How to get your product data ready for marketplaces

There aren’t many ecosystems more data-driven than eCommerce marketplaces, and all merchants want to expand their reach and boost revenue streams. However, one challenge in succeeding is having high-quality product data which is suitably-prepared to be unleashed on the public. That’s why our article covers the essential steps to follow so you optimise your product data for any marketplaces, ensuring its compliance, enhancing its visibility, and deploying it to drive up your conversion rate.

Characteristics of the eCommerce marketplace

The biggest and most extensive marketplaces like Amazon, Google Shopping, eBay, and Walmart have unique characteristics and requirements. These platforms provide vast exposure but placing your products comes with stringent data demands. Each marketplace has specific data attributes and quality standards which your product listings must meet. Understanding these requirements is the first step towards successful marketplace integration

Guidelines for compliance with eCommerce marketplace requirements

Adopt a highly structured approach to your migration project to help you anticipate avoidable problems. Detailed best practices include:

Develop a comprehensive plan

Before you syndicate your product data to marketplaces, carefully consider the following. Guaranteeing that you comply with a given eCommerce marketplace’s guidelines is foundational for successful product listings.

Key factors include:

High-quality images: Don’t rush to publish without oversight on visuals – your product images must meet marketplace requirements, including resolution and background specifications.

Accurate and compelling descriptions: Be absolutely sure you are providing detailed and accurate product descriptions which include specifications, features, and benefits of purchase. This short content form is selling not only the product, but your brand, so make it memorable, and easy for your audience to digest.
Universal Product Identifiers (UPIs): Double-check your use of GTINs, UPCs, or EANs to help marketplaces identify and list your products accurately.
Suitable categorisation: Use specific categories to ensure products are easily searchable. This refers to product taxonomy, which you need to have very clearly-defined well before you consider syndicating products to marketplaces. So, you need to implement user-friendly navigation and effective product filters to optimise your chances of fully exploiting your presence on a high-profile marketplace.

- Clear pricing and shipping details: Specify any additional costs transparently – hidden costs are extremely off-putting to potential customers.

- Customer reviews and ratings: Encourage and display feedback to enhance credibility. In fact, there is merit in adding a few negative reviews if your business has responded in a way that suggests you are acting on the comments.

- Cross-selling and upselling: Recommend related products to increase average order value.

If you adhere to these guidelines, it not only improves visibility and search rankings, but also ensures a seamless shopping experience for customers. In turn, that reduces the likelihood of listing rejections and increases your chances of boosting overall sales performance across various marketplaces.

Amazon: the marketplace giant

Amazon has very specific requirements for product listings, and meeting these guidelines is essential to avoid listing rejections.

When listing a product on Amazon, it’s crucial to provide comprehensive and accurate information to ensure visibility and compliance with Amazon’s guidelines. Here are the key components you need to include:

Product Identifier: A unique identifier such as UPC, EAN, JAN, or ISBN.

Title: A clear, concise title that includes relevant details like brand, model, size, and colour.

Brand: The brand of the product.

Description: A detailed product description that highlights key features and benefits.

Images: High-quality images that showcase different angles and use cases of the product.

Category: Correctly categorise your product using Amazon’s taxonomy to improve discoverability.

Condition: Specify whether the product is new, used, or refurbished.

Defects: If the product is used or refurbished, detail any defects or imperfections.

Price: Set the product price clearly.

Shipping Options: Include available shipping methods, rates, and estimated delivery times to ensure customers know how quickly they will receive the product.

Use cases – B2C and B2B

Optimising product data varies between B2C and B2B marketplaces due to differing buyer behaviours and expectations.

B2C Marketplaces:

Detailed descriptions: Consumers rely on comprehensive product details and reviews.
SEO-readiness: Do the requisite research and use consumer-friendly keywords to improve search visibility.
Visual content: The use of images and videos are becoming a must to capture attention, especially when it comes to mobile shopping on social media or apps. Format files suitably so they load quickly and are optimised for multiple devices.

B2B Marketplaces:

Technical specifications: Provide precise technical details and compliance information.
Bulk pricing: Clearly state bulk pricing options and minimum order quantities.
Trust Signals: Include customer reviews, ratings, and trust badges to build credibility. It’s likely that you will be building a relationship with a given purchaser, so the more you can personalise the data they receive the better.

Best practices checklist

Before you press ‘send’ for your content, pose the following questions:

Am I fully-aware of the formats and content of my stored data?
Do I know all the requirements for each customer touchpoint?
Am I following the requirements of the platform?
Am I providing a taxonomy which enables easy findability?
Is the content I want to syndicate in a consistent format for the platform?

Finally, this isn’t a one-off event. You need to implement ongoing performance checking efforts: Monitor and measure your product data’s performance so where required, you can adjust your tactics and workflows to further optimise results.

Final thoughts

You want to reach as broad an audience as possible, and boost sales, right? Then understanding requirements allows you to prepare and optimise your product data so it becomes the kind of product information which will ensure a seamless and successful marketplace integration.

How to get your product data ready for marketplaces

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