Solutions - Product Data Management

Electronic product data is the starting point of eBusiness and should be controlled and monitored in a very accurate way. We strongly recommend fashion brand suppliers to use product data pools in order to avoid customer specific product data manipulation at the ERP side of the supplier.

FashionUnited Indicia has the ambition to facilitate the central product data pool for fashion brands in Europe. We do have the tools: CatalogManger and AssortmentManager. We started with sportswear in the Netherlands: Intersport and Sport2000 amongst other joined forces and requested their major supplies to fill the CatalogManager (www.sportconnect.nl). Brands such as Nike, Adidas, Converse, O’Neill, Esprit, and Gaastra are partners who publish their actual and detailed product data into this electronic product data pool.

Tools:

• CatalogManager (CM): central (web-based) product database, to be filled and maintained by suppliers (100%EAN coded, harmonized regarding data elements, product groups, colors, etc).
• AssortmentManager (AM): out of the central CM, all kinds of retail specific assortments can be made. Each retailer can have its own unique assortment. Specific data mapping on behalf of the retailer can be done in a highly automated way in the AM.

Advantages:

• Independent from whatever back office system used at both sides.
• Standardised product data.
• Less difficult communication between supplier and retailer about data formats.
• One point of connectivity in stead of N (different) points of connectivity.
• Relations available towards order intake and retail performance monitors (POS data).