Shop.org 2014 Product Information Management in Retail Marketing
21
Product Information Management September 29 th , 2014
description
From the Mercent booth at Shop.org 2014, Director of Product and Strategy Paul Connors discusses best practices in product data management, and how the Mercent Retail platform has revolutionized data optimization for enterprise retailers. The video version: bit.ly/1wMQcb5
Transcript of Shop.org 2014 Product Information Management in Retail Marketing
Product Information Management
September 29th, 2014
What We’ll Cover1. Product Information
Management2. Taxonomy Mapping3. Attribute Mapping4. Data Twisting5. Hierarchy of Online Retail Needs
Introductions
Paul ConnorsDirector of Product & Strategy
Product Information Management
Product Information Management
What’s Your ASIN?
What’s the European Unit of
Measure?
I assume you have the rich pin data I need?
But I just wanted to sell some shoes.Would you call it
a moccasin or a slipper?
Taxonomy Mapping• Most Channels Have Their Own Taxonomy for
Classifying and Arranging Products on Their Site• Getting the Taxonomy Wrong Means Your Product May
Not List• Even Worse, You May Get the Product Listed but in a
Category Where No One Will Ever Find It
Why isn’t anyone buying my boots?
The Mercent Taxonomy
• A Single Taxonomy Pre-Mapped to the Leading Online Shopping Channels
• Map Once to the Mercent Taxonomy and Accomplish Mapping to 14 Leading Channels
• Not Binding. You May Override the Mapping if You Wish
The Mercent Taxonomy
33,657 Categories
The Mercent Taxonomy
Attribute Mapping• Channels Also Vary as to the Values They Will Accept for
the Attributes Related to Products• What is “XXL” on One Channel May be “Extra Extra
Large” on Another• If the Channel Strictly Enumerates an Attribute Value and
You Get it Wrong, Your Product Will Not List
Men’s boots are 2XL, not XXL in this neck of
the woods.
But isn’t it just the same thing?
Mercent Attribute Mapping
• Retrieves Valid Attribute Mappings from Channels to Inform You of the Required or Recommended Value
• Allows You to Modify Your Product Data to Meet the Requirements of that Particular Channel
• Captures Product Listing Error Information to Inform You of the Products which Require Your Attention
Mercent Attribute Mapping
Data Twisting
I want to vary products by color and size. Just size, please. I’ve had just about
enough of this!
• Channels May Vary on the Dropdowns They Allow for Selection of Product Variations
• If Your Products Aren’t Set Up to Vary in the Same Pattern, They Will Not List
Mercent Data Twister• Allows You to See How Your Products Vary in the
Mercent Retail Product Catalog• Uses Data from the Channel to Establish a Compatible
Variation Pattern• Coming Soon – Allows You to Edit the Variation Pattern
Specific to a Channel
Mercent Data Twister
Mercent Data Twister
Mercent Data Twister
Hierarchy of Needs
Source: http://timvandevall.com/
Online Retail Hierarchy of Needs
Online Retail
Hierarchy of Needs
VISIBLEYour Products are Listed Where
Buyers Expect to Find Them
COMPETITIVEYour Prices and Inventory are
Frequently Updated Relative to Your Competition
PROFITABLEYou Sell When You
Want to Maximize Margin
What We’ve Covered1. Product Information Management is a
Complicated Beast2. Use Taxonomy Mapping Tools to Stay In-
Step with Channels3. Use Attribute Mapping Tools to Find the
Proper Values Channels Want4. Differing Variation Patters Among Channels
Mean You May Need to Find a Way to Twist Your Data
5. The Base of the Online Retail Hierarchy of Needs is Getting Your Products Listed Where Buyers Expect to Find Them
