Your Shop Deserves Perfect Data

How You can Handle the Data Flood and Generate More Sales

Data, data, and even more data: Many e-commerce companies struggle to deal with them in large quantities. More often than not, the masses of data grew historically and are dispersed over the computers of various employees, as well as old and new systems alike. In these isolated data mines, good, bad, or redundant product information may be ready and waiting to be organized and optimized. Only in this manner can you enhance your recipient’s Customer Experience and, consequently, increase your net profit.

This, however, is easier said than done. First, you are to establish the foundational facts in order to gain an overview of all data sources in play: Where is the data stored? How can it be accessed? And what can be disposed of? Unfortunately, the data is usually spread all over old systems, Enterprise Resource Planning systems, diverse content management systems, or the company’s central network — so that the active information exchange among each other must remain impossible.

The Perfect Data World

Customer Experience begins with product data since, in e-commerce, buyers do targeted searches for information in order to compare it and evaluate their purchasing decision. In a perfect digital world, all info would be available in optimal quality at a central spot. The data management would be handled independently of distribution channels and, instead, this product data would have to be distributed via connectivity to other systems and, from there, to the customer’s respective channel. The challenge in play is the target-group-oriented and correct export of data to the exact sales point relevant to the potential buyer. Yet, how realistic is this scenario?

PIM Systems for Central Data Pooling

To achieve this optimum, the manner of how you maintain your data should be as independent of specific shop operators, service providers, and sales channels as possible. This way, you can act quicker and more efficiently on the markets. Here, a system for Product Information Management is decisive. It functions as the company’s central data hub and combines all content into a coherent product portfolio.

Consider implementing PIM when your online sales are stagnating, print production is too resource-heavy, or you are slowly but surely losing the overview of your product information. First, start with an evaluation of your data’s condition before choosing the adequate technology. To do so, it is best practice to consult experts and analyze which of the old systems may have to be replaced. The analysis of the current status quo also reveals how data may be unified. Such an analysis should also include a qualitative assessment of your data since texts containing misinformation and images with low quality leave a negative impact on the purchasing experience and influence your sales accordingly. Additionally, evaluate from where and how fast your customers get to their desired product. Efficient click paths are established through good navigability and usability, but all the more through search-relevant keywords and information enrichment tailor-made to fit your assortment. More often than not, customers have an idea of what they are looking for and want to find the product asap. This can only be facilitated by assuring that all information is correct and complete.

Ordering the Chaos – Step by Step to Optimal Data Management

In a second step, you can start to structure the data into a model. Together with qualified personnel, locate what data is located where. Then, you can utilize the PIM system to bring order into chaos. With the help of an individualized data model the structure of which differs from company to company, you can organize all your products in a comprehensive hierarchy. This data model is the basis for all further action.

Subsequently, the data from networks and old systems are migrated into the new system while also defining the distribution channels. To this end, all connected channels are to fulfill certain requirements so as to allow for automated exports. PIM systems can establish such connectivity without any problems since they are made to adapt to third-party systems. As soon as the data is imported into the system and managed accordingly, it is distributed on to the channel.

Do-It-Yourself Product Management

Product data is essential to the success in e-commerce. Your customers conduct targeted searches for the information you are to provide in a high-quality manner. For the top placement in search engines, you also require extensive and unique product information. This is why you should invest the majority of your energy into optimal provision of information all around your product. Throughout this process, the right technology will alleviate some tasks and a lot of time.