19.12.2024 | BJÖRN BAYARD
Brand manufacturers can sell their products via an ever growing number of communication channels in digital commerce. These include their own platforms such as online shops and social media as well as the channels of retail partners such as online marketplaces. On the one hand, this naturally increases the sales potential, but on the other hand, it also increases the complexity of providing the optimal product content for targeted product marketing. Finally, measuring the success of marketing measures is also becoming increasingly complicated and time-consuming. Once a certain number of communication channels have been reached, that measurement can no longer be managed manually.
Digital Shelf Analytics (DSA) automatically collects the relevant key performance indicators from third-party platforms such as retail shops and marketplaces and analyses them so that marketing managers can see at a glance how their products are performing on the individual channels. These evaluations provide the perfect basis for decisions regarding optimisation measures or budget allocations.
Digital Shelf Analytics (DSA) automatically collects the relevant key performance indicators from third-party platforms such as retail shops and marketplaces and analyses them...
Brand manufacturers can sell their products via an ever growing number of communication channels in digital commerce. These include their own platforms such as online shops and social media as well as the channels of retail partners such as online marketplaces. On the one hand, this naturally increases the sales potential, but on the other hand, it also increases the complexity of providing the optimal product content for targeted product marketing. Finally, measuring the success of marketing measures is also becoming increasingly complicated and time-consuming. Once a certain number of communication channels have been reached, that measurement can no longer be managed manually.
Digital Shelf Analytics (DSA) automatically collects the relevant key performance indicators from third-party platforms such as retail shops and marketplaces and analyses them so that marketing managers can see at a glance how their products are performing on the individual channels. These evaluations provide the perfect basis for decisions regarding optimisation measures or budget allocations.
Digital Shelf Analytics (DSA) automatically collects the relevant key performance indicators from third-party platforms such as retail shops and marketplaces and analyses them...
How does Digital Shelf Analytics work?
DSA tools are basically internet crawlers that collect and process product-related information from third-party platforms such as retailer’s online shops, comparison sites, and online marketplaces. In particular, details on product placement, rankings, product availability, and product price are the output from these tools. This gives brand manufacturers a comprehensive picture of their products’ performance and enables them to take timely measures to optimise their product presentation. Below we go into a little more detail about the most important DSA functions:
Perfect product presentation
Each output channel has specific rules for the structure, format, and presentation of product content. Manufacturers must provide appropriate content, and DSA solutions not only help them comply with these rules but also check that the information provided is up to date and correct. DSA solutions therefore help to optimise product experiences in the long term.
Better search results
The online shops of large retailers and online marketplaces such as MediaMarkt and Amazon have long since overtaken Google for many consumers when it comes to product searches. Accordingly, these sales platforms also offer manufacturers opportunities to optimise their search results – be it through ad placements or optimised keywording. With the help of DSA, the appropriate strategies can be derived in each case.
Always available products
DSA solutions also help manufacturers to immediately see products that have been accidentally taken offline or sold out and to initiate appropriate measures.
Know your customer
Some tools even allow product reviews and ratings to be analysed. This can generate valuable insights into how satisfied customers are with the product itself, the product presentation, the delivery, or the customer service.
Know your competition
Some solutions offer the option of comparing your own product’s performance with that of the competition. Helpful conclusions can be drawn from this – for example about unrecognised USPs or the competition’s successful marketing measures, which can be adopted accordingly.
How does Digital Shelf Analytics work?
DSA tools are basically internet crawlers that collect and process product-related information from third-party platforms such as retailer’s online shops, comparison sites, and online marketplaces. In particular, details on product placement, rankings, product availability, and product price are the output from these tools. This gives brand manufacturers a comprehensive picture of their products’ performance and enables them to take timely measures to optimise their product presentation. Below we go into a little more detail about the most important DSA functions:
Perfect product presentation
Each output channel has specific rules for the structure, format, and presentation of product content. Manufacturers must provide appropriate content, and DSA solutions not only help them comply with these rules but also check that the information provided is up to date and correct. DSA solutions therefore help to optimise product experiences in the long term.
Better search results
The online shops of large retailers and online marketplaces such as MediaMarkt and Amazon have long since overtaken Google for many consumers when it comes to product searches. Accordingly, these sales platforms also offer manufacturers opportunities to optimise their search results – be it through ad placements or optimised keywording. With the help of DSA, the appropriate strategies can be derived in each case.
Always available products
DSA solutions also help manufacturers to immediately see products that have been accidentally taken offline or sold out and to initiate appropriate measures.
Know your customer
Some tools even allow product reviews and ratings to be analysed. This can generate valuable insights into how satisfied customers are with the product itself, the product presentation, the delivery, or the customer service.
Know your competition
Some solutions offer the option of comparing your own product’s performance with that of the competition. Helpful conclusions can be drawn from this – for example about unrecognised USPs or the competition’s successful marketing measures, which can be adopted accordingly.
Gaining knowledge – and then what
Generating insights is only the first step in the long-term optimisation of product communication measures. It is important to network DSA solutions closely with the corresponding systems in the digital value chain in order to translate these insights into adaptations to product content. This is all the more important as process automation becomes essential once product communication reaches a certain level of complexity.
A DSA solution should therefore be closely interlinked with the product content management systems. Ideally, numerous analyses and validation processes take place there anyway, as they continuously check the quality of the product content and initiate corrective measures where necessary. This is particularly important in the GDSN context, where manufacturer information on the products must be published in the global data network in a clean and compliant manner.
Gaining knowledge – and then what
Generating insights is only the first step in the long-term optimisation of product communication measures. It is important to network DSA solutions closely with the corresponding systems in the digital value chain in order to translate these insights into adaptations to product content. This is all the more important as process automation becomes essential once product communication reaches a certain level of complexity.
A DSA solution should therefore be closely interlinked with the product content management systems. Ideally, numerous analyses and validation processes take place there anyway, as they continuously check the quality of the product content and initiate corrective measures where necessary. This is particularly important in the GDSN context, where manufacturer information on the products must be published in the global data network in a clean and compliant manner.
Digital Shelf Analytics – a powerful tool for you?
Kind regards – your Björn Bayard
