elkat.de

What It Is

ELKAT is electronic catalog creation software from OSG Online Software Gesellschaft für neue Medien mbH. Its main purpose is to convert PDF product catalogs, magazines, brochures, advertising inserts, or annual reports into online flipbook-style publications that can be published on a company website or inside an app. It is geared more toward B2B product catalogs and ecommerce-driven browsing than toward being a simple PDF reader.

Core Features and Integrations

According to the available materials, ELKAT supports HTML5 page-flipping display, full-text search, cross-document search, table-of-contents navigation, internal links, external links, product-number links, zoom areas, galleries, videos, and company information pages. Its more industry-specific value lies in product and transaction-related features: product numbers can be linked to a Webshop, and products selected by users inside the catalog can be collected and passed to an existing online store cart. Products without prices can also be handled as quote requests. On the data side, ELKAT supports importing from PIM systems via interfaces, is compatible with the BMEcat standard, and can automatically create shop links using CSV.

Pricing and Deployment

The official website does not publish standard package pricing. The FAQ says that, during export, the number of paid pages, resulting costs, and export size will be shown, and it notes that zoom, shopping cart, and similar features are paid add-on modules. Companies can submit the number of catalog pages to request a personalized quote. Deployment is relatively flexible: users create the catalog in the online Admin area and can then export Professional, HTML, or Offline versions, upload them to their own Webspace/FTP, and embed them on a website via iframe or link. Professional mode requires PHP, HTML mode is suitable for servers without PHP, and Offline can be used for CDs or local presentations.

Collaboration, Security, and Support

For collaboration, catalogs can be maintained by internal staff or handled by an advertising agency, and multiple workstations can work on the same catalog. However, the materials do not disclose details such as role-based permissions, approval workflows, or audit logs. On security, the main points are that self-hosting gives companies control over their data, allows emergency shutdown, and is covered by a privacy policy; there are no clear details on encryption, authentication, backups, or GDPR compliance. Support channels are clearly listed, including phone, email, a contact form, and a fairly detailed FAQ, and customer testimonials repeatedly mention fast response times.

Pros, Cons, and Best Fit

ELKAT’s strengths are its deep focus on catalog use cases, strong linking and ecommerce conversion capabilities, support for self-hosting, and compatibility with industrial catalog standards. Its drawbacks are opaque pricing, deployment steps involving FTP, PHP, and file permissions, which may not feel lightweight for non-technical teams, and the fact that some documentation still mentions Flash/FLV, so the current technology stack should be confirmed. It is best suited for manufacturers, industrial goods distributors, B2B ecommerce companies, and businesses that need to bring large product manuals online.

Access from China

Access from China cannot be determined from the available text and should be marked as unknown. The product appears to target the German market, with no visible Chinese interface, RMB payment support, China-based CDN, or ICP filing information. Companies in China that care about access speed and payment convenience may also want to evaluate alternatives such as FlipHTML5 and 云展网.