Punchout vs Hosted Catalog: Which Do You Need?

The Short Answer

A punchout is a live connection into a supplier's own catalog. The buyer "punches out" from their procurement system to the supplier's site, shops with real-time pricing and inventory, and returns the cart as a purchase order. A hosted catalog is a supplier product list loaded directly into the buyer's procurement system, so buyers shop a curated, approved set of items with negotiated pricing without ever leaving their platform.

The core trade-off: punchout is always current and supplier-maintained; a hosted catalog is buyer-controlled and updated on your schedule.

Side by Side

When to Use Punchout

Punchout shines when the catalog is too large or changes too often to maintain by hand - think national distributors with hundreds of thousands of SKUs and shifting prices. The supplier maintains it, so buyers always see current pricing and availability. It's the standard for connecting to suppliers like Grainger, Amazon Business, and Fastenal, and it's the foundation for double-punchout, which lets diversity resellers sit between the buyer and a national supplier while still earning diversity-spend credit.

When to Use a Hosted Catalog

A hosted catalog is the right call when you want control: a curated set of approved items, negotiated contract pricing locked in, and the fastest checkout because everything lives inside the buyer's system. It's ideal for core, high-frequency purchases and for suppliers whose product lists are small and stable.

Can You Use Both? Usually You Should.

The most effective setups combine the two: a hosted catalog for the core, high-volume items your buyers order constantly, and punchout to suppliers for the long tail. Buyers get one consistent shopping experience; you get control where it matters and freshness everywhere else.