Customers like to buy, they don’t like to be sold. This is one of the most profound lessons a marketer will learn. And with the ever-expanding market with millions of products and parallel functional products being released on the daily, it’s difficult for companies to put their product at the forefront. Ever since the customer has been in the driver’s seat of the product sales performance the pressure has been on the companies to have their products discovered while the customer still craves categorization and choices.
Although the phrase Product Content Syndication doesn’t sound like the sleekest or fancy term used in digital marketing this is what will help you get your product to make a global impact and help you expand your product presence by selling on various sales portals.
In this article, we are going to explore everything from the basics of what product content syndication is to what problems is this solving in the real world. Let’s dive in.
Note: Already familiar with the topic click here for more deeper and informative articles on content syndication
To know more about content syndication services, Schedule a demo .
What is product content syndication?
Let’s play out a scenario to understand who needs it and why?
The famous Indian clothing brand The Neighborhood Store is looking to expand its market presence. Managers from the brand decide to sell their merchandise on five more sales platforms(Both Indian and global). Hence the apparel information(product data) the company has on its website should be transferred to the new portals. As each of these online portals has different data structure requirements the existing product data has to be segregated and modified to retain the product information but to fit each portal’s conditions of data entry, hence this poses as a big challenge. The company has no intention of sacrificing more time on technical tasks, where they do not have experienced expertise.
*Note this is a fictional example to illustrate product syndication.
A well-built online presence backed up by sales-centric product descriptions is crucial for all brands but every retailer or marketplace has their own data structure and the brand’s product data do not usually suit this data model and that is a huge problem for them. Companies have to spend hundreds of hours adapting product content to the retailer’s preconditions. This is where product content syndication comes in.
Hindrances faced by retailers while going multichannel
Setting up a coherent product data distribution across multiple sales portals is not a walk through the meadow even for experienced eCommerce managers. If not for product syndication software all of the data entry would have to be done manually. Other than it being laborious, it has a lot of scope for it to go wrong. Let’s have a look at what could go wrong:
1. Product rejection:
Marketplaces are very particular about sticking to their standards of product data listing, hence any database which doesn’t adhere to their prerequisites is automatically rejected which also results in revenue loss. The most minor mistake can lead to product rejection. It’s in cases like this that it’s better to leave it to automation to remove human error.
2. Time drain:
There is a huge time drain in doing this task manually and in a world where time is money, it is vital to use this resource mindfully. Any excess drain in either time or human labor is an extra penny spent, instead, leave it to automation and use the said resources where they can be more of use.
3. Marketplace updates:
Every online sales portal goes through a series of updates in its regulations, hence all data has to be constantly updated according to the changes in the marketplace. This can be laborious especially when you have listed your product on more than one platform.
4. Tedious work:
Imagine listing hundreds of products over multiple platforms, it’s tedious spreadsheets of unending data which would take weeks of segregation and even if done with the most meticulous eye there is still a lot of scope for error.
How can automated product data syndication software help retailers?
1. Data distribution across multiple platforms
When your product is listed on multiple platforms data has to be segmented and adjusted differently for different portals. This transfer of the same data to multiple platforms is automated and done without human intervention when automated.
2. Product data transformation
Given that different online sales portals have different requirements the data needs to be adjusted accordingly, product data syndication software even goes a step beyond and transforms product data to best suit the sales description for each sales portal.
3. Data adaptation
When you share your product data across several platforms taxonomy of data is assumed. The product data syndication software segregates and transforms the data according to the requirements of the retail partners and keeps it up to date. No external coding and intervention would be required from the client’s side.
Benefits of automated product data syndication software
1. Product discovery
Automation of product data distribution means that your product is now available on several online portals and ready to be discovered. Your product listed on multiple platforms can help you take your brand presence from locally to even globally with just the help of basic information.
2. Data accuracy and updation
Automation of data entry and taxonomy of data will now be rid of human error hence reducing any chances of costly fines for mistakes. Data will also be updated accordingly with time as the regulations of the online portal change.
3. Time to market is faster
Given that the process is automated, it saves the company weeks, to even months of time which would have been used for laborious data entry and double checking for errors. Automation speeds up the journey of the product from conceptualization to production to introduction to the market.
4. Increased sales revenue
Just the presence of your product on multiple platforms will increase brand discovery hence leading to higher sales returns. The audience still has their freedom of choice and discovery but your product will now show up on multiple platforms which will increase the stickability of both the product and brand in the customer’s buying interests.
5. More resources can be spent on creative tasks
Now that your brand and company have the leeway to use the spare time and labor and other resources, they can now be spent on creative heavy tasks instead of spending it on filling and segregating spreadsheets.
Hence we see a clear indication of the importance of what role product data syndication plays in the business world. In conclusion, we understood:
-How customers are in the driver’s seat of the sales performance of a given product and how they need choices and variety
-Why companies need to have their presence on multiple online sales portals to be on top of the game
-What hurdles do retailers face while showcasing their products on multiple platforms
-What could go wrong if the product listing on these platforms is done manually
-What are the advantages of using product data syndication softwares for the retailers
-What advantages do this automation software brings to a company in overall functioning.
To know more about content syndication services, Schedule a demo .
SEE ALSO: Product Content Syndication: Why You Should Be Doing It
Image source:
Image source 1: Hal Gatewood from Unsplash.
