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## Resource: Introduction

## Article: About Catalog

## Article Link: https://dev.wix.com/docs/api-reference/business-solutions/e-commerce/catalogs/introduction.md

## Article Content:

# About Catalogs

Catalogs organize and manage sellable items within the Wix eCommerce platform. These catalog items move through the [purchase flow](https://dev.wix.com/docs/rest/business-solutions/e-commerce/purchase-flow/introduction.md) when customers add them to carts and proceed to checkout. The platform supports multiple approaches to catalog management, from built-in solutions to external integrations, each suited to different business requirements and technical constraints.

This section covers:

- **[Catalog and custom items](https://dev.wix.com/docs/rest/business-solutions/e-commerce/catalogs/catalog-and-custom-items.md)**: Compare item types, understand when to use catalog items versus custom items, and learn about implementation patterns.
- **[Catalog service plugin](https://dev.wix.com/docs/rest/business-solutions/e-commerce/catalogs/catalog-service-plugin/introduction.md)**: Integrate external catalog systems with the Wix eCommerce platform for dynamic item management and real-time updates.
- **[Inventory service plugin](https://dev.wix.com/docs/rest/business-solutions/e-commerce/catalogs/inventory-service-plugin/introduction.md)**: Implement unified inventory management across different business verticals and catalog providers.

## Catalog approaches

Choose the approach that best fits your technical requirements and business model:

+ **Built-in catalogs**: Wix business solutions like [Stores](https://support.wix.com/en/article/wix-stores-about-wix-stores), [Bookings](https://support.wix.com/en/article/wix-bookings-about-wix-bookings), and [Restaurants](https://support.wix.com/en/article/wix-restaurants-an-overview) provide preconfigured catalog functionality. Use those when existing solutions meet your needs.
+ **External catalog integration**: Connect external item repositories through the Catalog and Inventory service plugins for real-time synchronization, custom business logic, and [item variant handling](https://dev.wix.com/docs/rest/business-solutions/e-commerce/catalogs/catalog-service-plugin/handle-item-variants.md). Implement if you are [developing a business solution](https://dev.wix.com/docs/rest/business-solutions/e-commerce/get-started/apps/build-a-business-solution.md) that relies on real-time updates for item details, availability, and pricing.
+ **Direct item processing**: Handle items directly in eCommerce flows without maintaining a persistent catalog. Use for 1-off, non-physical, or unlimited items for which you don't need inventory tracking, real-time dynamic item updates, or catalog-based management.

## See also

- [About Purchase Flow](https://dev.wix.com/docs/rest/business-solutions/e-commerce/purchase-flow/introduction.md) (processing catalog items)
- [Architecture and Data Flow](https://dev.wix.com/docs/rest/business-solutions/e-commerce/architecture-data-flow.md)
- [Build a Business Solution](https://dev.wix.com/docs/rest/business-solutions/e-commerce/get-started/apps/build-a-business-solution.md)
- [Tutorial | Build an eCommerce Business Solution](https://dev.wix.com/docs/build-apps/get-started/tutorials/tutorial-build-an-e-commerce-business-solution/overview.md)