Everything you need to know about public catalogues on ShipServ

Public catalogues expose Suppliers' products and services to buyers globally. They not only provide exposure but can also be used to make Trade simpler and quicker.
Catalogues ensure buyers have clear visibility of what is on offer and support common time-consuming workflows such as consolidation of IHM documents. They're fully functional with the ability to 'add to cart' to export for usage in requisitions, RFQs and purchase orders.
✅ Public catalogues are available to all Suppliers - get in touch!
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Buyers have complete flexibility on how they access your catalogues, whether it's through our website or directly in their system!
Product Search
Similar to Supplier Search the Product Search allows Buyers worldwide to search across products from all suppliers. Buyers can source new suppliers based on their assortment and add products to their cart to aid with creating RFQs and Orders.
Digital Storefront (Supplier Profile) Catalogues
Buyers can view your assortment directly in your Supplier Profile offering a single location to buyers to get both your company information and product availability. Just like Product Search, Buyers can add products to their cart to use for RFQs and Orders.
With Supplier Profiles being optimised for Search Engines (e.g. Google) your catalogues will get in front of buyers searching across the web.
Buyer Systems (Coming Soon…)
With our APIs Buyers can integrate their systems, from ERPs to IHM document repositories, with your assortments, facilitating everything from quicker trade with higher quality RFQs through to more direct orders.
Vessel Catalogues (Coming Soon…)
With our on vessel solution and APIs, buyers can access your assortment directly from vessel to streamline requisitioning and transition more spending directly from the vessel.
Note: If you're unsure of whether you have catalogues included in your subscription, speak with your account manager.
Manual Upload
To upload or update your catalogue, simply download the template below and once populated, send it to support@shipserv.com or through our live chat.
See below for what data is currently supported and the minimum requirements.
Integrate with your Product Data (Coming soon…)
If you already have a database (e.g. PIM) with your product data, you can integrate ShipServ to upload and manage via our API.
The below table details the minimum data requirements and other additional data supported. The richer your product specification the more value it will have to buyers.
Minimum Requirements
All products must include the following information.
Name |
Description |
Product Name |
This is how your product will be displayed to buyers (125 chars) |
Unit of Measure |
This is how your product will be supplied. Click here to see all supported values. |
Supplier Part Number |
Sometimes referred to as the 'Vendor Part Number', 'Product Code' or 'SKU' is the unique identifier by which you as the supplier recognise this product (80 chars) |
Classification |
This is the categorisation of your products. Minimum classification methods are UNSPSC or IMPA. |
Additional Supported Data
There is a variety of additional data that can be included within your product specifications. The richer your data the better it supports Buyers and their use cases; from sourcing, trading to IHM document management.
Data type |
Examples |
General information |
Product description, lead time and hazardous indication |
Catalogue Classifications |
IMPA, ISSA, EAN, UPC and UNSPSC |
Brand Information |
Manufacturer and Mfr Part Number |
Pricing |
Currency and Unit Price |
Media |
Product Image, Spec Sheet, Materials Declaration, Supplier Declaration of Compliance, etc… |
Click below for the full list of all data supported and formats.
Product Data Enhancements
We're continually improving the level of data supported, such as enhancements on availability and pricing (e.g., volume and locale-based pricing) as well as support for attributes specific to a product category (e.g. capacity in the case of lifeboats).
If there's data not yet supported that's important to you, let us know!
We'll soon be releasing the ability for you to add and edit your products directly on ShipServ.com giving you the ability to maintain your catalogues without the need to speak to one of our ShipMates.