What is a catalog assistant, and why does your business need one?

A catalog assistant is an artificial intelligence tool that takes your product list — prices, stock, and specs — and lets you query it in plain language, as if you were asking an expert salesperson who knows the entire inventory by heart.

How it works, step by step

• You upload your catalog (usually an Excel file) and documents with your policies.
• The AI processes that information and understands it.
• You or your customers ask questions in natural language through a chat channel.
• The assistant answers instantly, using only your information.

What makes it different from a search box

A search box returns rows that match a keyword. A catalog assistant understands intent: "something comfortable for the office under $300" turns into concrete suggestions with price and availability — and it can even explain your warranty policy if you uploaded it.

Who it is for

Any business with a catalog and repetitive inquiries: wholesalers, distributors, furniture stores, auto parts shops, specialty retailers. If your team wastes time looking up prices, or your customers ask the same things all day, a catalog assistant pays for itself quickly.

Why you need it

Because your business information is trapped in files and in the heads of a few people. A catalog assistant sets it free and puts it to work answering for you, on the channels where your team and your customers already are. That is exactly what Vendilo does.