Quality data is essential for online sales

Lars Kejser Bob

Head of product onboarding, Matas

Text:

Karen Gahrn

Photo:

Kasper Løftgaard

How do you use GS1 in your daily operations?

– Fundamentally, we want to make it easier to be a supplier to Matas. At the same time, we want to give suppliers full responsibility for ensuring their product data is of high, usable quality. Today, both we and our suppliers spend far too much time cleaning data before we can set up items.

By collaborating on GS1, we introduce a common language, and, not least, suppliers only need to set up data in one place for all retailers, which will be a significant efficiency gain. At the same time, data is quality-controlled, and we achieve a better process. Furthermore, in the near future, we will face stricter requirements from the EU, such as Extended Producer Responsibility (ERP) and a Digital Product Passport (DPP). Here, we can only succeed by standardizing our data model and structure.

How does the collaboration with GS1 contribute to and develop within your company?

– As more of our revenue moves online, it is essential that products appear just as appealing and ready for sale digitally as they do when you hold them in your hand. Missing product data online gives the customer little opportunity to choose the right item. You could say that poor product data quality is like putting an item on the shelf without a label.

In "Varens Go Live" (a project stemming from Matas’ growth strategy, ed.), we follow a product from the first dialogue with the supplier, through setup/cleaning/enrichment, until the item is purchased and finally ready for sale with images and good product descriptions. It is a new way of ensuring an efficient product launch that I haven't seen anywhere else.

We really want more of our suppliers to join GS1 and start exchanging data with Matas so that we can have a more efficient process for all parties.

For me, GS1Trade Sync and GS1Trade Exact are two sides of the same coin; for us, it is about accessing high-quality data so that products look sharp both in-store and online.