03.02.2025 | BJÖRN BAYARD
Brand manufacturers are seeing more and more opportunities to sell their products online – both in their own communication channels such as social media and online shops and in retail channels such as online marketplaces. On the one hand, this means growing sales potential for manufacturers, but on the other hand it also means increasing complexity in the provision of Product Content and in measuring the success of communication activities.
While it is relatively straightforward to monitor sales figures and all other relevant KPIs in your own channels, it is not quite as easy on third-party platforms. Retail partners either fail to pass on the relevant figures or they offer a paid service. Of course, manufacturers can manually check key figures such as product sales, search results rankings, and product placements in relation to the competition. However, due to the complexity involved, this is only realistically possible as a random sample.
Digital Shelf Analytics Tools promise a comprehensive solution for this gap by collecting all the relevant KPIs on third-party platforms, evaluating them, and providing e-commerce managers with a clear overview so that they can make appropriate decisions and initiate optimisation measures.
Product-related information is collected by DSA solutions from external communication channels such as comparison sites, marketplaces, and retailers’ online shops. The data is then processed and made available for a wide range of analyses. DSA solutions differ in terms of the range of information covered and the scope of functions, but the concept is always the same: they provide brand manufacturers with comprehensive insights into the performance of their products on the digital shelf.
03.02.2025 | BJÖRN BAYARD
Brand manufacturers are seeing more and more opportunities to sell their products online – both in their own communication channels such as social media and online shops and in retail channels such as online marketplaces. On the one hand, this means growing sales potential for manufacturers, but on the other hand it also means increasing complexity in the provision of Product Content and in measuring the success of communication activities.
While it is relatively straightforward to monitor sales figures and all other relevant KPIs in your own channels, it is not quite as easy on third-party platforms. Retail partners either fail to pass on the relevant figures or they offer a paid service. Of course, manufacturers can manually check key figures such as product sales, search results rankings, and product placements in relation to the competition. However, due to the complexity involved, this is only realistically possible as a random sample.
Digital Shelf Analytics Tools promise a comprehensive solution for this gap by collecting all the relevant KPIs on third-party platforms, evaluating them, and providing e-commerce managers with a clear overview so that they can make appropriate decisions and initiate optimisation measures.
Product-related information is collected by DSA solutions from external communication channels such as comparison sites, marketplaces, and retailers’ online shops. The data is then processed and made available for a wide range of analyses. DSA solutions differ in terms of the range of information covered and the scope of functions, but the concept is always the same: they provide brand manufacturers with comprehensive insights into the performance of their products on the digital shelf.
What are the benefits of DSA?
The most important information covered by DSA solutions is product availability (shows whether the product has gone live and if stock levels are sufficient), product content (determines the quality of product communication), rankings, ratings, and price information. This results in a whole range of benefits for e-commerce managers:
Guaranteed go-to-market
DSA tools ensure that e-commerce managers are immediately aware if a product accidentally goes offline or stock runs out. This allows them to react quickly and ensure that sales potential is not restricted.
Better product presentation
e-commerce managers can see immediately if their products are not displayed optimally in a retailer’s shop and can react with optimised product content or adjustments to the product detail pages.
Improved rankings and placements
It is important to optimise not only your own product detail page but also your own placement in the search results on the retailer pages, similar to search engine optimisation. Paid product placements can be optimised at the same time.
Increased ROAS
With the help of these measures, the ROAS (Return On Ad Spend) can ultimately be maximised and, for example, advertising measures for products that are already converting well can be saved. This helps to use the retail media budget more effectively.
Measuring customer satisfaction
Retailers’ online shops offer a valuable source for brands to measure customer satisfaction and derive insights for product development, pricing strategy, customer service, and delivery thanks to the possibility of product evaluations and reviews. For example, customer reviews can be used to explain increased returns, which gives those responsible the opportunity to respond and reduce returns costs.
Monitor the competition
Some DSA tools enable e-commerce managers to carry out competitive analyses that provide insights into how their own products are performing in comparison to the direct competition. This can also be used to derive corresponding optimisations to product content and increase product conversion in the long term.
What are the benefits of DSA?
Guaranteed go-to-market
DSA tools ensure that e-commerce managers are immediately aware if a product accidentally goes offline or stock runs out. This allows them to react quickly and ensure that sales potential is not restricted.
Better product presentation
e-commerce managers can see immediately if their products are not displayed optimally in a retailer’s shop and can react with optimised product content or adjustments to the product detail pages.
Improved rankings and placements
It is important to optimise not only your own product detail page but also your own placement in the search results on the retailer pages, similar to search engine optimisation. Paid product placements can be optimised at the same time.
Increased ROAS
With the help of these measures, the ROAS (Return On Ad Spend) can ultimately be maximised and, for example, advertising measures for products that are already converting well can be saved. This helps to use the retail media budget more effectively.
Measuring customer satisfaction
Retailers’ online shops offer a valuable source for brands to measure customer satisfaction and derive insights for product development, pricing strategy, customer service, and delivery thanks to the possibility of product evaluations and reviews. For example, customer reviews can be used to explain increased returns, which gives those responsible the opportunity to respond and reduce returns costs.
Monitor the competition
Some DSA tools enable e-commerce managers to carry out competitive analyses that provide insights into how their own products are performing in comparison to the direct competition. This can also be used to derive corresponding optimisations to product content and increase product conversion in the long term.
DSA and the Product Content Lifecycle
DSA offers great potential for optimising sales strategies and communication measures in digital retail and thus increasing sales figures. However, there are some prerequisites that apply to the implementation of DSA solutions:

Focus on data quality
As with all other data topics, the significance of the insights generated depends significantly on the quality of the data collected. It is therefore important not only to integrate all relevant retail platforms into the DSA applications but also to collect the relevant data points, ensure that they are comparable, and link them together in a meaningful way.
Integration into product content management
DSA tools only generate maximum benefit when the insights they generate are fed back into the digital value chain as adjustments to the product content. This in turn requires genuine End-to-End Product Content Lifecycle Management that encompasses all product-relevant systems, data, and processes.
Configuration options
Working with data is becoming increasingly important and many companies are in the midst of developing a data culture. DSA is an important tool for e-commerce managers, and adaptability of the solutions to their information needs is crucial for user acceptance and therefore also for the added value that the solutions ultimately offer.
DSA and the Product Content Lifecycle
DSA offers great potential for optimising sales strategies and communication measures in digital retail and thus increasing sales figures. However, there are some prerequisites that apply to the implementation of DSA solutions:



Focus on data quality
As with all other data topics, the significance of the insights generated depends significantly on the quality of the data collected. It is therefore important not only to integrate all relevant retail platforms into the DSA applications but also to collect the relevant data points, ensure that they are comparable, and link them together in a meaningful way.
Integration into product content management
DSA tools only generate maximum benefit when the insights they generate are fed back into the digital value chain as adjustments to the product content. This in turn requires genuine End-to-End Product Content Lifecycle Management that encompasses all product-relevant systems, data, and processes.
Configuration options
Working with data is becoming increasingly important and many companies are in the midst of developing a data culture. DSA is an important tool for e-commerce managers, and adaptability of the solutions to their information needs is crucial for user acceptance and therefore also for the added value that the solutions ultimately offer.
Do you want to unlock the potential of Digital Shelf Analytics?
Kind regards – Your Björn Bayard