October 27, 2020 Industry news
Tesco has strengthened its long-term commitment to the industry’s product data management platform, productDNA, and made it easier for brands to share product data, by establishing a direct integration into myProduct: Induct
This integration is the culmination of many months work, on behalf of both Tesco and GS1 UK, and will allow product data to automatically flow from productDNA into myProduct: Induct.
This means that, rather than having to complete and maintain multiple product-induction platforms for each retailer, branded suppliers will be able to manage their data from a single source – saving time and preventing data corruption.
In addition to streamlining how data is shared, productDNA has introduced a new verification step, aligned with Tesco’s current processes, to further ensure that all branded supplier data-shared with retailers is of the highest quality.
This verification step takes place at the point of product induction, where the core data inputted into productDNA is verified by the GS1 UK team against the product’s final digital artwork. The team also validate the barcode artwork, to check for any inaccuracies that may cause potential issues down the line, such as misalignment to the information shared in productDNA or inability to scan.
Although these may seem like minor administrative issues, incorrect data and barcodes that don’t scan correctly can cause a huge headache for retailers and suppliers alike, which can result in fines and delays for the brand.
When discussing Tesco’s ongoing commitment to productDNA and the need for high-quality product data across the grocery industry, Andrew Hughes, director of commercial transformation at Tesco said:
Customers are looking for accurate product data they can trust, regardless of where they shop.
"productDNA offers retailers a single source of data that is verified to comply with GS1 standards and also reduces costs for suppliers. At Tesco, productDNA is speeding up the route to market for new products as productDNA is now fully integrated with our systems. This is significantly reducing effort, improving speed and resulting in more accurate data for customers.”
Alongside Tesco, barcode artwork verification is available to all retailers who currently use productDNA as their preferred product-induction platform, which includes Sainsbury’s, Waitrose & Partners and Ocado. This standardised approach to capturing core product data, and using checks to ensure it is of the requisite quality, provides both brands and retailers more time to focus on innovations that will serve the end customer even better.