen off.
How it goes in Patisco
This year Dingli didn't do less. But each job gets done only once.
Make one "Trade Show Samples" catalog.
In [Product Catalog Pages], add a new catalog with only the products going to this show. The [Banner] at the top features the new cassette, and the display style and brand color follow Dingli's settings. The sample list and the catalog are the same data, so they can't disagree.
For this catalog, Dingli turned [Show prices to buyers] off. Most people at a show are new faces, and the right price depends on who they are and how much they want. Let them look at the products first.
Price lists: one region, one public page.
A public page is a way into your catalog for people who don't have an account yet. It opens with no sign-up. Each public page is tied to one set of trading terms and one language, so for everyday use Dingli opened three:
- English, euro prices, for Europe;
- English, US dollar prices, for the US;
- Japanese, yen prices, for Japan.
For the show, Dingli opens one more, a "Trade Show Samples" public page carrying the catalog with no prices, with the mode set to [Can inquire]. Visitors can see products and specs, add what interests them to the cart, and send an inquiry directly. The price comes later, once Dingli has seen who's asking and how much they want.
Public pages have three modes to choose from: [Infer from trading terms], [Can inquire], and [Can order]. Whether prices show is decided separately, by the catalog's [Show prices to buyers]. Dingli sets the two together.
The link goes on business cards and the booth stand.
The "Trade Show Samples" public page link is turned into a QR code and printed on the back of the business cards and on the booth stand. When visitors get back to their hotels, what they open is today's data, not something printed three weeks ago.
Do they still print a catalog?
Yes, but only a thin brand brochure, with no prices. Prices and specs change, so they live online. The brand story and factory photos don't change much, so they go on paper.
A-Mei looks over this year's printing quote. "Half the printing. That warehouse corner can finally hold something else."
Chairman Lin: "Hold what?"
A-Mei: ". . . My stuff." She doesn't say anything more.
Before vs. with Patisco
| Before | With Patisco | |
|---|---|---|
| Catalog | Re-laid out and reprinted every year, out of date once printed | Online catalog updated anytime; print only what doesn't change |
| Regional price lists | Three Excel files, each edited and converted to PDF separately | Three public pages, each tied to its own trading terms and language; one more for the show, with no prices |
| Sample list | Handwritten labels, a separate data set from the price list | A "Trade Show Samples" catalog, the same data as the product records |
| Customer wants another look after the show | Dig out that catalog (if it hasn't been thrown away) | Scan the QR on the business card and see the latest data |
A word for the boss: Spend your trade show money on the booth and the people, not on redoing the same price lists every year.
The real-world backdrop: A new generation of buyers tends to look things over online and finish a round of comparisons before they ever ask for a price. The question heard most on the show floor, more and more, is "Are your products all online?"