Build Your Catalog
Add products and services to your Catalog, manage item statuses, understand plan limits, and get discovered by buyers browsing Discover before they post a request.
What you'll learn
- Add products and services to your Catalog with complete information
- Manage item statuses from draft through to active and back
- Understand how plan limits control how many items you can publish
- Get discovered by buyers in Discover through well-categorized catalog items
Most supplier relationships on any procurement platform start because the buyer already knows the supplier. The Catalog changes that. When a buyer opens the Discover section of VEXORS to research the market before posting a request, they see catalog listings from suppliers in the relevant category. A complete, well-described catalog item puts your company in front of buyers who do not yet know you exist.
Why this matters
Responding to open requests is reactive, you wait for a buyer to post something and then compete for it. A catalog listing is proactive. Buyers browsing Discover are in the research phase: they are trying to understand what is available and who the credible suppliers are before they commit to a request format. Being visible at that stage means you may receive a direct invitation to a request you would otherwise never have heard about.
When to use the Catalog
You sell standardised products or services
You supply HVAC equipment across a defined range of models. Instead of waiting for an RFQ, you can add each major product line to your Catalog with descriptions, images, and pricing guidance. Buyers researching HVAC suppliers in Discover see your listings alongside your company profile. This gives them enough information to invite you to their next procurement before they write the RFQ.
| Type of offering | Use Catalog for | How it helps |
|---|---|---|
| Standard goods | Each product line or SKU category with model references and spec details. | Buyers can verify that your range matches what they need before sending an invitation. |
| Recurring services | Named service packages (maintenance contract, audit service, managed logistics, etc.). | Buyers researching service providers in your category discover you before they write an RFP. |
| Custom or project work | Your capability areas and past project types rather than specific products. | Demonstrates scope and credibility even when you do not have a standard price list. |
Before you start
- Have a clear title and description for each item ready before clicking Add Product. Vague titles like "Electrical supplies" do not help buyers understand what you offer.
- Know which category each item belongs to. Category is how Discover filters items, and an item in the wrong category will not appear for the buyers who need it.
- Prepare images if you have them. Items with images attract more buyer attention in Discover than text-only listings.
- Know your plan limit. The number of items you can publish simultaneously depends on your plan.
Adding and managing items
Open your Catalog and click Add Product
Go to Catalog in the sidebar. The tabs across the top, All, Active, Draft, and Inactive, show you the current state of your listings. Click Add Product to create a new item.
The item sheet opens with fields for the title, description, category, item type (good or service), images, and pricing information.
Fill in the item details
Each item requires a title and category. Everything else adds value:
- Title: be specific. "DN200 Steel Pipe ASTM A53 Grade B" is a better title than "Steel pipe" because it answers the buyer's first three screening questions in one line.
- Category: choose the most specific category that fits. This is what buyers use to filter Discover. A wrong or overly broad category means your item does not appear for the right searches.
- Item type: select Good for a physical product and Service for a service offering. This affects how buyers filter and compare results.
- Description: explain what the item is, what specifications it meets, and what buyers typically use it for. Write for a procurement manager who knows what they need but is evaluating multiple suppliers.
- Pricing information: optional but useful. You can indicate a pricing range or typical unit cost so buyers can gauge fit before reaching out.
- Images: add at least one image for goods. Buyers compare listings visually, and an item without an image reads as less developed than one that has one.
Buyers can see your catalog item in Discover but never see your email address. All contact happens through the platform, invitation, Chat, or direct message.
Set the item status
Every new item starts as a Draft — only your company can see it. Every item you create counts toward your plan's catalog limit.
When the item is complete and you are ready to make it visible to buyers, switch it to Active. It will appear in Discover immediately for buyers filtering by that category.
If you need to temporarily hide an item without deleting it, set it to Inactive. Inactive items are hidden from buyers but remain in your Catalog so you can reactivate them later.
Status Visible to buyers Counts toward limit Active Yes, appears in Discover search results. Yes. Draft No, only your company can see it. Yes. Inactive No, hidden from Discover. Yes. Your plan limit applies to every catalog item you have. To add more, delete an item or upgrade.
How many catalog items you can have
The number of catalog items you can have depends on your plan:
Explore Up to 3 catalog items at any time.
Grow Up to 20 catalog items at any time.
Scale Unlimited catalog items.
If you reach your limit, delete an item you no longer need or upgrade your plan.
Bulk import from CSV
Scale Importing many items at once from a CSV file is available on the Scale plan. This is useful when you have an existing product list you want to bring across all at once rather than adding items one by one. The import maps your spreadsheet columns to the catalog item fields and flags any rows that need correction before they are created.
How Discover works for buyers
When a buyer opens Discover and searches for a category, they see supplier listings sorted by relevance. Your catalog items appear as individual cards showing the item title, type, and category. Clicking through takes them to your company profile and the full catalog listing.
A buyer who finds your catalog listing in Discover can then send you a direct invitation to a request, connect with your company, or reach out via the platform's direct message. All of this happens without either party sharing their email address directly.
A buyer researching structural steel suppliers in Discover sees a grid of catalog listings. Your company appears if you have at least one Active item in the structural steel category. They see your company logo, your item title, and your item type. Clicking through shows them your full company profile alongside the catalog listing, including your Trust Score and Verified badge if you have one. If the listing answers their questions, they have a button to invite you to their next request directly from the page.
What good looks like
- One well-described item in the right category beats ten vague items spread across broad categories. Buyers filter by category first. An item in the wrong category is invisible to the buyers who need it.
- Keep Active items current. An item describing a product you no longer offer or a service you have discontinued creates friction when a buyer contacts you based on it. Set it to Inactive rather than leaving stale listings live.
- Use Unpublished for items you are still building out. A partially-described item set to Active can undermine your credibility. Polish it in Unpublished first.
- Add categories to your company profile that match your catalog items. Buyers see both your catalog and your company profile. If your catalog says "structural steel" but your company profile lists no categories, the profile reads as incomplete.
- Images matter more than you might expect. A catalog listing with a clear product image performs substantially better in Discover than a text-only listing.
Next steps
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