Learn how to simplify your process of making your catalog interactive by automating the integration of videos, product tags, pop-frames, and slideshows in your digital flipbooks.
Overview
For companies managing large-scale digital content, manual integration of interactive elements creates operational inefficiencies and consistency challenges. Instead of spending hours manually integrating interactive elements into your flipbook, you can now automate this entire process through data feeds.
Table of contents
Available interactivity elements
Key benefits
- Operational Efficiency – Reduce the time spent manually embedding multimedia elements.
- Consistency Across Publications – Ensure branding, product data, and interactive elements remain uniform.
- Seamless Data Synchronization – Update multimedia elements in real-time by syncing with a centralized data source.
- Improved Buyer Engagement – Make your digital catalogs more interactive, improving conversion rates.
Use Cases
B2B Sales & Digital Catalogs
A sales team utilizes automated product tags, slideshows, and interactive buttons to present real-time product catalogs with up-to-date pricing and availability.
E-Commerce & Wholesale Distributors
A wholesale distributor streamlines catalog updates by adding product tags, eliminating the need for manual redesigns.
Marketing & Branding Teams
A marketing team improves interactive storytelling by embedding automated multimedia elements into brand catalogs, brochures, and digital sales presentations.
Requirements:
- Plan: Enterprise
- Ideal for company size: Mid-market and Enterprise
- Data product spreadsheet
Schedule a consultation with our product experts for personalized assistance
Which multimedia elements can you automate?
You can improve your digital catalogs and flipbooks with a variety of interactive elements. Automating these interactions saves time, provides consistency across your publications, and streamlines updates whenever product details change.
Instead of adding interactive elements manually, you can automate the integration of the following elements in your flipbooks:
- Product Tags – Quick insights about a product, such as its category, features, or promotional status.
- Pop-up Frames – Additional product information, embedded videos, or interactive content (requires an iframe code).
- Slideshows – Multiple product images or variations (up to 10 images per slideshow).
- Shopping Lists – Interactive purchase buttons that transform digital catalogs into sales channels.
- Videos – Embed product demos, tutorials, or promotional videos directly into your catalog to provide an immersive shopping experience.
Step-by-Step Guide
1. Create the CSV for your multimedia elements
By setting up a simple CSV or XLSX file in Google Sheets, or a similar program you can automate the entire process in just a few steps.
We recommend creating or importing the datasheet for elements, directly in Google Spreadsheet, because it will be easier to update later on if you do any changes.
Note: For images, all URLs must be placed in the same cell of your feed, separated by semicolons (;). If you encounter difficulty finding the correct URL for your images, you can upload them directly to the Design Studio, hover over the image, and select Copy Link to retrieve the URL. Additionally, you can include up to 10 images per slideshow and up to 3 images per product tag or shopping list.
Here is an example of how a spreadsheet can look like:
Important: Your spreadsheet must have a column with a valid SKU so Flipsnack can connect to it.
If you haven’t prepared a spreadsheet, you can download and customize one of our pre-made templates to include the necessary information.
Note: You can include multiple interactive elements in a single CSV file by organizing them into separate columns or choose to automate just one, depending on your needs. This flexible approach allows you to manage various interactions in one feed, ensuring a structured, efficient, and easily updatable workflow.
Step 2: Upload your data
On the main dashboard, go to Automation, on the bottom left side, click on Import feed.
You have two options: Upload CSV file or Google Drive.
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After you click, the preferred option, you will have the option to download our pre-mapped templates, if you download them you will get the Simple Product Feed and Variant-Rich Product Feed in the same folder. As a starting point, we recommend using our sample file for simple product feed, if you don’t already have the spreadsheet prepared.
For this example, I will connect to my Google Drive, because it will be easier to update it later on if I make any changes to my spreadsheet if needed.
Click on the Connect Google Drive. You will have to log in to your account. From your account, you can pick your spreadsheet and wait until it's getting imported.
After the upload is complete, the mapping modal will open, called Set unique ID, allowing you to connect your spreadsheet with our platform.
If your columns have the same names as those in the mapping modal and also in the demo template, they will be mapped automatically.
If not, for example, if you have "Product tag" instead of "Description," you will need to map it manually so it can make the connection between your feed and our platform.
Important: It’s mandatory to have a valid column with the SKU in the spreadsheet because that is how it will help to sync your catalog ig have any changes. If it’s not valid an error will appear.
After you make sure, that the feed columns are properly mapped, click on Save Changes.
Then, go back to the Home page, and from Flipbooks, choose the catalog in which you want to add the products or start one from scratch in Flipsnack, after Click on the Edit button, on the left side of the flipbook card.
For this guide, I uploaded a PDF catalog.
After that, on the left-hand side, you will see the Automation section with a list of all the elements you've added to your spreadsheet.
Next, you need to pick the interaction you put in the spreadsheet, from the Side Navigation bar on the left side, click on Interactions.
Step 3. Add the interactions
Now, you must pick the interaction you put in the spreadsheet, from the Side Navigation bar on the left side.
For example, you can add a product tag next to the product, select de product tag, and click on Connect to feed on the upper right side. A mapping modal will appear.
Map the element to the corresponding column in your data feed and select the specific information you want to display in the product tag. After that, click on Save Changes.
Tip: You can use Ctrl+D on Windows or Cmd+D on Mac. A duplicated product tag will already be connected to the feed.
Return to your spreadsheet in the Automation tab drag and drop the elements over the specific product tag. They will connect automatically if mapped correctly.
Click on the Preview button in the upper-right corner to test your catalog.
The same process goes for the other elements as well
If you need to update any information regarding one of the multimedia elements, simply open your spreadsheet from Google Drive, make the necessary changes, and use the synchronize option for the changes to apply.
Next steps
Useful resources
Take your digital content strategy to the next level with data-driven insights and best practices to improve your processes:
- Prepare your spreadsheet for Flipsnack automation
- Automation for product variants
- How to create a product catalog using the Product Catalog Generator
- How to use synchronization for Automation in Flipsnack
- How to create product catalogs from scratch using a product feed
- How to turn your PDFs into shoppable catalogs and automate the process
Need expert support?
Our team is here to help. Connect with our team experts or message us via the in-app chat for personalized assistance.