Most antique retailers struggle to capture the beauty and emotion behind their collections online. Photos feel flat. Listings look generic. And potential buyers never quite experience the magic that makes each piece special.
Chez Pluie Provence, a boutique French Country antiques business nestled in the heart of Provence, faced this exact challenge. Founders Susannah and Hugh Cameron knew their brand was about more than just selling antiques; it was about taking their customers into a world of craftsmanship, storytelling, and southern French charm.
But to do that online, they needed more than a website. They needed a more effective way to convey their passion, something immersive, emotional, and true to their identity. That’s when they discovered Flipsnack and began creating their first interactive product magazine, and it changed everything.
Before Flipsnack, Chez Pluie relied on a traditional e-commerce setup to sell their curated collection of French antiques. Their curated collection of French antiques is built on more than just aesthetics; it’s about history, craftsmanship, and the stories behind each piece. However, their traditional e-commerce setup couldn’t capture that essence. Each item was displayed as a flat image accompanied by technical product specs, which stripped away the tactile, emotional, and cultural depth that defines antique appreciation.
For antique enthusiasts and interior designers, buying antiques isn’t just a transaction; it’s an experience. These audiences want to see the details up close. A static product page simply couldn’t replicate the feeling of walking through a charming Provence marketplace.
This is where Flipsnack changed everything. With its ability to merge high-resolution imagery, interactive product tags, and narrative-driven layouts, Chez Pluie could finally bring its antiques to life online. Instead of static product pages, the team created magazine-like catalogs that allowed customers to flip through collections as though they were exploring a curated gallery. Videos, close-up shots, and storytelling elements highlighted the charm and history of each piece, transforming the browsing experience into a digital journey.
The turning point came when the team launched their first Flipsnack catalog—a 30-page flipbook that felt more like a high-end lifestyle magazine than a digital product listing. Each page was thoughtfully designed with interactive product tags, allowing users to click for detailed item information without leaving the page. Embedded videos brought selected antiques to life, offering glimpses into their texture, craftsmanship, and provenance. Image slideshows added depth to product presentations, and smart navigation features like clickable tables of contents and internal links made browsing intuitive and delightful.
This interactive experience redefined how customers engaged with Chez Pluie’s offerings. Instead of passively scrolling through static pages, they actively explored, interacted, and immersed themselves in the catalog’s narrative.
Average session time jumped from 2 minutes on the website to 9 minutes inside the catalog, a 350% increase. Customers lingered, clicked, and discovered more.
The catalog became more than a sales tool. It was an immersive experience, one that built trust, evoked emotion, and encouraged action.
Before Flipsnack, Chez Pluie relied primarily on traditional website listings and email marketing to promote their antiques. While their website functioned well enough as a storefront, it lacked emotional impact and offered limited opportunities to keep visitors engaged.
Customers would often scroll quickly through product pages and bounce within just a couple of minutes. Despite having a visually rich collection, the team struggled to translate that beauty into sales.
Hugh and Susannah knew their antiques deserved better storytelling. They needed a way to present their pieces with the richness and context they conveyed in person, something that could blend aesthetics with interaction and, most importantly, drive stronger returns.
That moment came when they launched their first 30-page Flipsnack catalog, a digital flipbook that featured elegant photography, product videos, and clickable tags. For the first time, customers could explore Chez Pluie’s collection like they were paging through a high-end lifestyle magazine, but with the added benefit of real-time interaction and shopping functionality.
The month we released the catalog was our biggest revenue month to date, directly linked back to it. The catalog contributed to about half of our monthly revenue that month.
Hugh Cameron, Founder of Chez Pluie
The results were instant. Average session time jumped from 2 minutes on their website to 9 minutes in the catalog. This extra time spent browsing led directly to more sales. In fact, 50% of their monthly revenue came from the catalog during its launch month, making it their best revenue month ever.
The catalog became more than a sales tool; it was a powerful driver of trust and action. Customers signed up for newsletters, shared the catalog, and made purchases. Every page flip encouraged them to explore more and feel connected to the brand in a way that a regular product page couldn’t achieve.
Flipsnack’s built-in analytics dashboard gave the Chez Pluie team unprecedented insights into customer behavior. They could see exactly which catalog pages performed best, which items drew the most clicks, and how long customers stayed engaged. These metrics not only validated their content strategy but also helped optimize future catalogs.
Customers didn’t just glance, they explored, trusted, and purchased. The interactive experience encouraged a deeper connection with the brand, building loyalty and driving revenue.
Looking ahead, Chez Pluie plans to leverage Flipsnack for seasonal campaigns and limited-edition collections, pushing creative boundaries while maintaining a seamless, luxurious customer experience.
Combine photos, video, product details, and narratives in a single, seamless view. Whether you’re showcasing a vintage armchair with a restoration video, a limited-edition ceramics collection paired with artist bios, or a handwoven textile accompanied by a behind-the-scenes studio tour, Flipsnack empowers you to turn catalogs into interactive brand experiences.
Add zoomable high-res imagery for intricate craftsmanship, embed customer testimonials next to featured items, or guide buyers through a curated journey using interactive tags and product hotspots. Want to highlight seasonal themes? Integrate a shoppable lookbook for your summer collection, complete with styling tips, background music, or even a short welcome message from the founder.
With Flipsnack, your catalog doesn’t just list products; it invites discovery, sparks emotion, and builds trust with every page turn.
Customers want more than flat pages. With Flipsnack, you can create catalogs that invite exploration, with clickable product tags, embedded slideshows, and mobile-optimized layouts for browsing on any device.
Our audience expects more than flat pages; they crave interactive storytelling. Flipsnack lets you build catalogs that invite exploration, offering clickable product tags, dynamic slideshows, and fully mobile‑optimized layouts for seamless browsing on any device. But that’s just the beginning. With Flipsnack, you can also embed newsletter sign-up forms directly inside your catalog, making it effortless for readers to subscribe without leaving. Here’s how you can do it:
Chez Pluie used exactly this approach: they embedded a form inviting readers to join their newsletter inside the flipbook. The result? They doubled their subscription rate in just one month.
Plus, sharing your catalogs is effortless:
Chez Pluie proved that digital catalogs can go beyond branding; they can drive real, measurable business growth. Their Flipsnack catalog generated half of their monthly revenue during its first launch.
Flipsnack’s shopping list feature transforms your static catalog into a fully interactive sales engine. Instead of passively browsing, customers can now add favorite products to a list directly from your catalog pages, whether they’re looking at a seasonal collection, a wholesale assortment, or a personalized bundle.
Each interaction is seamless. With just a few clicks, buyers can:
Whether you sell through reps, resellers, or directly to consumers, this tool helps bridge the gap between interest and action, no extra emails, no spreadsheets, no friction.
With built-in analytics, you can also track what resonates: see which pages are viewed most, how long readers stay, and which products or content lead to conversions. Monitor impressions, views, average time spent, downloads, orders, and even product-level and page-level statistics, all in one place. Then, optimize and scale what performs best.
Chez Pluie Provence is living proof that when timeless craftsmanship meets modern digital storytelling, the results are transformative. By embracing Flipsnack, they didn’t just upgrade their catalogs; they tripled engagement, doubled their subscriber base, and drove 50% of monthly revenue from a single interactive flipbook.
They turned a common challenge, making antiques feel personal online, into an opportunity to captivate a global audience. Their catalog evolved from a digital brochure to a shoppable brand experience that evoked emotion, built trust, and inspired action. Every page flip deepened the connection, every interactive element invited discovery, and every session turned passive viewers into engaged buyers.
And it didn’t require a massive team or tech stack. With Flipsnack, their small business in rural Provence accessed powerful tools, interactive design, seamless lead capture, shopping list functionality, and real-time analytics, all in one intuitive platform.
Whether you’re in retail, fashion, furniture, or B2B sales, you can follow the same path. Create catalogs that don’t just display your products; they tell your story, elevate your brand, and drive measurable results.
It’s time to turn your catalog into your most powerful marketing and sales channel.
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