Distribute article and product data stress-free with the CatalogExpress software – anywhere you want, anytime you like.

Using CatalogExpress as a manufacturer

As s a manufacturer, you supply product data to retailers, business partners, and eProcurement platforms in B2B sales. The requirements for electronic product data catalogs vary in different industry standards such as BMEcat, ETIM xChange, internationally valid classifications including ETIM/ECLASS or even various versions of EXCEL tables and lists. Your most recent product data also needs to be imported to your own B2B store. E-catalogs are shared with customers via email, an (S)FTP server, or a supplier portal. For additional sales to your end customers, you commonly provide data to your online store, your customers’ stores, and marketplaces in CSV or Excel file formats.

For each market participant, you use article and product data from various source systems such as PIM and ERP. These data sources are automatically merged into a single dataset, and you can edit attributes to match the required data structures of your individual target formats. Finally, you store the determining article assortment for product selection.

This way, you massively reduce your time-to-market, and also increase customer satisfaction through an optimized product data delivery and service. You also minimize errors before uploading the product data, and avoid contractually regulated penalties for non-delivery or poor delivery of electronic product data catalogs.

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Using CatalogExpress as a trader

One the one hand, as a trader, you process supplier data, which you receive in different data structures and various file formats. For each supplier data file, you create an individually optimized data mapping: This involves transforming the supplier data into the appropriate data structure and file format required by your sequential systems. On the other hand, after assorting the articles and enriching the product data within the PIM, you prepare the data channel-specifically for your sales department. In the field of eCommerce, you create, export and distribute electronic catalogs to external marketplaces and other trading partners. Likewise, your data is prepared with suitable classifications and conforms to relevant data standards, suitable for both your online store and potential corporate and international partners.

The assigned assortment is either taken directly from one of your systems, or it’s implemented as an assortment list. The data distribution depends on the sales channel and is often done via e-mail, (S)FTP server or API interface. You completely avoid transferring unstructured, improper, or insufficient supplier data into your systems. An intensive, additional data preparation isn’t required, and your time-to-market is considerably shortened. Also, brick-and-mortar retailers and online stores can start selling your products much faster.

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Using the software as a supplier

As a supplier, you collect your data from PIM, DAM as well as ERP systems and prepare it according to the requirements from each individual customer or channel. In addition to the classic product information themselves, exchange formats and industry standards such as ETIM, ECLASS, ETIM xChange and BMEcat guide your further data management processes. You define the assortment for each respective channel once, or you utilize pre-defined assortments already stored in your systems. Therefore, the electronically created catalog file contains only items intended for the individual customer. Both the chosen data structure and file format fit the requirements of the customer’s processing systems.

Data distribution is either done to the customer’s contact person via email, through an automated upload to an (S)FTP server on the customer’s side, or via an API interface. Often, the customer receives the data through supplier portals or other web portals. As a supplier of article master data and product data, a reliable data quality is a relevant competitive factor for you. With a high and consistent data quality, you not only achieve a high level of customer satisfaction among the data recipients, but also benefit from a prioritization in the procurement processes. With a punctual and high quality data delivery, you avoid potential contractual penalties and possible non-deliveries to retailers. In short: By providing optimized data, you establish yourself as a reliable supplier and increase the customer’s trust in all single evaluation levels of the purchasing process.

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Using the software as part of an industry

As part of the manufacturing sector or industry, you are increasingly confronted with specific data requirements. As a data supplier, you are capable of delivering data in relation to industry standards. Depending on the industry, classifications such as ETIM, ECLASS, UNSPSC and others are a key factor for you and for your data recipients. To provide classifications and other comprehensive product information and content, you use formats such as EXCEL, CSV, ETIM xChange, BMEcat, and other XML derivatives.

The merging of data from various sources (a process also known as ‘data consolidation’) from different data sources supports the creation process of electronic catalogs. As a result, data recipients receive consistent and structurally high-quality data from you. When transferring data, you are guided by the specifications of your customers, trading partners, or the central industry platforms. You choose whether the data is either sent by mail, to an (S)FTP server, or an API. Overall, you streamline your data management processes by using automated workflows, eliminating the need for manual intervention and time-consuming searches for the right data.

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Using the software as a B2B company

As a B2B manufacturing and distribution company, you regularly face diverse product data requirements. Your customers range from traditional business partners in trade, administration, and industry to increasingly online-focused companies. Global technological development has pushed even traditional firms to operate online, requiring enriched article data for marketing and sales. Additionally, you are more active online, using digital B2B marketplaces as sales channels.

Expectations for data quality and content vary. Depending on your industry and that of your customers, you create data in formats such as Excel lists, JSON, XML, and sometimes ETIM xChange or BMEcat with classifications like ETIM, ECLASS, or UNSPSC, and occasionally DATANORM. You meet customer-specific data needs and define assortments for customers or marketplaces through separate Excel lists or ERP systems to ensure targeted article distribution.

Your method of data provision varies by customer. You flexibly distribute data via email, (S)FTP server transfers, web services, or API interfaces. If automation isn’t feasible, you download and store electronic product catalogs in customer portals.

This flexibility offers a service advantage, enabling fast data delivery within hours, allowing customers to work promptly. Soon, you’ll offer dealers a portal to compile and download their own data.

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Using the software as a company without a PIM

As a company without a PIM system, you compile, edit, and prepare your article and product data in one or more EXCEL files or in your ERP system for different customer groups and digital sales channels. Previously, you created one EXCEL file for each customer, wholesaler, and marketplace, which had to be manually updated from a central file. These business partners provide you with clear quality guidelines and specifications for file creation. This process is now automated, meaning files for respective data recipients no longer need to be edited or filled out manually. All you need to do is maintain the data in your central master EXCEL file or ERP system. Based on the stored requirements, both the corresponding data structure and the desired format are created automatically. Additionally, you can now initiate data transfer in a time-controlled and fully automated manner.

This means you gain precious time for more important issues and can rely on high data quality and consistency. As a result, you can serve your customers and other sales channels such as marketplaces, eProcurement platforms, and supplier portals in a timely manner. Ultimately, customer satisfaction increases, and your products can enter the market much sooner, improving overall sales.

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Using the software as a market leader

As a market leader in your industry, you take pride in your products, which you sell through various channels. The transition from offline-driven to online-driven sales channels continues steadily. Even traditional retail partners with stable sales now require lists of article and product data from you. After all, it’s not only the offline channel that generates sales for the retail partner, but also their online store. Further sales potential, strengthening your market position, is seen in B2B marketplaces, eProcurement platforms, and online stores.

In both cases—expanding sales through additional potential and serving existing customer relationships—you determine the quality of your products based on the quality of your product data. You deliver exactly what data recipients expect from you as a renowned quality supplier: excellent product data, precisely as your customers require them. EXCEL and CSV represent the standard, while JSON, XML, ETIM xChange, or BMEcat represent the next level. In your industry, you naturally provide one of the desired classifications, such as ETIM or ECLASS.

Thus, you further increase customer satisfaction with a new high-quality data service. Because of your timely efforts, your listings with major distributors are secured, sales can continue to expand as your competition has not yet taken that step, and lastly, you can grow your D2C business.

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