Every line of the supplier spreadsheet has to be converted into the shop's 28 mandatory fields.
The supplier spreadsheet gives material and dimensions as free text; the PIM requires a selection value. For every line, someone looks up the item number in the ERP, maps the attribute, writes the description and links the image. If a mandatory field is missing, the shop does not display the item, and nobody notices until the category page is half empty.
600items in the supplier runThat is how many lines come in with a spring collection.
28mandatory attributesThat is how many fields the shop requires per item before it displays it.
16,800field decisionsEvery attribute of every item is a manual step.
83items not displayedA single empty mandatory field keeps the item off the category page until someone fills it in.
With 1,142 fields from the ERP and 558 finished records, the supplier run needs 50% less data maintenance effort, leaving 42 items with uncertain values for review.
The 50% reduction in data maintenance effort is this agent's headline figure. The 600 items and 28 mandatory attributes reflect a typical run at the change of season and illustrate the process; they are not a measurement.