Introduction: The Role of Product Data in E-Commerce
Speed and accuracy in processing catalog data are critical benchmarks of our Catalog IQ at RenCommerce. We prioritize these elements to ensure that product data is not only managed efficiently but also represented consistently and attractively across all sales channels, both online and in-store. Our commitment to standardized terminology and procedures enhances our ability to process data quickly and accurately.
For “List Price (Column X / Index 24)”, List Price is an example of a column name in our Item and Component Upload Sheet Template. The "List Price" is the name of the column, and the other two pieces of information, Column X and Index 24, designate its position in the sheet. This format helps ensure data is in the correct order when uploaded to our PIM system.
This training resource is designed to familiarize you with our processes, provide insights into how catalog data is structured on our platform, and equip you with the knowledge to address and resolve common challenges.
Table of Contents
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5. Product Availability and Logistics Information
6. Product Descriptions and Specifications
7. Unified Product Data: Categories, Attributes, and Collections
8. Search Functionality and Tags
1. Understanding Product Data and Its Importance
RenCommerce product data is distinguished by its consistency, accuracy, and strategic organization, making it a cornerstone of successful home furniture e-commerce. This data is not just a collection of product details like names, prices, dimensions, and images; it is a powerful tool that drives consistency across all channels, enhances customer experiences, and optimizes search engine performance.
Consistency In Store and Online: RenCommerce ensures that product data is meticulously maintained so that it remains consistent across all online and in-store sales channels. This uniformity is crucial in maintaining brand integrity and customer trust. When product details are consistent across platforms, it prevents confusion and reinforces a reliable shopping experience.
Customer Experience: In the absence of physical interaction, detailed and accurate product information becomes essential for customers making online purchases. By providing high-quality images, precise descriptions, and accurate pricing, RenCommerce helps customers make informed decisions, reducing the likelihood of returns and increasing overall satisfaction.
Search Optimization: RenCommerce product data is strategically formatted and enriched with relevant keywords, ensuring optimal search engine visibility. This approach makes it easier for potential customers to find products online, increasing the chances of appearing in relevant search results and driving more traffic to product listings.
2. How RenCommerce Integrates and Processes Manufacturer Data
When manufacturers partner with RenCommerce, the initial step involves submitting their product data for integration into our Product Information Management (PIM) system. This process is critical to ensure that all data is accurate, complete, and ready for seamless use across our platform. Manufacturers can submit their product data in various formats, including CSV, Excel, or through API connections. This flexibility accommodates the diverse systems and formats used by different manufacturers.
Data Formats: Manufacturers provide product data in different formats (CSV, Excel, API), allowing RenCommerce to handle the data in a way that suits the manufacturer’s existing infrastructure.
Data Processing: Once received, the data is processed to meet RenCommerce’s internal standards for quality, consistency, and completeness. This ensures that the data is fully compatible with our PIM system.
Real-Time Updates and API Integration
API and Real-Time Synchronization For manufacturers who use API connectivity, RenCommerce offers real-time data synchronization. This powerful feature ensures that any updates made by the manufacturer—such as inventory levels, price changes, or new product additions—are immediately reflected on the RenCommerce platform.
Data Standardization: Ensuring Consistency Across the Platform
After data submission and integration, RenCommerce undertakes a rigorous standardization process. This process transforms raw data into a unified resource that enhances the shopping experience across our platform. Standardization is essential for creating a seamless multi-vendor environment, ensuring that products from various manufacturers are integrated and presented consistently.
Creating a Seamless Multi-Vendor Environment: Standardization harmonizes data across multiple vendors, so when a retailer searches for a "light brown leather recliner," all relevant products from various vendors appear uniformly. This organization is made possible by our detailed standardization process, which categorizes and describes products consistently across the platform.
Correcting and Enhancing Data Accuracy: As part of the standardization process, RenCommerce ensures that product names, descriptions, and attributes are free from errors. This includes correcting spelling mistakes and avoiding the use of abbreviations, which enhances clarity and improves search engine optimization (SEO).
Spell Check: Ensures that all product data is free from typos or errors that could hinder searchability.
Taxonomy: The Backbone of Our Product Categorization
We have developed an organization method specifically for the home furniture industry. This taxonomy allows us to organize products into precise categories and subcategories while assigning standardized attributes such as color, material, and style. This structured organization ensures that products are easy to find and compare, providing both retailers and customers with a seamless shopping experience.
Enhanced Searchability and Comparability: The standardized taxonomy ensures that products from different vendors are categorized consistently, allowing for effective searches and comparisons.
3. Utilizing Product Data on the RenCommerce Platform
Once the product data is integrated into our PIM, it is used across the RenCommerce platform in several impactful ways:
Product Listings: The standardized data is used to create detailed product listings that include all relevant information such as descriptions, images, pricing, and availability. These listings are what customers interact with on the front end, making it essential that every detail is accurate and visually appealing.
Customizable Catalogs: One of the standout features of RenCommerce is the ability for retailers to clone products from the master catalog and create their own customized listings, known as In-Store Products. This feature allows retailers to tailor the product presentation to align with their specific branding, market needs, and customer preferences. It provides flexibility while maintaining the integrity of the core product data.
Inventory Management: Our system keeps track of inventory levels, ensuring that only available products are listed for sale. This includes real-time updates for retailers who use API connections. Discontinued products are promptly removed from the catalog to prevent overselling, which could lead to customer dissatisfaction and operational inefficiencies.
In the next sections, we will be covering the Pricing, Availability, Logistics, Descriptions, Categories, and Attribute elements of our product data. This will help you understand how each of these key components is structured and utilized in our Item and Component Upload Sheet to ensure seamless data integration into our PIM system.
4. Pricing Information: List Price, MAP, MSRP, and Price Consistency
At RenCommerce, our comprehensive pricing strategy ensures consistency and transparency across all sales channels. This strategy is built on several key components, which together help retailers maintain competitive and fair pricing while complying with manufacturer guidelines.
List Price (Column X / Index 24):
The List Price is the product's base price without any markups. This serves as the foundation upon which all pricing adjustments, including markups and discounts, are calculated. Accurately setting and maintaining this price across channels is crucial as it directly impacts customer perception and retailer margins.
MAP (Minimum Advertised Price) (Column S / Index 19): MAP is the lowest price at which a product can be advertised, as determined by the manufacturer. RenCommerce enforces MAP policies automatically, ensuring that your List Price does not drop below the manufacturer’s set MAP. If the List Price is set lower than the MAP, the system will default to the MAP price. This protects the product’s perceived value and prevents price wars that could diminish brand equity.
MSRP (Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price): MSRP is the price recommended by the manufacturer, often used as a benchmark in pricing strategies. Although retailers can set their own prices based on market conditions, MSRP provides a guideline that helps maintain brand consistency and prevents the product from being devalued.
Price Markup: Retailers apply a markup to the List Price, which determines the final price visible to consumers on websites or in stores. Effective management of markups is essential for competitive pricing and profitability. Markups should cover costs, align with market expectations, and allow for competitive pricing.
5. Product Availability and Logistics Information
Managing product availability and logistics is a critical component of ensuring a seamless customer experience and efficient operations at RenCommerce. By meticulously tracking these elements, we help retailers avoid stock issues and optimize their logistical processes, ultimately enhancing both customer satisfaction and operational efficiency.
Inventory Management (Column AN / Index 40):
Inventory levels are a fundamental aspect of product availability. RenCommerce monitors and updates the inventory levels of each product regularly to reflect real-time availability. Accurate inventory tracking is essential for several key reasons:
Customer Experience: Ensures that customers can purchase products without encountering out-of-stock issues, which could lead to cart abandonment and lost sales. Reliable inventory data helps maintain customer trust and satisfaction by providing transparency about product availability.
Retailer Efficiency: Helps retailers manage their stock effectively, preventing both overstocking, which ties up capital and storage space, and stockouts, which can result in missed sales opportunities and dissatisfied customers.
Future Availability/Coming Soon (Column AO / Index 41): This field indicates when an out-of-stock product will become available again. This information is particularly valuable for managing customer expectations and maintaining interest in products that are temporarily unavailable.
Cartons (Column AL / Index 38): The number of cartons required for shipping a product is a key logistical detail. Knowing the number of cartons helps in determining packaging requirements, calculating shipping costs, and optimizing storage space.
Mfg Pieces (Index 21): Specifies the number of pieces per carton that the item is ordered in. This should be set to one unless pricing is provided per piece that can only be ordered in multiples or sets like bar stools.
Cartons and Packaging Dimensions (Columns AL, K, L, M / Index 38, 11, 12, 13):
Accurate information on the number of cartons and packaging dimensions is critical for several logistical aspects:
Item Dimensions vs. Package Dimensions: The distinction between item dimensions and package dimensions is crucial for logistics. Item dimensions refer to the actual size of the product, while package dimensions include the size of the packaging used for shipping. This differentiation is important for ensuring that the product fits appropriately within its packaging and for calculating shipping costs based on the total size and weight of the package.
Item Dimensions:
Package Dimensions:
Volume (Column K / Index 11): The volume of the item, specified in cubic inches, is used in logistics to determine space requirements. This value is sometimes calculated from Package Dimensions.
6. Product Descriptions and Specifications
RenCommerce emphasizes the importance of detailed product descriptions and specifications, as these details play a critical role in influencing customer purchasing decisions, enhancing search engine optimization (SEO), and ensuring accurate product listings across all sales channels.
Item Number, UPC, and Name (Columns A, E, F / Index 1, 5, 6):
Each product in the RenCommerce system is identified by a unique item number, a Universal Product Code (UPC), and a descriptive name. These elements are essential for both internal product management and external discoverability.
Item Number (Column A / Index 1): This unique identifier is crucial for tracking, inventory management, and ensuring distinct recognition across all sales channels. Think of this id as the product's Social Security Number.
UPC (Column E / Index 5): The UPC serves as a standardized identifier in retail environments, facilitating consistency in inventory management and point-of-sale systems.
Name (Column F / Index 6): The product name should be clear and descriptive, incorporating relevant keywords that enhance SEO. Avoid using special characters like slashes ("/") in product names, as they can negatively impact SEO by disrupting keyword recognition and reducing search result visibility.
Product Description (Column G / Index 7):
The product description is a vital component of the product listing, offering a concise yet comprehensive overview of the product's key features and benefits. This field can consist of unformatted text without character returns or HTML code.
Bullet Features (Column AP / Index 42):
The Bullet Features section allows you to highlight key aspects of the product in a clear and structured format using HTML bullet lists.
Example HTML Formatting:
<ul><li>No Assembly Required</li><li>Number of Slats: 4</li><li>CBFT: 9.18</li></ul>
Understanding HTML Brackets and Tags:
<ul>: Opens the unordered list (bulleted list).
<li>: Wraps each list item (bullet point).
</ul>: Closes the unordered list.
Style (Column AB / Index 28):
The style field describes the product's design or aesthetic, which is crucial for customer decision-making and marketing. Some of the more common styles used are: Casual, Contemporary, Modern, Traditional, Transitional, Mid Century Modern, Rustic, Glam, Industrial, Modern Farmhouse, Country, Cottage, Modern Classic, French Provincial, Craftsman, Mission, and Farmhouse.
Shape (Column AD / Index 30):
The shape of a product influences both its functionality and aesthetic appeal. Some of the more common styles used are: Oval, Rectangle, Round, Square.
Color (Column Y / Index 25): Specifies the colors of the product, which is crucial for helping customers visualize how the product will integrate with their existing decor and style preferences.
Material (Column Z / Index 26): Describes the primary materials used in the product, such as wood, metal, or fabric. This comprehensive description is key for understanding the product’s composition.
Finish (Column AA / Index 27): Indicates the surface treatment of the product, affecting both its appearance and tactile experience. The three available finishes—Dark, Light, Medium—are used to describe the product’s overall tone or shading. This attribute can influence a customer’s perception of the product’s style and quality, and should be clearly stated to match their preferences.
Item Group Code and Collection, Group Style, Group Description, and Group Color
Item Group Code and Collection (Columns B, T / Index 2, 20): The Item Group Code and Collection fields should have the same value. These values are essential for organizing the product into its specific collection. On your RenCommerce website, the collection information is displayed at the bottom of product detail pages under "Collection Items," allowing customers to easily view all related items within the same collection.
Group Style (Column U / Index 21): Describes the overall style of the collection, such as "Modern," "Rustic," or "Glam." This field helps customers understand the general theme of the collection.
Group Description (Column V / Index 22): Provides a narrative about the collection, focusing on key features, design inspiration, and overall appeal. This description should strictly describe the collection, not individual products.
Group Color (Column W / Index 23): Specifies the dominant color scheme of the collection, aiding customers in finding matching items within the collection.
7. Unified Product Data: Categories, Attributes, and Collections
Categories, attributes, and collections are key to organizing product data on the RenCommerce platform. Categories provide a structured way to group products, attributes allow for detailed filtering and searching, and collections group related items under a common theme. Together, these elements ensure a streamlined and cohesive catalog for both retailers and customers.
Attributes (Column AH / Index 34):
Attributes define specific characteristics of a product, such as color, material, style, and shape. These should be entered as a comma-separated list with no spaces, for example: Black,Leather,Modern. This standardization allows customers to filter products effectively within the catalog. For instance, a customer searching for a “black leather chair” can quickly narrow down the results by selecting relevant attributes, enhancing the shopping experience and ensuring they find what they need without unnecessary clutter.
Style (Column AB / Index 28):
The style field describes the product's design or aesthetic, which is crucial for customer decision-making and marketing. Some of the more common styles used are: Casual, Contemporary, Modern, Traditional, Transitional, Mid Century Modern, Rustic, Glam, Industrial, Modern Farmhouse, Country, Cottage, Modern Classic, French Provincial, Craftsman, Mission, and Farmhouse.
Item Group Code and Collection (Columns B, T / Index 2, 20):
The Item Group Code and Collection fields group related products under a common design theme or collection. These values must be the same to ensure consistency across the catalog. For instance, if the Item Group Code is MODERN001, the Collection should also be MODERN001. This standardization helps in creating clear and cohesive product groupings, allowing customers to view all matching items within a collection easily. This makes it simpler for customers to purchase complementary pieces and helps retailers maintain a unified brand presentation.
The Power of a Multi Vendor Environment
Standardization of these fields allows RenCommerce to provide a seamless multivendor environment. By ensuring that all product data is consistently formatted and categorized, RenCommerce enables retailers to manage and showcase products from various manufacturers effectively on a single platform.
8. Search Functionality - Tags
Tags in RenCommerce represent an expanded functionality beyond attributes, categories, and other product data. Retailers can use tags to enhance their product data by adding any additional keywords or phrases they want their products to be discoverable by when searched. While these tags do not appear on the customer-facing website or app, they are crucial in optimizing the search functionality within the platform.
Tags (Column AJ / Index 36): Tags should be entered as a comma-separated list with no spaces, for example: "leather,modern,ergonomic." This flexibility allows retailers to customize the discoverability of their products, ensuring that even niche search terms yield relevant results.
Enhanced Searchability: Tags provide an additional layer of search functionality, making it easier for customers to find specific products.
Retailer Flexibility: Retailers have the freedom to add any relevant keywords to improve the visibility of their products.
9. Mobile Optimized Media and 360 Spin
In today’s mobile-first world, visual content is a critical component of the shopping experience. At RenCommerce, we ensure that all product media is optimized for various devices, providing customers with an immersive and consistent shopping experience across platforms.
Item Image (Column D / Index 4):
The primary product image is one of the most important visual elements on a product page. This high-resolution image is the first thing customers notice and serves as the visual representation of the product across all platforms. The image URL must be in the correct format, such as: “https://cdn.rencdn.com/nlfurniture/high/productphoto_1.jpg”. This URL points to the main image used on the website, ensuring that customers see a consistent and accurate depiction of the product.
More Images (Column AK / Index 37):
Secondary images provide additional perspectives of the product, giving customers a more comprehensive understanding. These images can include close-ups, alternate angles, and detailed shots, which are particularly important for high-consideration items like furniture. The URLs for these images must be entered as a comma-separated list with no spaces, for example:
https://cdn.rencdn.com/nlfurniture/high/productphoto_2.jpg,https://cdn.rencdn.com/nlfurniture/high/productphoto_3.jpg,https://cdn.rencdn.com/nlfurniture/high/productphoto_4.jpg
Mobile Optimization:
RenCommerce processes manufacturer-provided high-resolution images to ensure they are optimized for mobile devices. This optimization reduces load times on websites and allows for the seamless synchronization of entire catalogs to our Kiosk apps on iOS, Android, and Chrome OS devices. By optimizing images for mobile, we prevent storage or memory space limitations that could affect the user experience on these devices.
360 Spin:
For select vendors that supply 360 Spin images, this feature enhances the shopping experience by allowing customers to view the product from every angle. To view the 360 Spin, navigate to the product detail page in the app or online. If available, the 360 Spin will appear as a blue link that launches the 360 Spin viewer, providing an interactive and detailed product exploration.
10. Common Issues and How to Resolve Them
Managing product data accurately and keeping it up-to-date is a continuous process that requires constant monitoring, troubleshooting, and timely updates. At RenCommerce, we provide tools and processes designed to help retailers efficiently resolve common issues that may arise. Below is an overview of the most common issues and step-by-step instructions for resolving them.
Common issues in product data management can arise from discrepancies between the data on a retailer's site and the RenCommerce platform, out-of-stock or discontinued items that need deactivation, broken images or incorrect product categories, and pricing inconsistencies. Each of these issues can impact the customer experience, making it essential to address them promptly.
Manual Sync: Resolving Product Data Discrepancies
Discrepancies may occur between the product data on a retailer’s site and the RenCommerce platform due to delays in data synchronization or errors during data entry. To quickly correct these discrepancies, RenCommerce allows for a manual synchronization of product data, ensuring that any inconsistencies are addressed by forcing an immediate update.
Note: While it is possible to sync individual parts of the catalog, a complete sync is recommended for resolving most issues.
Steps to Perform a Manual Sync:
1. Login to the Dashboard: Navigate to your RenCommerce website dashboard at https://yourwebsite.com/admin.
2. Access Catalog Sync: Click the gear icon in the top right of the screen. From the dropdown list, select “Store Setup” and then “Catalog Sync.”
3. Initiate Sync: In the top right corner, click the orange “Sync All Data” button to begin the synchronization process. This sync may take a few hours to complete.
4. Check Sync Status: Monitor the progress by clicking the “View” button next to the corresponding sync. For a complete sync, check the “Product Request” sync status, which is the third “View” button from the bottom.
5. Sync RenARK App: Once the sync is complete, perform a sync on your RenARK app to ensure your kiosk and app are consistent with your website data.
Deactivating Products: Managing Out-of-Stock or Discontinued Items
When products are discontinued, permanently out of stock, or replaced by newer models, it is crucial to deactivate them promptly to prevent customers from ordering unavailable items. RenCommerce provides an intuitive interface for deactivating products, ensuring your catalog remains up-to-date.
Steps to Deactivate a Product:
1. Login to the Dashboard: Go to https://yourwebsite.com/admin
2. Navigate to Product Management: Click the fourth icon down on the left (shopping cart in a cloud) for the POS. Then select “Catalog,” followed by “Product Catalog,” and finally, “Products.”
Alternatively, you can access this page directly at https://yourwebsite.com/admin/product
3. Search for the Product: Enter the product name or SKU in the search field and click the orange magnifying glass icon.
4. Edit Product: In the Actions column, click the Edit Product button (blue square with a pencil) for the product you wish to deactivate.
5. Disable the Product: Scroll to the bottom of the page and toggle the “Enabled/Disabled” button from a blue checkbox to a black X in a gray box. Click “Submit” to save your changes.
6. View Disabled Products: To view all disabled products, navigate to the Products page at https://yourwebsite.com/admin/product, or follow the path Home > POS > Catalog > Product Catalog > Products. Use the “Select Status” dropdown at the top to filter products by Enabled, Disabled, or Discontinued status. Your selections will automatically update the search results.
Fixing a Broken Image or Incorrect Product Category
Occasionally, image URLs may break, or products might be incorrectly categorized during the standardization process. RenCommerce makes it simple to update broken images or correct product categories to ensure your product listings are accurate and visually appealing.
Steps to Update a Broken Image or Incorrect Category:
1. Login to the Dashboard: Navigate to your RenCommerce website dashboard at https://yourwebsite.com/admin
2. Access Product Management: Access Product Management: Click the fourth icon down on the left (shopping cart in a cloud) for the POS. Select “Catalog,” then “Product Catalog,” and finally, “Products.”
Alternatively, you can access this page directly at https://yourwebsite.com/admin/product
3. Search for the Product: Enter the product name or SKU in the search field and click the orange magnifying glass icon.
4. Edit the Product: In the Actions column, click the Edit Product button (blue square with a pencil) for the product that needs updating.
5. Reassign the Product Category: In the “Assign Product to Category” field, click the small X symbols to remove the currently assigned categories. Once the field is empty, click into it to select from the list of available categories and subcategories. Assign the appropriate category.
6. Update the Primary Image: In the “Image” field, click the white “Select Image” button. Click the green Upload button (shaped like an up arrow) to upload and select the new image.
7. Save Your Changes: Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the Submit button to save your updates.
Updating Prices: Ensuring Consistency and Competitiveness
Maintaining up-to-date pricing is crucial for staying competitive and maintaining customer trust. Changes in market conditions, supplier costs, or promotional strategies may require you to update product prices. RenCommerce provides tools to help you update prices quickly and efficiently across all channels.
Steps to Update Product Pricing:
1. Login to the Dashboard: Navigate to your RenCommerce website dashboard at https://yourwebsite.com/admin
2. Navigate to the Product Catalog: Click on the POS icon (a shopping cart in a cloud), select “Catalog,” followed by “Product Catalog,” and then “Products.” You can also access this page directly via https://yourwebsite.com/admin/product
3. Search for Products: Enter the product name or SKU in the search field and click the orange magnifying glass icon to locate the product.
4. Edit Product Pricing: In the Actions column, click the Edit Product button (blue square with a pencil) to open the pricing details for the selected product.
5. Overview of Pricing Fields:
Retail Price: Enter the Retail Price for the product. This price will override the Calculated Sale Price unless a Promotional Price is set.
MSRP (Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price): Enter the MSRP, which may display alongside the product's price depending on your settings.
MAP (Minimum Advertised Price) (Column S / Index 19): Enter the MAP for the product. The system ensures that the product price cannot be set below this value.
Base Price: This is the wholesale cost of the product. All markups are calculated from this price.
Calculated Sale Price: This price is determined by applying the markups set in the pricing settings. It is displayed if no Promotional or Retail Price overrides it.
6. Understanding Markup:
Markups are added to the Base Price to determine the Retail Price shown to customers. Manage these markups by following these steps:
Access the Markup Settings: Navigate to POS > Catalog > Merchandising > Pricing > Markup in the Dashboard.
Use the Markup Calculator: Experiment with different markup combinations to see how they impact pricing and profit margins.
Set the Markup: Use the provided tooltips to guide you through setting the appropriate markup percentage for your products.
Submit Changes: Once you're satisfied, click "Submit" to apply the markup.
Markup vs. Margin: While both relate to pricing, Markup is the percentage added to the Base/List Price to generate the Retail Price, whereas Margin is the percentage of the Retail Price that represents profit.
Manual Pricing Management via Spreadsheet
For those who prefer to manage pricing manually via spreadsheet, RenCommerce provides an option to export and re-import pricing data.
Steps to Update Product Pricing:
1. Export Product Pricing: In the Dashboard, navigate to POS > Catalog > Product Catalog > Products and select "Export Product Pricing."
2. Update the Excel File: Focus on updating Column F "Manual Retail Price." Remember, this overrides any markups and future base pricing updates.
3. Re-import the Spreadsheet: Save the updated Excel file as a .XLS and re-import it using the "Import Product Pricing" option in the Dashboard.
Customer Support and Escalation
For issues that cannot be resolved through standard tools and processes, RenCommerce offers robust customer support. Retailers can escalate more complex issues to a dedicated support team to ensure the accuracy and integrity of their product data.
How to Report a Catalog Issue:
1. Submit a Support Request: If you encounter an issue that you cannot resolve yourself, submit a form at https://www.rencomgroup.com/page/report-catalog-error
2. Catalog Team Response: Our Catalog team will contact you with next steps or provide an estimate on when the issue will be resolved.
