E-Catalogs: A New Marketing Tool forTaiwan Electronics Industry Buyers and Sellers.

The purpose of this study is to derive baseline statistics from a sample of Taiwan electronics companies, particularly information about the usage of traditional paper catalogs versus the emerging electronic or Internet based catalogs. The baseline study compares paper catalogs to website catalogs (e-catalogs) for the Taiwan computer and peripherals manufacturing industry but also looks at the usage and content of paper catalogs by manufacturers of portable computers or laptops, personal digital assistants, and electrical computer cables and connectors. Comprehensive catalog content information was collected using Internet searches, factory site visits, phone interviews, and mail-out requests for paper product catalogs. The paper catalogs and web-sites were analyzed using code sheets by a team of two analysts that double checked each other’s evaluations. The taxonomy of products was studied across five classification systems, as well as across local trade show classifications and association standards. As a result, this study identifies some of the problems with implementing Internet based catalogs and provides recommendations for promoting the use of generic e-catalog content to better expose prospective buyers to the items offered for sale by Taiwan electronics manufacturers.