We all make mistakes, but these 7 Deadly Digital Sins need to be avoided to keep your company running smoothly. It's not too late to watch this gem of a webinar. Sin. A negative and serious act that all humans commit—businesses too. In the manufacturing and distribution industries, organizations often commit destructive behaviors that can sabotage digital best practices, creating challenges across the value chain that create tension for commerce giants. The webinar will cover: - The “Seven Deadly Digital Sins” committed in each industry and how it impacts the commerce landscape - Changing B2B and B2C trends and how to cope - How to activate a digital transformation in an organization Listen in and renew best practices to keep your digital marketing driving revenue, and build a plan to address any sins that are threatening it.

1. ©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential.
THE SEVEN DEADLY
DIGITAL SINS
of Manufacturers & Distributors
Presented by:
Andy Didyk | Ntara VP of Sales & Marketing
Johan Boström | inRiver Co-Founder & Evangelist

2. ©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential.
Agenda
THE SEVEN DEADLY DIGITAL SINS OF MANUFACTURERS & DISTRIBUTORS
Welcome and housekeeping
Introductions
Presentation
Q&A session

3. ©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential.
Housekeeping
THE SEVEN DEADLY DIGITAL SINS OF MANUFACTURERS & DISTRIBUTORS
• All participants are muted
• You may ask questions using the Q&A Panel
o All questions will be addressed at the end of the presentation
o If time is too short to address your questions, you will receive a response via email
• Today’s webinar will be recorded
o For our live attendees, the webinar recording will be provided 1-2 days after the webinar
o The recording will also be made available on www.inRiver.com
• If you are experiencing technical complications, please use the Q&A panel to
communicate

4. ©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential.
So…what are we selling?
KNOWLEDGE:
Understanding your digital ecosystem is important.
sells software.
sells services.
Today is a success if we provide real value to you.
4
INTRODUCTIONS

5. ©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential.
Who is this guy?
INTRODUCTIONS
Andy Didyk
VP of Sales & Marketing
Ntara
B2B and B2C e-commerce SME
Digital strategist
New business and account services

6. ©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential.
About Ntara
INTRODUCTIONS
• Founded in 1999
• Headquartered in Johnson City, TN with offices
in Nashville, Asheville, Charlotte, and Atlanta
• Specialized in three verticals:
• Branded Manufacturing & Distribution
• Healthcare & Institutions
• Technology companies
• We also provide strategic digital consulting,
design and user experience, e-commerce and
web development.
Digital consulting Web design and UX Accessibility web design
E-commerce web
design
Integrated marketing services Technical consulting and
solutions

7. ©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential.
Who is this guy?
INTRODUCTIONS
Johan Boström
Co-Founder & Evangelist
inRiver
Product information & workflow SME
Enterprise software strategist
Senior international business leader

8. ©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential.
About inRiver
PRESENTATION OVERVIEW
• Founded in Sweden in 2007
• Headquartered in Malmö, Sweden
with offices in Chicago,
Amsterdam, London, Stockholm
• Growing at 70% YOY since 2011
• 500+ customers and 1000 brands
in 21 countries
• 200+ partners, 800+ certified
individuals

9. ©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential.©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential. 9
THE SEVEN DEADLY DIGITAL SINS

10. ©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential.
What is sin?
THE SEVEN DEADLY DIGITAL SINS
sin
/sin/
noun
an immoral act considered to be a transgression against divine law.
a.k.a., “not good for business”

11. ©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential.
What is sin?
THE SEVEN DEADLY DIGITAL SINS
Sin is destructive
resulting in…
Eternal separation
from a deity, peers, and the
community
Death
Today, deadly digital sins
wreak havoc on
companies like yours.
So, what can you do to avoid them?

12. ©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential.©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential. 12
Overconfidence
Having more confidence in your sales team than
your digital assets

13. ©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential.
You have a good sales team, but is that good enough?
OVERCONFIDENCE
88% of B2B sales reps believe servicing accounts
above and beyond customer expectations is the surest
way to grow.
However, almost 70% of B2B customers don’t trust
that the companies they do business with understand
their needs.
B2B buyers consult multiple digital channels and
seek advice from colleagues, all before engaging with a
sales rep.
Customers then return to digital channels and
colleagues to validate a supplier’s claims.
15% of the customer purchase process is spent on the
deconfliction of information

14. ©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential.
The modern buyer—Understand your customer and their needs.
OVERCONFIDENCE
2
18
2 1
49
29
22
31
34
20
34
50
7
1995 2015 Est. 2020
Gen Z
Millennials
Gen X
Baby Boomers
Silent Generation
Greatest Generation
In two short years, 50% of workers will be considered “millennials.”

15. ©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential.
Customer journeys are unique—meet prospects where they are.
OVERCONFIDENCE
Learn about the different solutions
available for solving the problem
Learn about shortlist of specific
suppliers
Learn about specific supplier
solutions
Compare different solutions
Learn about pricing
Consult references from supplier’s
current clients
Identify need-to-know (critically
useful) information regarding
potential solutions
Early Middle Late
Buying Journey
Supplier Website
Search
Industry Expert Blog/Website
Supplier Website
Industry Expert Blog/Website
Supplier Website
Supplier Website
Search
Supplier Website
Search
Supplier Website
Supplier Website
83% of surveyed B2B buyers accessed digital channels even in the late
purchasing stages. Product information content is essential everywhere.

16. ©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential.
How to save yourself from OVERCONFIDENCE
OVERCONFIDENCE
Website and content need to incorporate three critical elements to better help
customers to engage:
Give customers an entry point on their own terms and evaluate your
website’s ability to support and influence digital customer tasks across
the buying journey.
Share solutions by using customer language in your
website’s architecture, content assets, and tagging.
Engage Sales for your marketing copy and materials – help your users
to convert!
1
2
3

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Vanity
Forcing your staff to build everything in-house vs.
outsourcing

18. ©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential.
80% of companies
are increasing their digital marketing budgets to
hire talent to meet this growing need.1
To combat these barriers, over half of B2B marketing teams outsource
at least some of their workloads to agencies.2
Curating the digital dream team is a priority. Skills matter.
VANITY
Top in-house hiring barriers are:
Finding skilled talent Cost of quality staff Attracting & retaining top
talent
Culture fit
Source1: 80% of Companies Increase Digital Marketing Budgets
Source2: How to Gauge a Marketing Company’s Legitimacy

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What’s the real deal?
VANITY
Unnecessary customization
Project time lags
A team of generalists
Technology as a quick fix
“Set it and leave it” mentality
In-house capabilities Partnering with external experts
Access to experts in specific fields
Have fresh ideas are ready to innovate
Can start immediately
Learn from other company’s mistakes
Exposure to various industries

20. ©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential.
How to save yourself from VANITY
VANITY
You want to make sure your project is a success, so you look to the experts. We
recommend that you fully qualify your external partner by:
Understanding their resources, skills, & knowledge
How much fire power can they arm you with? Is the agency’s skillset is as deep and varied as you
need it to be? Do they talk in specifics or generalizations?
Gauging their experience
Are the professional and credible? Do they have case studies or success stories? Do they have good
client references?
Finding a solution consultant
Will they listen to your challenges? Can our teams mesh and get along? Will they tailor solutions you?
Ensuring transparency
Are the expectations they’re setting realistic? How will they measure performance? How will they
communicate with you?
1
2
3
4
Source: How to Gauge a Marketing Company’s Legitimacy

21. ©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential.©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential. 21
Fear
Ignoring omnichannel opportunities

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Multichannel
All channels are available to the consumer…
but not themselves integrated.
Omnichannel
All channels are available to the consumer…
and are connected.
What is omnichannel?
FEAR
Store Web Mobile Social Phone

23. ©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential.
Are you ready for modern times?
FEAR
The modern customer is already the omnichannel customer.

24. ©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential.
You need to be omnichannel. Now.
FEAR
Omnichannel customers
are more valuable.
On average, omnichannel
customers spend
+4% in-store
and
+10% online
than single-channel
customers.

25. ©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential.
How to save yourself from FEAR
FEAR
Map out opportunities where your marketing, products, and sales teams can work
together to create a comprehensive digital and traditional marketing and sales strategy.
Start by:
Integrating your sales channels
Integrating your sales channels also gives you better visibility of stock movement.
Treating the customer as one entity for all channels
Track your customer’s journey across multiple channels to understand buying behavior.
Determining pricing strategy across channels
When the same product is available for different prices from various sellers, people are likely to
choose the cheapest alternative.
Keeping your brand voice consistent
Your brand should be the center of the experience.
1
2
3
4

26. ©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential.©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential. 26
Apathy
Lack of control of your digital brand

27. ©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential.
Daily distractions lead to brand blunders
APATHY
We all know that savvy shoppers scour the
Internet for the lowest price.
Equally savvy manufacturers use product
information management (PIM) to
ensure product content, pricing, images
and SKUs are accurate across channels.
Without a clearly defined strategy,
brands risk losing market share or devalued
via undisciplined distribution of their
product information.

28. ©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential.
Go digital…or risk alienation.
APATHY
Traditional offline brands generally sell in three ways:
Through independent
distributors, licensees,
& sales reps
Directly to retailers Directly to consumers
through stores
By using this traditional approach, your company is alienating
your brand from expanding to new channels and selling to
previously untapped audiences.

29. ©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential.
The battle of the babies
APATHY
Pampers wipes Amazon brand wipes

30. ©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential.
How to save yourself from APATHY.
APATHY
Prioritizing accurate product data is key to establishing your brand across every digital
channel. Once your data is optimized, you’ll be able to focus on value-add
opportunities.
1
2
Understand how your data impacts your brand.
Inaccurate product data could mean a differing marketing message. How will prospects know what
to believe?
Keep it consistent.
Make sure product content and information is the same across each and every channel. If not,
trust is broken and shoppers leave. And they may never come back.

31. ©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential.©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential. 31
Indifference
Lack of product data standardization

32. ©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential.
Lack of PIM standards causes problems
INDIFFERENCE
Without PIM standards, product sales and marketing is
incomplete, inaccurate, inefficient, or out of date.
WRONG PRICE
OLD
PRODUCT IMAGE
MISSING DESCRIPTION

33. ©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential.
Situation today: Product data fragmentation
INDIFFERENCE
Size
Weight
SKU
Model
Brand
Color
Series
Original
product data
Tribal knowledge Other departments
Other data sources
Media libraries
Company’s
product data

34. ©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential.
Product data fragmentation at most companies
PRODUCT INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
Excel (marketing)
Excel (product data
team)
AS400 ERP
Excel (design team)
Retail or specialty
Unique distributors
Wholesalers
Media
libraries

35. ©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential. 35©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential. 35
Product Information Exchange Standard
(PIES)
PIES standardizes field definitions and requirements as well
as delivery mechanism used to transfer product specific data
such as pricing, interchanges, kits, digital assets, marketing
content, hazmat, product attributes, etc., between all
members of the supply chain.
Aftermarket Catalog Exchange Standard
(ACES)
The use of the ACES standard reduces number of formats
needed to communicate product information removing
duplicative efforts to communicate and distribute data in
various formats. More efficient product communication gets
products to market faster.
Prioritizing data quality in the automotive industry
INDIFFERENCE

36. ©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential.
HIDA is making moves toward standardized PIM
INDIFFERENCE
By utilizing PIM standards, data and images transmit seamlessly,
electronically, and consistently between manufacturers and distributors,
supporting channel partnerships and go-to-market strategies.
PIM
Pricing
Images Description
Mobile
Point of sale
Catalog
Mobile
e-Store
Core 23 & 93
Standards
agreed upon by
medical
PIM Workgroup

37. ©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential.
How to save yourself from INDIFFERENCE
INDIFFERENCE
You know inaccurate product information is a problem. What’s to stop you from
working with your industry’s governing body to put together minimum requirements?
Collaborate with other companies about the issues within your industry.
If you’re more informed, you know exactly what can be changed to
make progress.
Find an industry organization that you believe can help to advocate for
change. By pulling together like minded individuals, big things can
happen.
1
2

38. ©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential.©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential. 38
Laziness
If you aren’t providing value, someone else will.

39. ©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential.
Provide value, or be left behind
LAZINESS
Disintermediation
Manufacturer Distributor Salesperson Retail Call Center Customer
Online
81% of buyers research online before buying.
Consumers consider manufacturers to be the most trustworthy source of
information about product specs, MSRP, and product options.

40. ©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential.
Is personalization too personal?
LAZINESS
91% of customers
are more likely to shop
with brands that
recognize, remember and provide
them with relevant offers and
recommendations.
73% of customers
say that no retailer
or service provider
has ever communicated
with them in a way that felt
too personalized.
48% of customers
have said they have
left a business’s website
and made a purchase elsewhere
because the experience
was poorly curated.
Consumers want increased levels of personalization.
In fact, consumers are willing to share their data and
rarely feel that companies get too personal.

41. ©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential.
Target’s pregnancy predictor
LAZINESS
It all leads
back to the
Guest ID.
Distance
to store
Mobile ID
Mobile
coupons
Predictive
models
Lists and
registries
In-store
purchase
Coupon
redemption
Name, address,
& tender
Online
purchase
Email
clickthrough
Guest ID
Pregnancy test
Baby soap
Cocoa butter lotion
Baby registry

42. ©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential.
Grainger’s B2B personalization strategy
LAZINESS
It all leads
back to the
Buyer ID.
Buyer
level
Corporate
contracts
Mobile
coupons
Predictive
models
Lists and
groups
In-store
purchases
Promo
redemption
Name, address,
& LOB
Online
purchase
Email
clickthrough
Buyer ID
Industry-specific offerings
Finance /
fulfillment
data
A/B Testing

43. ©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential.
How to free yourself from LAZINESS
LAZINESS
Get data, data, and more data
Collect relevant data for more personalized content and targeted ads.
Generate customer personas
Segment your audience based on a range of demographic factors, shopping habits, incentives
they respond to, and what information they need to make a decision.
Map out your content strategy
Understand what makes each customer persona unique and customize your content based on
what makes them convert.
Create a pilot
Plain and simple. Start small to win big.
Personalize the whole experience
Don’t simply focus on one element of the customer experience—personalize all customer
touchpoints based on buyer personas.
1
2
3
4
5

44. ©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential.©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential. 44
Negligence
Bad product data management

45. ©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential.
Buyer disruption
INDIFFERENCE
87% of buyers said they would be unlikely to repeat a purchase
with a vendor who provided inaccurate product information.
40% of buyers have returned an online purchase because of
inaccurate product content.
30% have abandoned an online shopping cart due to poor product
descriptions.
Source: Shot Farm

46. ©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential.
Where product information matters
NEGLIGENCE
Product information needs to be consistent and
accurate across all touch points.
Online consumers purchase only after extensive
research about product:
• Ratings and reviews
• Ingredients
• Images from different angles
• Product sourcing details
• Videos
• Product bundles
Conflicting messages or product misinformation
causes a poor CX, and lost sales.
Over 80%
of companies are
not confident
in their
product data.

47. ©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential. 47©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential. 47
Bad data management is detrimental to your business
NEGLIGENCE
Managing multiple excel sheets
Unable to group similar products to sell
Using custom code or scripts
Slow, continuous data clean up
Incorrect information across channels
Bad product data issues lead to:
Cannot customize pricing by sales channel
Nearly 30%
of the item data
in catalogs used by
retailers and manufacturers
is incorrect.

48. ©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential.
How to save yourself from product data NEGLIGENCE
NEGLIGENCE
Centralizing your data with a product information management platform.
Utilizing advanced data transformation capabilities to transform your messy data into
rich, usable product information.
Using bulk editing and automation workflows. Establish workflows that automatically do
routine changes for you upon import and in different languages.
Running data validation processes before publishing by developing error notifications
when data is wrong or incomplete.
1
2
3
4
Manufacturers and distributors must ensure content is consistent and accurate across every touchpoint
that features their products. Get started by:

49. ©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential.©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential. 49
KEY TAKEAWAYS

50. ©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential.
Free your company from all seven sins
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Overconfidence
You have a great sales team, but
they need digital support.
Vanity
Looking for external expert help
is not a weakness—it can
actually lead you to success.
Fear
Omnichannel is now. Your
customers are waiting.
Apathy
Maintaining consistent product
data is important—and creates
value-add opportunities.
Indifference
Standards create efficiencies,
lower costs, and make industry
stakeholders happier.
Laziness
Personalization can connect
your brand to your customers.
And that’s what they’re craving.
Negligence
Incorrect data can cost you…in
more ways than one.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7

51. ©2018 Ntara, Inc. All contents proprietary and confidential.
THANK YOU
(and you’re welcome for saving you from the 7 deadly sins)