Time and cost frequently get in the way of a distributor’s pursuing a project to improve the quality of their product data. In this article, the author writes that there are more options now for improving product data that reduce both time and cost for companies of all sizes. This article examines the value of good product data and the role outside vendors can play in data cleansing and ongoing maintenance.

Good product data is crucial for any successful distributor catalog or e-commerce website. This includes accurate and complete specifications of products as well as clean photos, related items and substitute products.

Consider this: Distributors who say they have an effective catalog are nearly twice as likely to have complete data and more than four times as likely to have …