For decades, trade buyers built their relationships with builders’ merchants over the counter and on the phone. In fact, branch-led sales are probably still the backbone of the industry, but there’s been an unmistakeably significant shift in purchasing habits over recent years. Even the most loyal of trade customers are now able to (and, indeed, expect to) research products online before placing an order. Those merchants who still rely on paper catalogues, PDF datasheets, or basic ERP exports are not only missing a trick – they’re losing ground to competitors who provide richer and more accessible digital product data.
The shift in buyer behaviour
In today’s commercial environment, the convergence of customer expectations between B2B and B2C has meant that contractors and tradespeople now expect the same digital convenience they find in their personal shopping activities. They want omnichannel convenience and speed: instant access to specifications, availability, datasheets, and images at any time, from any device. And they aren’t idly browsing either – they need hard information which is correct, complete, and up to date – in a word, reliable.
A building merchant’s branch may close at 5.00pm, but that doesn’t mean customer research stops. In fact, a typical buyer journey often begins in the evening, with a builder comparing fixings, finishes, or technical performance before deciding where to place the order first thing the following morning. Without the kind of structured, enriched online product data they need to make a well-informed decision, your catalogue is invisible to the people to whom you want to sell.
In fact, neither is it just about visibility. High-quality digital product information removes friction. It represents ewer phone calls about compliance details, fewer abandoned baskets online, and fewer returns due to a mismatch between expectations and physical product.
Why branch operations and digital data must work together
You could look at branch and browser as separate commercial worlds but in fact, the relationship between the two is increasingly interdependent. They reinforce each other.
A builder may browse a website to confirm availability and specifications, then head to the branch to collect. Or a merchant’s sales team might direct their trade customers to online datasheets so as to reduce calls and speed up service.
Of course, the personalised attention offered in branches remains central to enduring trade relationships, but the emergence of the omnichannel model has meant that the decision-making process could literally be any place, any time. Merchants that don’t integrate their product data management with their branch operations are at risk of losing a substantial chunk of orders. A competitor of theirs, with an accurate, searchable online catalogue, has a better chance of capturing sales, even if their branch isn’t nearby.
Those who will thrive are forward-thinking merchants who treat product data as the common thread between branch staff, eCommerce platforms, and back-office systems. In short, when your digital shelf is accurate, and populated with compelling and relevant information, it’s a powerful driver of buyer confidence across every sales channel.
Building a digital foundation
So, the recipe for transforming from branch-led commerce to browser and omnichannel-ready needs three key ingredients:
1. Structured product data
Forget messy spreadsheets and PDF datasheets buried in folders. A PIM (Product Information Management) solution creates the ‘single source of truth.’ Every product code, attribute, and description is centralised, standardised, and always up to date.
2. Supplier enrichment and onboarding
Builders’ merchants generally need to keep the plates spinning with thousands of suppliers and tens of thousands of SKUs. Then there’s the quality of supplier-provided data. In many cases, it’s inconsistent, incomplete, or incompatible with your systems. That’s where AI-powered onboarding services like SKULaunch shine, because they can transform the jumble of supplier spreadsheets and PDFs into clean, validated product content, ready to feed into your PIM and eCommerce platforms.
3. Governance and enrichment processes
Your product data isn’t just about being accurate. It’s also about the product experience (PX). With a tool like Descriptionwise, you can generate high-quality and effective content: channel-ready titles, SEO-rich descriptions, and tailored information which goes well beyond compliance to actually adding great value to the purchasing journey. Together with the requisite product data governance frameworks, the whole bundle guarantees that data quality is maintained as your catalogue extends.
Taking these steps builds commercial resilience. Whether a customer engages online, in branch, or through a sales rep, they will see the same accurate and compelling information, giving all-important credibility to your offering, and providing the competitive edge you want in an increasingly crowded market.
Final words
The future of builders’ merchants isn’t a choice between branch or browser – it’s a combination of both. Digital product data doesn’t replace the branch; it enhances it, by ensuring that every conversation, click, and over-the-counter interaction is based on unimpeachably reliable information.
Get in touch with us and we can talk in more detail about how we can support you in transforming the way you manage your product data from branch to browser…to both!