What is an Interactive Flipbook?23 min read

what is an interactive flipbook?

Ditch PDF static material today! With world-class expertise and a proven track record from some of the biggest global brands, we are excited to introduce you to the future of digital content – Interactive Flipbooks! 

This article shows you how to transform your online content and supercharge customer engagement. Let’s start from the beginning and dive into the concept. Later, we will provide you with examples and practical information about creating online flipbooks. Ready, set, go!

Before we dive into the concept of Interactive Flipbook, let’s start this blog post by reflecting on PDFs. When was the last time you downloaded a PDF? Do you read it? Do you reopen it frequently? 

PDFs are boring and have limitations because they are static. They provide only one-way communication, which means readers can view but not interact with the content. This lack of interactivity means PDFs can’t capture reader behavior or preferences, offer personalized experiences, or engage readers beyond basic reading. They are an old type of content that we need to adapt to the reality of 2022: humans have a short attention span of approximately 8 seconds!  

Interactive Flipbooks, on the other hand, allow for two-way communication, enabling deeper engagement and insights into audience behavior.

The declining attention spans have made flipbooks extremely popular. Therefore, turning your old PDFs into Interactive Flipbooks enhances the quality of your content marketing strategy. Companies are adjusting to their target audience; they are giving them a better type of content instead. A type of content that is more engaging and visually appealing.  

In this blog post, we provide you with an all-encompassing rundown of Interactive Flipbooks.

What is a flipbook?  

A flipbook is a digital piece of content that resembles a physical book. Viewers flip through the pages of the flipbook directly on your website. It is a new and innovative way of presenting content that replaces PDFs and other types of paper-based content like magazines, reports, brochures, catalogs, etc.  

What is a flipbook as opposed to an Interactive Flipbook? An Interactive Flipbook is an online flipbook that contains several Interactive Experiences that keep your readers engaged.  

The ultimate guide to Interactive Flipbooks - Banner - Dot.vu

What is an Interactive Flipbook?    

Let’s dive into the Interactive Flipbook definition.

An Interactive Flipbook is an Interactive Experience that allows you to convert PDFs and documents into highly engaging online content. An Interactive Flipbook is an exciting version of static documents or books that you can publish on your website. Visitors can flip through the pages digitally as if it were a physical book.  

Interactive Flipbooks can replace PDFs and paper-based documents, such as annual reports, product catalogs, magazines, and guides. An Interactive Flipbook boosts your customer engagement strategy because the audience plays an active role in the experience. One can encourage participation with, for instance, embedded quizzes, videos, games, buttons, and other clickable elements. These experiences make your customer an active part of the story. Therefore, Interactive Flipbooks are much more engaging than static documents.  

When it comes to the middle of the sales funnel, three out of the five most effective Interactive Experiences are interactive white papers, Interactive eBooks, and Interactive Lookbooks – all examples of digital flipbooks!

The ever-changing customer demands require marketers to find better ways to collect data. Publishing an Interactive Magazine on your website will allow you to gather customer insights. As a result, you can significantly improve the brand experience. In addition, differentiating your company becomes increasingly difficult in our fast-paced digital world. Leveraging Interactive Content will set you apart from the competitors based on personalized, engaging customer experience.  

What can be a better way to understand the concept than trying it for yourself? Click on the image below to browse through our Interactive Flipbook about … Interactive Flipbooks!

What is a flipbook and interactive flipbook

Why Interactive Flipbooks?

Customers want to receive personalization and engagement to remain loyal to specific brands. This trend requires companies to adapt by providing better content. As a result of the quickly changing customer expectations, many diverse types of Interactive Content have gained popularity over the last few years. An astonishing 90% of marketers state that interactive tools help their companies stand out from the competition and convert more customers. Organizations can use interactivity to improve the performance of any document or ebook. An Interactive Flipbook about the company’s history, for example, is far more intriguing than several dry lines of text. The options are endless, and we hope you manage to unfold your creativity after familiarizing yourself with the examples in this Interactive Flipbook guide.

Benefits of Interactive Flipbooks 

Interactive Flipbooks are Interactive Experiences that cater to the consumer demand to interact with brands at a higher level. Reading lengthy texts and browsing through pdf-style documents is no longer sufficient to stay interested. Now that we have explained the definition of Interactive Flipbooks, let’s discuss the advantages they would have for your company. There are many good reasons to convert your old PDFs or static documents to Interactive Flipbooks. Don’t miss out on these! 

1. Boost customer engagement 

One of the main benefits of Interactive Flipbooks is capturing your audience’s attention. The more engaging the experience, the more meaningful the interaction with your brand. Engaging customers is crucial because it strengthens the emotional connection with your brand, which helps you retain loyal clients. 

2. Grow your email list with lead forms

Adding a lead form to your Interactive online Flipbook to unlock gated content is smart. If your flipbook provides value, customers would be willing to give out their information to access it. For example, you can ask for their names, email addresses, and countries. As a result, you grow your email list. Therefore, you will be able to craft targeted emails for your target audience.

3. Boost sales  

Displaying your products in an organized and engaging way will incentivize sales. As you can add valuable product descriptions, Shoppable Videos, clickable images, and direct checkout to your Interactive Flipbook, viewers are more inclined to add products to their shopping carts. Promoting your products in a flipbook is a wonderful way to educate your customers about your company and increase sales. Furthermore, you can incentivize sales by giving out discount codes as a reward for playing games inside the flipbook.  

Interactive Content generates twice as many conversions as passive content. Do not miss the opportunity to double your sales with an Interactive Flipbook! 

4. Capture data insights  

One of the most outstanding benefits of Interactive Flipbooks, as opposed to static PDFs, is the possibility to collect zero- and first-party data. You can monitor the activity of your viewers, including the time spent browsing through the flipbook, experiences they prefer to click on, and which pages are the most viewed ones. In addition, every answer to your polls and quizzes will give you a clear picture of your target consumer’s profile. Gathering customer insights will facilitate you in crafting even better content for your target audience.  

For internal purposes, you can also track employee progress in training documents. For example, you can monitor every viewer’s activity in an onboarding flipbook. Performance tracking will provide you with a better understanding of your staff profile. 

5. Improve brand experience  

An Interactive Flipbook can help you improve your brand experience in many ways. Providing an Interactive Experience will keep your visitors engaged and attached to your brand. Furthermore, the visual dashboards and reports allow you to track your performance. Therefore, you can work towards optimizing the experience based on your customers’ interactions and preferences. For example, you might discover that most of the readers tend to skip one of the pages. This insight will help you improve the page and adapt it to your customer’s journey. 

interactive flipbook benefits

These are some, but not all, advantages of flipping your static documents to Interactive Flipbooks. Overall, addressing the shrinking attention span will improve the communication between your brand, customers, and employees.

5 Examples of Interactive Experiences to add to your Interactive Flipbook 

What is a flipbook without a few interactive elements to fully engage your customers? There are many types of Interactive Experiences you can use to make your flipbook engaging and interactive. Again, the possibilities are endless. But below, we wanted to highlight the most common experiences you can use. 

Related: 6 Stunning Interactive Flipbook examples you need to try

1. Polls 

Polls are a highly engaging experience for your flipbook because people often like to compare themselves with others. Therefore, adding a poll will generate a lot of engagement. Moreover, you can use the results to learn more about your customers and their preferences. 

For instance, you could ask your customers what dress they prefer between choice #1 and choice #2. Another example could be asking your customers about the most important criteria when looking for a new CRM system (a. the price, b. the integrations, c. the features, etc.). 

Another advantage of using polls in an Interactive Flipbook could be increasing employee satisfaction. If you replace static learning documents with Interactive Flipbooks, your staff will be more engaged. Moreover, adding polls to encourage interaction is among the best HR practices for making your work culture thrive.

Would you like to see an example of a poll? 

You can embed a poll in your Interactive Flipbook to boost engagement
Click on the image to try this Simple Poll with Gated Results

2. Marketing Games 

Games are always fun, or at least they should be. Adding  Marketing Games  to your Interactive Flipbook is a great way to encourage your customers to flip through the entire experience. The funnier you make it; the more visitors want to continue interacting with it. Funny games can include turning a Wheel of Fortune or doing a quiz to get a discount. If the games are entertaining and the reward is well-received, your audience might share your Interactive Flipbook on social media. Therefore, you will generate more awareness.  

Take a look at this example of a Marketing Game:  

Click on the image to try this knowledge game

3. Interactive Calculators 

Adding an Interactive Calculator to your flipbook makes the experience engaging and insightful. Imagine replacing long text explaining complex terms with a calculator that delivers numeric results and invites users to participate actively.

An Interactive Calculator allows readers to input specific data and receive tailored outputs, such as cost estimates or product recommendations, directly within the flipbook context. This makes the content more relevant and actionable and helps in decision-making processes. For businesses, it’s a powerful tool to capture leads and gather insights into customer preferences and behaviors, ultimately driving conversions and customer satisfaction.

Click on the image to try this Interactive Calculator

4. Quizzes 

Quizzes  are always a favorite of customers. They can be used in many places in an Interactive Flipbook since there are different  types of quizzes. Moreover, quizzes are an excellent way to increase your engagement rate and get social shares.  

Below you can find the best types of quizzes to include in an Interactive Flipbook.  

Diagnostic quizzes 

Diagnostic quizzes help your customers to find solutions for what they are looking for. For example, you could have a quiz to help customers find the best product for their hair or help them identify which antivirus is best for them, depending on their usage.  

Buzzfeed style quizzes 

You can include Buzzfeed-style quizzes to entertain your readers. They don’t have the goal to inform customers or to target them more efficiently; they simply make your Interactive Flipbook more entertaining. It could be anything like, “How many plants can you identify?”. Of course, the quiz should be relevant to your product offerings, so avoid making a quiz about plants if you are not selling any. 

Personality quizzes 

Personality quizzes  are often a favorite of customers because they help them learn more about themselves. The trick here is to link the results with your products. For example, you could have the following test: “Find the perfect little black dress for yourself”, where the results would suggest a specific dress from your product catalog. 

IQ or knowledge quizzes 

This kind of quiz is excellent if you sell a specific type of product that customers are passionate about (e.g., plants, board games, a marketing solution for marketers, etc.). Your customers will love to be able to test their skills in your Interactive Flipbook.  

For example, if you have an online board games shop, you could include a quiz about the rules of Monopoly or Munchkin. If you are selling a SaaS, you could evaluate your visitors’ expertise on specific subjects related to your product offering.  

Try this Trivia Quiz as an example:  

Click on the image to try this Trivia Quiz

5. Interactive Video 

Interactive Videos are also a fantastic addition to any Interactive Flipbooks. Why? Because some viewers will get tired of reading content. With this in mind, mixing different content types is an excellent way of making your experience less monotonous and more entertaining.  

There are diverse types of Interactive Videos you can add to an Interactive Flipbook, depending on its purpose.  

Shoppable Videos 

If the goal of your Interactive Video is to display your products, then you should consider adding a shoppable video to your flipbook. In Shoppable Videos, you can visually and appealingly advertise your products while allowing customers to click on elements that are interesting to them and buy them on the spot. Great, right!

Interactive Sales Consultation  

Another great Interactive Video to add to your Interactive Flipbook is an Interactive Sales Consultation video. In this type of video, you open a dialog with your viewers where you ask them questions about their needs, and you reply to them with pre-recorded answers. Interactive Sales Consultations are suitable for most B2B companies or B2C companies with complex products.  

Gamified Interactive Video 

If you want to use an Interactive Video to entertain and boost engagement in your Interactive Flipbook, consider adding a Gamified Interactive Video. You can simultaneously highlight your products or services and delight viewers with a small quiz or a game.

Not sure what is an Interactive Video yet? Check it out below in the example below! 

Furthermore, you can use Guided Selling and Product Catalogs to shorten the decision-making process. Have a look at our marketplace to discover all the Interactive Experiences you can add to make your flipbook interactive and more engaging.  

Types of Interactive Flipbooks 

Companies can use Interactive Flipbooks for many different purposes and target audiences. Every written document can be enhanced with interactive elements. Therefore, there is no limit to what you can use a flipbook for.  

We will give a brief description of the seven most common types of Interactive Flipbooks that you boost customer engagement with. Depending on your purpose, you can pick one or more flipbook types and create more visually appealing content for your website.  

1. Interactive eBook 

Interactive eBooks combine text, images, and video with rich interactive elements. Companies use this type of flipbook to present essential information in a more engaging way compared to regular eBooks. You can add polls, quizzes, assessments, surveys, and Interactive Videos to your eBook to transform it into a truly interactive piece of content. An Interactive eBook is suitable for the real estate, finance, technology, and education industry.

2. Interactive Lookbook 

A lookbook (also know as Interactive Product Catalog) is a visual and capturing way of displaying product offerings online. Adding interactivity to a lookbook drives customer engagement and sales. The reason for this is the active participation of the viewer. Interactive Lookbook examples include lookbooks with clickable images, opt-in forms, quizzes, and shoppable videos.  

Interactive Lookbooks are perfect for the fashion and sports industries. You can convert your product catalogs into digital lookbooks to showcase your seasonal fashion collections. As a result, you will achieve maximum customer engagement.

interactive makeup lookbook
Click on the image to browse through an Interactive Lookbook example

3. Product Catalogs

This is a flipbook where you showcase your products. Going beyond a traditional static catalog, you can add interactive elements like clickable hotspots, Marketing Games with discount code rewards, and “add-to-cart” buttons.

Click on the image to explore this Product Catalog

4. Interactive Magazine 

An Interactive Magazine replaces standard magazines and creates active participation among your readers. This flipbook example is applicable to the retail industry, as it allows you to display information about products, employees, updates, news, celebrities, and many more.  

interactive magazine
Flip the pages of this Interactive Magazine to compare it to static content yourself.

5. Interactive Manual  

Product manuals usually include highly technical information, which makes them tedious and boring. An Interactive Manual, on the contrary, requires the active participation of the reader. The result is a happy customer who is going through product training in a fun way.  

6. Interactive Recipe Book 

Although filled with diverse colorful photos, cooking books can be monotonous. An Interactive Recipe Book has interactive elements that keep the reader engaged in the process. You can make the experience more exciting for the users by adding clickable images and Interactive Videos.

7. Interactive Guide 

An Interactive Guide is a type of flipbook that educates customers on how to use your products. Instead of consuming the content passively, your visitors get engaged with several interactive elements. Moreover, you can also use an Interactive Guide to enhance your onboarding documents, company guidelines, and training materials. You can’t even imagine the positive effect this would have on employee satisfaction! Adding gamification elements to your learning documents pays off: 80% US workers believe that interactive learning is more engaging, and 50% of them increased productivity thanks to gamification training features.  Check out our blog post on best HR practices to explore more ways to use Interactive Content for managing people.

Interactive Flipbook for internal education: Internal Educational Flipbook
Create highly engaging and quality training material for your staff with this Internal Educational Flipbook

The seven types of Interactive Flipbooks mentioned in this paragraph are only the main ones. Unfold your imagination to create brand-new interactive books and magazines that distinguish your company from the competition. With Interactive Content, the sky is the limit. In other words, you can convert any idea into reality. 

Interactive Flipbook examples from different industries 

As already mentioned, there are several types and variations of Interactive Flipbooks. Therefore, this Interactive Experience can be of great benefit to all industries. Above all, every company must engage its customers to stay profitable.  

Here are some of the most popular Interactive Flipbook examples from different industries to inspire you:  

1. Retail industry 

Interactive Lookbooks and Product Catalogs can do wonders for the retail industry. Displaying your fashion collection in contrasting colors and beautiful combinations is no longer enough. Level up by adding shoppable Videos for entertainment or Quizzes to discover consumer preferences. Companies operating in the retail industry can significantly boost engagement and sales by allowing their customers to interact with an online flipbook.  

Product Catalog cosmetics template by dot.vu
Check out this Product Catalog Cosmetics template!

2. Hospitality industry 

The hospitality industry can also leverage a flipbook to create a personalized experience for their clients. Restaurant owners, for example, could make a brand-new digital menu for their clients. The accommodation sector can also use flipbooks to provide an interactive overview of their services. These engaging experiences will set any restaurant or hotel apart from its competitors. 

3. Real estate industry 

Furthermore, the real estate industry can benefit from an Interactive Flipbook by providing a highly engaging experience for customers. A flipbook is a fantastic way of showcasing properties in the form of a catalog. With more than 90% of home buyers visiting websites to evaluate alternatives, realtors must ensure a memorable customer experience. A flipbook filled with videos, calculators, and hotspots will differentiate your name in the highly competitive real estate industry. Save time and help your customers make the best investment decision. Save time and help your customers make the best investment decision.  

4. Book publishing industry  

The rise of the internet and digital technology has caused a shift from print to digital in the publishing industry. Many readers purchase books and magazines in a digital format because of convenience. One of the newest approaches is an Interactive Magazine that engages readers with multiple embedded videos, polls, and quizzes. Do not let your readers get bored with a regular magazine. Entertain them with Interactive Experiences instead! 

To sum up, displaying your products or services has never been more engaging. An Interactive Flipbook will help you create the most memorable customer experiences, regardless of the industry. These industry examples were just some of the Interactive Flipbook ideas you can implement in your marketing strategy. Unfold your imagination and create unique flipbooks for your customers and employees to drive engagement.  

Interactive Flipbook software solutions 

Interactive Flipbooks are becoming one of the most popular tools for communicating with customers. Therefore, there is an increasing number of flipbook software solutions. The best flipbook solution for your company depends on your goals, budget, and target audience.  

Flipbook software allow you to upload your PDF and convert it into a flipbook with a few quick steps. The differences between the solutions include price range, degree of interactivity, data collection possibilities, and third-party integrations. Some flipbook solutions have a free version that allows you to create a flipbook with a watermark. Moreover, some solutions are limited to transforming your document into a digital flipbook, while others are more sophisticated and provide more options. If you want to maintain high levels of customer engagement, we recommend opting for a platform that allows you to add interactive elements. Using Quizzes, polls, Interactive Videos, and Marketing Games will encourage your visitors to interact with your brand.  

Our no-code Interative Flipbook platform provides you with the exceptional opportunity to add a large variety of features to your flipbook. In fact, Dot.vu is the only solution that enables you to create an Interactive Flipbook without writing a single line of code, yet full of interactive elements that are part of the flipbook, not embedded from other platforms.

You can try different platforms and concepts to select the flipbook software that matches your requirements. Our marketplace has many Interactive Flipbook templates you can customize easily, without any coding or design experience.

How to create an Interactive Flipbook on Dot.vu?

Dot.vu offers the easiest way to create Interactive Flipbooks. Starting from a blank canvas using our flipbook layout templates, or uploading your PDF or image files, you can work in the most convenient way for your needs. Here are a few simple steps to follow:

  • Create a free account on Dot.vu to access our flipbook maker.
  • Explore our flipbook templates to get inspired. We offer many different ideas for brochures, catalogs, guides, menus, booklets, reports, and more.
  • Customize layout templates or upload your own PDF or image file.
  • Add or remove pages at your convenience.
  • Drag-and-drop interactive elements directly on our platform to enrich your flipbook. You can add assessments, input forms, Interactive Videos, Personality Tests, Interactive Quizzes, Marketing Games, and more.

Create your Interactive Flipbook and boost customer engagement today 

The key to keeping any digital product timeless is innovation, and that’s exactly what our flipbook software offers. By converting your static PDFs into Interactive Flipbooks, you open a new realm of possibilities. Interactive elements enhance engagement, captivate your audience, and drive conversions more effectively.

Ready to revolutionize your content? Start with a free account on our platform today to get inspired and explore the full potential of digital publishing.