EIS_B2Bonline_PaulWlodarczyk_World-Class-Product-Data_2015-04-27

Copyright © 2015 Earley Information Science1 Copyright © 2015 Earley Information Science.
World Class Customer
Experience Requires
World Class Product Data
May 2015
Paul Wlodarczyk
VP & Practice Leader
Industrial Solutions
Earley Information Science

Copyright © 2015 Earley Information Science2
In a brand name, keyword-driven
world where search results drive leads
directly to company websites, a B2B
company must deliver a compelling e-
Commerce experience on its own
website.
– Andy Hoar, Forrester Research,
February 2014

How do we define a
compelling B2B digital experience?

What defines a compelling B2B digital experience?
SEO:
Expose
Product &
Attributes to
Web Search
to drive lead
generation

What defines a compelling B2B digital experience?
Site Search
Pricing
Availability
Crossrefs
Filter
Compare
Downloads
Images
Order

What is a compelling e-Commerce experience?
Product ID
Breadcrumb
Pricing
Availability
Details
Crossrefs
Downloads
Images
Related
Items
Order

How does the average
B2B digital experience rate?

Most B2B Digital Experiences Don’t Deliver
We hear the same stories time
and time again:
B2B Customers:
• “Can’t find it in Google”
• “Can’t find anything” on website
– searching or browsing
• Can’t filter on product attributes
• Can’t compare products
• Can’t transact on-line

Most B2B Publishing Processes Don’t Deliver
We hear the same stories time and time again:
Digital marketers:
• Takes too long to on-board products to digital channel
• Not all products are on-line
• Can’t relate products – “even flashlights and batteries”
• Can’t connect stories to products
• Stale or incorrect data
• Duplicated data

The majority of B2B companies are still in the process of deciding
how much and how quickly to invest in Digital.
As a result, they are running on legacy platforms, scant product
data, and largely manual publishing processes.
Getting Ready Base Capability Infrastructure
In Place
Best in Class
Time →
NumberofCompanies→
B2B Digital Maturity
B2B Digital Capability Maturity Lags B2C
Brand or
“Brochure”
Site
Catalog Site
on Legacy
Platform
Catalog Site
on Digital
Platform
Integrated
Commerce
& Marketing

Which came first?
• In most cases, the Chicken came
first: Companies generate product
data using legacy systems and
processes that weren’t purpose-built
for the digital channel
– Technical publishing of datasheets,
brochures, print catalogs
– Warehouse management or e-procurement
systems
– Corporate marketing websites
• As a result, product data is “low
resolution” – does not have the rich
attributes needed to power a modern
digital experience
Process
Capability
Product Data

Awareness
• Product attributes &
cross-references are
“SEO friendly” –
available for web search
to drive traffic to site
• Brand story reinforced
throughout the
experience including
product detail pages
• Customer terminology
used in product
content, search &
navigation
Consideration
• Product attributes
support search,
filtering, compare for
customer product
research
• Base products relate
product variants for
easy navigation, search
• Pricing - ideally specific
to buyer’s organization
• Availability, lead time,
MOQ, and samples
Decision
• Purchase on-line -
directly or through a
channel partner
• Product relationships
enable up-sell & cross-
sell recommendations
• Multi-channel:
• Purchase on-line
• Direct off-line sales
• Distributor sales
• e-Procurement
• Print catalog
Customer’s Product Research & Purchase Process
World-ClassB2BDigitalExperience
Rich product data enables a
World-class end-to-end Customer Experience

How good is your Product Digital Experience?
• Are fewer than 90% of your eligible products online?
• Does “N/A” show up frequently in product attributes?
• Are your products findable in web search, site search, or
distributor site searches?
• Can customers use product attributes to filter search?
• Do you expose the attributes your customers need for
researching and completing purchases?
• Do your product categories read like your org chart?
• Do you display relevant related products for up-sell &
cross-sell?

World-class
Commerce
World-class
Digital Experience
World-class
Search & SEO
Product Thesaurus, Relationships,
& Cross References
Normalized Product Attributes & Attribute Data Fill
Product Category & Attribute Design
Thoughtful Product Taxonomy is the Foundation
of World Class B2B Digital Experience

Our web platform was state-of-the-art
but our taxonomy and product data
hadn’t been properly managed. So,
despite our hard work and investment,
we had a garbage-in, garbage-out
situation.
–VP Engineering Systems,
$15B Electronic Component Manufacturer
What people are saying about Product Taxonomy

We spent millions upgrading technology …. Looking
back, I’d get the taxonomy right
from the beginning. — Chief Marketing Officer
$8B Scientific Equipment Maker
When we fixed the taxonomy, search finally worked!
— CIO of S&P 500 Manufacturer
We solve this problem every 18 months.
— VP Product Management, High-tech Manufacturer
What people are saying about Product Taxonomy

Assess &
Diagnose
• Core Issues
• Goals &
Gaps
• Baseline &
KPIs
Quick Wins
& Pilot
• Leading
Category
• Taxonomy
Quick Wins
• UX Quick
Wins
• Search Quick
Wins
Design &
Implement
Categories
• Collection &
Display
Taxonomies
• Cleaner leaf-
node
categories
• Style &
labeling
guidelines
Design &
Implement
Attributes
• Normalize
• Implement
schema
• Style
guidelines
• Attribute Fill
Governance
Deployment
• Prevent drift
• Accommodate
portfolio
growth
• Clarify roles,
policies,
structure
The Pathway to World Class Product Data
Get it right
Optimize Product
Categories & Attributes for
the Digital Channel
Keep it right
Measurable, Sustainable,
Repeatable & Scalable
Governance & Operations

Assess & Diagnose Product Taxonomy
Your Company
Competitor 1
Competitor 2
Supplier 1
Supplier 2
Use standard heuristic measures to asses
the effectiveness and “fit to purpose” of the
current Product Taxonomy & Attributes in
the context of the Search and Navigation
user experience.

Quick Win Example: Product Page UX Redesign
• Clearer Product Information
– Product name / ID
– Image
– Pricing / availability
– Key product facts
• Clearer “Calls to action”
– Purchase
– Click to chat/call
– Order samples
– Downloads
• Clearer Refinement
Example Results:
• 43% Increase: Click-thru Rate
• 45% Increase: Downloads
• 27% Increase: Time on Page
• 10% Decrease: Bounce Rate
• 17% Increase: Searches with
Refinement

Simplify taxonomy by moving
“nodes” to attributes.
• Focus on “is-ness” categories
• Board-to-board/Wire-to-
board and Orientation are
attributes
Product Categories – “attribute stuffing”
Printed Circuit Board Connectors
> Board-to-Board Connectors
> Horizontal
> Receptacles
> Right Angle
> Headers
> Receptacles
> Vertical
> Headers
> Receptacles
> Wire-to-Board Connectors
> Headers
> Receptacles
> Housings
> Contacts
> PCB Connector Accessories
> Covers
> Keying Plugs
> Locking & Retention
> Post Hoods & Shunts
> Shrouding
> More Accessories
Printed Circuit Board Connectors
> Headers
> Receptacles
> Housings
> Contacts
> PCB Connector Accessories
> Covers
> Keying Plugs
> Locking & Retention
> Post Hoods & Shunts
> Shrouding
> More Accessories
Attributes
AfterBefore

Attribute Style Guidelines
Preferred:
Phosphor Bronze (20,478 search results)
Non-Preferred (search results):
Phosphor Bronze Alloy (79)
Phosphor-Bronze (20,478)
Phos Bronze (83)
Phos-Bronze (81)
Phos Bronze Alloy (1080)
Phospher Bronze (1)
Style Guidelines assure that the
taxonomy can grow and evolve in a
controlled fashion and continue to
work effectively for On-boarding,
Search & Navigation.

Attribute Normalization
After assigning
products to the new
category structure,
normalize attribute
values looking across
the legacy product
data.
• Consistent formats
• Fill missing values
• Apply style
guidelines

Competitive / Distributor Attribute Research
Candidates
Item Count
Your Company Company 2 Company 3 Company 5Company 4

Governance: Keeping it Right
Governance is essential to maintaining the quality of a
newly-minted “digital-ready” product taxonomy
• Stakeholders must be active participants
(merchandising, web team, product teams)
• Search analytics and market-facing research must drive
routine updates to taxonomy and attributes
• Minor changes managed through operations; major
changes (overhauls) approved through governance
• Impact analysis informs decisions
• Technology assures syndication of updates to al
consuming systems

Impact of an Updated Product Taxonomy
• >20% increase in SEO travel traffic
• >20% increase in SEO page entries
• >40% increase in product search click-through (CTR)
• >40% increase in product detail page conversions
• >20% increase in website usability customer satisfaction
• Radically increase the pace of item on-boarding
• Reduce or eliminate on-boarding backlog

Questions?

Information Architects for the Digital Age
Specializing in making information more
findable, useable, and valuable to drive digital
commerce innovation, enhance customer
experience, and improve operational
efficiency and effectiveness.
.
Earley Information Science
Founded – 1994
Headquarters – Boston, MA
www.earley.com
Paul Wlodarczyk
VP, Practice Leader
585-598-6050
paul@earley.com

EIS_B2Bonline_PaulWlodarczyk_World-Class-Product-Data_2015-04-27

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