B2B e-Commerce Site Maintenance - Your Data Processes

In this five-part series, I’m addressing the most frequently-faced pitfalls of B2B e-Commerce website maintenance, and providing insight to how you can foresee and forestall their impacts. There are all kinds of posts on the internet about how important it is to have a B2B e-commerce site, and how to choose the right one. But what do you need to know once you choose a solution and implement it?

Today’s Topic: Data Process

The last post in this series was also about data; in case it’s not already obvious, 80% or more of your admin’s job will focus on the maintenance of the data that keeps your site running. Your data is only as good as the processes you use to create and manage it, and one thing a B2B site is certain to do is show inaccuracies and inconsistencies in this area. Ideally, you’d have a data gatekeeper or Master Data Management team or person. But in the absence of a budget for that luxury, there are still some things you can do.

• Create and manage a line list. This should capture your entire (global) product line (both new and carryover products) for a season, or you may want to create separate line lists per product division. If managing multiple line lists for your brand, ensure that each line list includes common data in the same location and formats. (e.g. dates across line lists are in the same format, inline indicator is the same character) Your line list should include (in addition to product master information):Indicators for new vs carryover styles and colors.Inline indicators for various sales regions (e,g, US, Canada, MX)Wholesale and Retail PricingAvailability date(s) (for multiple deliveries within a season)A separate sheet for a change log, which tracks the nature of the change, date of change, and regional application of the change.

• Manage product features in a file separate from your print catalog. (many creative teams manage these within the seasonal print catalog format, which can be difficult to pull from) This allows for the inclusion of post-catalog revisions so that the B2B site can be easily updated with this information. Dealers and sales reps will appreciate knowing that the trims, fabric, or features on a sample have changed for production, leading to better dealer relationships and satisfaction with your brand.

• Use your ERP. Develop consistent naming conventions for both products and colors. Ensure there is a long name field for product and color names, so that the unabbreviated versions are easily available. Create a closed pricing loop, where the B2B order price is validated against the system. If your B2B provider offers an API connection, make use of it to send and receive order data, sales programs, customers, inventory and more.

• Make a commitment to a seasonal review of your data landscape to ensure needed B2B e-Commerce fields are being included and tracked. The process of data creation and management is ongoing, with new fields being added frequently for use by various departments. A seasonal (or even more frequent) review will allow you to keep up with additional requirements, formatting, and where the data should be kept or added.

• Automate your admin’s work wherever possible. Even with the above changes, your B2B admin will still be the gatekeeper for B2B data, and will likely need to transform at least some fields for your feeds. Consistency in approach and use of formulaic or code-based automations are the best practice to limit inaccuracies and maximize efficiency.

The critical nature of the relationship between your data and your B2B site’s success cannot be overstated. Spending time and resources to ensure this part of your approach to online sales runs smoothly will repay those efforts multi-fold in better customer service, and ultimately, increased sales.