Entry 9 from the book: Data Quality in E-Commerce
Thilo Wilts
"We are drowning in product data"
1 · The Problem in a Nutshell
Date: October 10, 2023
StyleUsNow receives product data from over 30 suppliers in a wide variety of formats. Missing images, inconsistent size specifications, and duplicate color names lead to poor conversion, high return rates, and time-consuming post-processing. Without reliable, rich product data, the online shop cannot scale its growth.
2 · Mini-Solution: The 3-Pillar Model (Bird's-Eye View)
| Pillar | Question | Quick Win Today |
| Asset Management | What do we have & where is it? | Create an inventory table with 4 columns (Data Type · Storage Location · Owner · Criticality) |
| Access Management | Who is allowed to do what? | Review admin rights once a month and remove unnecessary access |
| Accountability | Who is the Data Sponsor? | Appoint one responsible person per core dataset |
Quick Win from the Field: In one project, 127 customer duplicates were cleaned up – fewer misdirected mailings, more satisfied customers.
3 · What you can do NOW if you also have this problem
Visit your own product detail page and evaluate: Which fields are missing, seem incomplete, or are confusing?
Open the data source for it (e.g., PIM, Excel, ERP).
Note which of these fields are most frequently empty or inconsistent.
4 · Cliffhanger
A seemingly small transposed number triggered a domino effect that almost jeopardized a major order. You can read how we stopped this at the last minute in Chapter 3 of the book.
5 · Want the Whole Story?
In the book “Garbage In, Business Out? — How Small Businesses Can Fix Their Data and Finally Trust Their Decisions” you’ll read practical examples of how this and many other problems were solved.
Bonus: Download the exclusive worksheet (5‑page PDF) and other free extras here → https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1OevcHwAdZIhyTpXLUq4042cgb4NPjjEv?usp=sharing
Newsletter: Sign up here to get updates and new tools → https://garbageinbusinessout.hashnode.dev/newsletter
What flawed product detail have you noticed while online shopping that was a negative experience? Tell us about it!
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