The Internet is more than an online storefront for today’s retailers. It is a competitive battleground for product exposure and positioning. Web-savvy customers, which today means just about everyone, rely on e-commerce sites for product research, price comparison, availability and more.

Shoppers’ dependence on information accessible at their fingertips has made product data one of the most critical factors for online and in-store success. That’s because product data—which includes product attribute descriptions, specs, imagery, SKU numbers, etc.—determines how products are presented online, both within Internet retail portals and within third-party search engines.

But, just because a product exists in the e-commerce space doesn’t mean that it is backed by “good” data. Often, data is inaccurate, inconsistent, out-of-date, incomplete or unspecific. These errors aren’t minor ones. Poor-quality data will lead to lost sales, more returns of purchases and ineffective branding.

Fortunately, retailers can create a strong portfolio of product content optimized for sales with a few key strategies.

• Build strong lines of communication with suppliers. Retailers are often at the mercy of suppliers and manufacturers—the source of the goods they sell—for product information and data. But unlike a lot of retailers, which may have healthy marketing budgets, many suppliers and manufacturers don’t have data analysts on staff or personnel dedicated specifically to e-commerce success. This frequently creates a disconnect that leaves data poorly managed, and ultimately hurts both the retailer and the supplier.

Further, each supplier a retailer works with may deliver data differently, so retailers wind up with a hodge-podge of data that makes it more difficult for customers to have a consistent shopping experience with a retailer.

In these cases, good communication goes a long way. Retailers can greatly improve their product data ecosystem by directly and clearly defining the product information that they need, in what specific format—and why. When suppliers and manufacturers learn how quality data will manifest itself in healthy bottom lines, it naturally becomes a higher priority. Moreover, retailers can help suppliers find value in good product data by offering data analytics from the information provided, which can tell suppliers which products and attributes are performing best.

These conversations surrounding product data shouldn’t be siloed to one contact, either. Rather, it’s wise to extend outreach and create consistent messaging within each department of a supplier’s business—from the IT department, to merchandising, to sales. When all levels are properly educated on the importance of product data, you’ll work better as a team to implement it into the sales and e-commerce strategy.

• Target the most important attributes first. There are dozens of product attribute fields that contribute to good product content. It’s easy to become overwhelmed. But for the sake of optimizing e-commerce, some data matters more than others. Retailers will want to pay special attention to the cold, hard facts about the product—those are what customers and algorithms are looking for online. Attention to detail is critically important for the following 16 key product attributes:

• Digital Asset (the main product image)
• Universal Product Code (UPC)
• Global Trade Item Number (GTIN)
• Manufacturer Part Number (OEM)
• Manufacturer Model Number (series)
• Manufacturer Name
• Manufacturer Brand Name
• Product Name
• Short Product Description
• Search Keywords
• Marketing Copy
• Feature/Benefit #1
• Feature/Benefit #2
• Feature/Benefit #3
• Feature/Benefit #4
• Assembled Dimensions (Height, Width, Depth, Weight

Each of the above items should contain information that is accurate, detailed and relevant to potential customers. Once these are firmly in place and consistent across products, then consider building out other attributes such as category-specific attributes and more digital assets.

It’s also important to think about attributes that aren’t necessarily sales drivers, but those that are essential to the sales process—such as packaging level and selling unit of measure (UOM), the quantity of an item in a package. These help retailers best understand how to use data to qualify, process and track inventory.

• Develop a system for robust maintenance. Keeping good product information over time is just as important as obtaining it—if not more so. Products change, and if retailers don’t have fresh, relevant data that includes those changes—no matter how minor— customers become frustrated, sales plummet and returns rise.

So as products are altered, it is essential that the product data is updated. Some product data technology companies provide retailers with an automatic data feed, which allows product information to change in real-time—making the maintenance process seamless for the retailer. For those without automated systems, communication remains imperative. Standard operating procedures between suppliers and retailers for product updates should be outlined and executed as soon as changes hit the market.

In today’s digital landscape, shoppers have more power than ever before. Retailers that help their customers make informed buying decisions online with high quality product data will reap the benefits in their bottom lines. And those that don’t—they may be squeezed out of the marketplace entirely.

Edgenet is a provider of content management technology.

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