How ShowCato Works
Selling with ShowCato takes four steps: add products, share a link, the buyer selects, and you receive the quotation.
ShowCato sits between your product range and your buyers. You keep all your products in one place. Then you send each buyer a private link with just the products you want them to see.
The buyer does the selecting. ShowCato does the maths. You get a finished quotation instead of a long chat full of photos, product codes and "how much for 50 pieces?".
The four steps
- Add your products. Upload photos with name, price and details. Group them into categories and collections.
- Share a catalog link. Pick the products and the buyer, set how long the link works, and send it on WhatsApp or email.
- The buyer selects. The buyer opens the link, browses, chooses products, options and quantities, and taps Get Quotation.
- You receive the quotation. A PDF quotation is created at once. The buyer sends it to you on WhatsApp or email, and it is saved in your Enquiries inbox.
Each step in more detail
Step 1: Add your products
Every product belongs to a category, such as "Shirts" or "Bangles". You can also put products into collections, such as "Diwali 2025" or "New Arrivals". Collections make it quick to pick a group of products when you create a link.
You add products one at a time, or many at once from an Excel or CSV file. Sizes and colours can be added as variants. Jewellers can price products from daily metal rates with formula pricing.
- Categories and Collections
- Products, Variants and Bulk Upload
Step 2: Share a catalog link
Open Shared Catalog and click Share Catalog. Choose who the link is for, tick the products, and set the expiry. Links can last from 1 hour up to 30 days (720 hours).
Each link has its own settings. You can hide prices, add a discount, add a note, or ask the buyer to verify who they are. Changing one link never changes your other links.
Step 3: The buyer selects
The buyer taps the link on their phone or computer. There is no app to install and no account to create. They browse by category, open products, pick options such as size or colour, and enter quantities if you allow it.
When they are ready, they tap Get Quotation and confirm. The total already includes your discount and GST settings.
Step 4: You receive the quotation
The enquiry is saved in your Enquiries inbox as soon as the buyer confirms. The buyer then sends the quotation to you by WhatsApp or email, or downloads the PDF.
Open the enquiry to see the buyer, the products, the options, the quantities and the grand total. Reply on WhatsApp or email straight from the enquiry.
The enquiry is in your inbox even if the buyer never presses send in WhatsApp. Check Enquiries every day, not only your chats.
A real example
Ramesh runs a shirt manufacturing unit in Ahmedabad. He sells to about 40 retailers across Gujarat.
- He uploads 60 new shirt designs into the category "Shirts", with sizes S to XXL as options. He puts them in a collection called "Summer 2025".
- He creates a link for his retailer in Rajkot. He picks the "Summer 2025" collection, adds a 5% discount and sets the link to expire in 3 days.
- The retailer opens the link that evening. He chooses 12 designs, picks sizes and enters 20 pieces of each. He taps Get Quotation.
- Ramesh opens Enquiries the next morning. The quotation lists every design, size and quantity with GST and the total. He replies on WhatsApp to confirm delivery.
No photos were forwarded one by one. No one typed product codes. The Rajkot retailer never saw the prices Ramesh gives his other buyers.
Who does what
| Who | What they do |
|---|---|
| You, the seller | Add products and buyers, create links, reply to enquiries |
| Your buyer | Opens the link, chooses products and quantities, taps Get Quotation |
| ShowCato | Shows the catalog, works out prices, discount and GST, creates the PDF and saves the enquiry |
What makes it different
- No app for buyers. Links open in any browser.
- One link per buyer. Each link has its own products, prices, discount and expiry.
- Private by default. Links expire, can be stopped any time, and can ask the buyer to verify who they are.
- Quotations, not chats. Orders arrive as clean PDFs with items, quantities, GST and totals.
- You see interest. Buyer analytics shows what each buyer viewed and selected.
- Forward 50 photos on WhatsApp, one after another
- The buyer replies "send price of 3rd, 7th and 12th"
- Old prices stay in the buyer's chat for months
- You type the quotation by hand
- No idea which designs the buyer liked
- Send one link with all 50 products
- The buyer selects and taps Get Quotation
- The link expires, so old prices stop showing
- The quotation is ready with GST and totals
- Analytics shows what the buyer viewed and selected
Private links in practice
A link stops working when its expiry time passes or when you deactivate it. The buyer then sees an expired page with your contact details, and no products.
For extra safety, turn on verification. The buyer must enter an email or mobile number that matches your buyer list. After 3 wrong tries, the link is locked for 1 hour. See Security & Privacy.
Seeing buyer interest
Every link records its visits. You can see how long the buyer stayed, which products they viewed and which they selected. Products a buyer selected but did not send are a good reason to follow up. See Buyer Analytics.
Common mistakes
- Sending one link to everyone. Make a separate link for each important buyer. You get separate analytics and can give each buyer their own discount.
- Very long expiry on changing prices. If your prices change often, use a short expiry and send a fresh link.
- Only checking WhatsApp. Some buyers confirm the quotation but do not send it. It is still saved in Enquiries.
- Products without photos. Buyers choose by looking. Add clear photos to every product you share.
Next steps
- Quick Start: create your account and first link
- What Buyers See: the link from your buyer's side
- Enquiries: working through your quotations