Architectures for modern product catalogs

Whenever we open a product catalog, we expect instant access to accurate, localized, and detailed product information, and this is no exception for B2B manufacturing products, whether sourcing wire processing equipment, technical components, building materials, or lighting systems across global markets.

But for many manufacturers, delivering on that expectation remains a challenge.

Most product catalogs are built on outdated architecture. In fact, our State of Content Management Report found that 86% of manufacturers believe their CMS is holding them back from fully leveraging their content and data. Even more striking, 95% rely on custom middleware just to bridge fragmented systems like CMS, PIM, DAM, and other SaaS tools.

These numbers point to a deeper issue: your architecture isn’t just underperforming, it’s getting in the way of growth.

#From printed pages to structured content

For decades, manufacturers relied on printed catalogs or static PDFs to present product information. These formats served their purpose in the pre-digital era—and to some extent, they still do. However, they’ve become just one of many starting points, and producing a brochure now creates significant overhead when the same information is also needed on the website, dealer portal, customer portal, and more. That’s why, today, these formats have become more of a bottleneck than a solution.

While some companies have taken steps to digitize their catalogs, often using flipbooks or downloadable files, these formats still fall short. They're hard to search, painful to navigate, and impossible to update once shared. At best, they mimic the look of a catalog without improving the underlying experience.

A truly modern catalog is more than a digitized brochure. It’s a fully structured, data-driven system that centralizes product information and delivers it consistently across websites, dealer portals, and digital touchpoints.

But making that leap requires more than surface-level changes.

Most manufacturers still rely on legacy architectures that were never designed to support modern digital demands. These systems:

• Scatter product data across disconnected platforms like ERP, PIM, CMS, and DAM
• Require manual effort or IT resources to make even small updates
• Duplicate work across markets and languages, increasing the risk of inconsistency
• Deliver slow, outdated experiences for users, especially on mobile or when accessing detailed technical assets

And critically, traditional CMSs often lack the structured data capabilities to manage complex catalogs effectively. Product specs, CAD files, and regulatory documentation end up buried in static pages or shared drives, hard to update and even harder to reuse.

From the buyer’s side, this means long searches, unclear specifications, and frustrating quote processes. From the manufacturer’s side, it means slow time-to-market, poor data governance, and rising operational costs.

That’s where modern product catalog architecture comes in. By embracing structured content and composable systems, manufacturers can finally meet both internal and external demands, offering faster updates, consistent product data, and a far more intuitive experience for engineers, procurement teams, and distributors alike.

#Why architecture matters

Much like eCommerce stacks have evolved from all-in-one platforms to modular, API-first ecosystems, product catalogs now demand a similar transformation.

Legacy, slash monolithic systems that try to do it all, can no longer keep pace. They’re often inflexible, tightly coupled, and force content and product teams to work around outdated workflows.

In contrast, composable architectures embrace modularity. Specialized tools like a PIM for product data, a CMS for content modeling, and a DAM for assets work together via APIs. This approach enables:

• Structured product content that’s easy to update and reuse
• Localization and translation workflows for global markets
• Omnichannel delivery (websites, partner portals, apps)
• Clean integration with existing business systems

It’s a future-proof model that lets manufacturers scale without starting from scratch.

#What a modern catalog architecture looks like (without eCommerce)

Not every manufacturer sells directly online, but that doesn’t mean product catalog complexity is any lower. Even in non-eCommerce scenarios, a robust digital catalog is the foundation for:

• Helping users explore technical product variations
• Surfacing relevant CAD files and documentation
• Connecting leads with the right distributor

A composable architecture for such catalogs typically includes:

• Headless CMS: Controls presentation and enables structured content modeling
• PIM: Central hub for product data (SKUs, specs, variants)
• DAM: Stores images, manuals, certifications, and videos
• ERP: Supplies inventory or business-critical data
• Integration Layer (e.g., GraphQL): Connects the systems via API and federates the data

This decoupled setup allows content teams to pull in product data and enrich it with editorial content, without duplicating or manually copying across systems.

#Architecture in action: highlights from the field

Komax Group, the wire processing manufacturer, had relied on a tightly coupled CMS where even simple updates required agency intervention.

By adopting a modular architecture with Hygraph as their CMS and a GraphQL integration layer to unify data from PIM and other systems, Komax transformed their digital experience:

• Product data is federated into the CMS in real time.
• Pages are built using reusable components.
• Load times dropped up to 70%.
• Content updates are 2–3x faster, without needing developers.

Here’s what they’ve done right with the architecture:

1. Broke free from legacy constraints

Komax’s previous setup was built on a monolithic Sitecore CMS, tightly coupled, hard to scale, and dependent on agency support for even the smallest changes. Content updates were slow, editorial workflows were clunky, and product data lived in silos across multiple disconnected systems. Moving away from this setup means that they reduced reliance on legacy infrastructure and gained the flexibility to evolve their tech stack over time.

2. Embrace a composable approach

A composable architecture allows you to build your stack with best-of-breed systems, each focused on what it does best, connected seamlessly via APIs. Rather than forcing a CMS to act like a PIM (or the other way around), you can assign the right responsibilities to the right tools. This not only avoids redundancy, but also enables content and product data to flow efficiently between systems. Teams can fetch up-to-date information in real time, streamline content creation, and reduce the overhead of managing disconnected platforms.

3. Decouple the frontend

Previously, Komax Group’s website and customer portal were built on separate, tightly integrated frontends running on Sitecore, making development and maintenance slow and inflexible. With the new architecture, they’ve adopted a unified Nuxt 3 frontend that fetches data from multiple sources via API. This includes Hygraph as the headless CMS and a GraphQL integration layer that pulls in product data from systems like their PIM. By decoupling the frontend from backend platforms, Komax now delivers a faster, more flexible experience while simplifying development and scaling across touchpoints.

Komax’s website after the replatform

4. Choose systems that prioritize user experience

Due to the fierce nature of competition and the more complicated processes, it is crucial to consider how to ensure that there are no technical barriers for the user and that the experience matches their expectations. Your tech stack should eliminate friction. Every system you choose should support a seamless, intuitive experience that aligns with what users expect today.

#Final thoughts

Modern product catalogs are no longer just digital brochures, they're dynamic, structured systems that power every touchpoint across the buyer journey. Whether you're serving engineers, procurement teams, or distributors, the ability to deliver accurate, up-to-date product information quickly and consistently is no longer optional.

Getting there starts with the right architecture.

With Hygraph as your headless CMS, you can structure product content once and deliver it anywhere—websites, portals, apps, and beyond. No more bottlenecks, no more workarounds. Just a flexible, scalable foundation that grows with your needs. Discover how Hygraph enables manufacturers to create smarter product catalogs.