By Samantha Broekert, PIM Specialist
3 practical applications of the Import & Onboarding component.
Product data: it is where all e-commerce success begins. But it can become a recurring frustration when you have the ambition to sell thousands of products from multiple providers. Suppliers send files in all sorts of formats, your data models do not align, and precious time is lost manually synchronising information between systems. At ConnectingTheDots, we recognise these challenges: good product data starts before your PIM. We built Import & Onboarding to let your product data flow. In this article, we showcase three ways to put it into practice.
If your e-commerce team spends hours every day processing product data and spreadsheets are everywhere, the frustration is understandable. It is time to make your processes more efficient and effective.
The complex reality of product data management.
As an e-commerce professional, you already know that product data is complex and becoming more so every day. You want clean, consistent data and high-quality product content, but you face a continuous stream of files in different formats. One supplier swears by Excel, another sends only XML files, and some work exclusively with CSV. Furthermore, every supplier has their own way of structuring product variants. Where one treats colour and size combinations as variants, another sees them as separate products.
Add to that the fact that some suppliers send complete data dumps while others share only incremental updates, and your team's workflow is constantly disrupted. And we have not even mentioned fluctuating data quality, which forces you to constantly hunt for the most authoritative source for specific product information.
A new approach: the Import & Onboarding component.
We developed Import & Onboarding as the answer to these challenges. At its core, this component is an ETL tool (Extract, Transform, Load) that helps you build automated data pipelines, turning chaotic source data into the best possible input for all your channels.
But it is more than that. It is an intelligent middleware solution that acts as a central hub in your IT landscape. Import & Onboarding not only collects product data from all available sources but also enriches and standardises it according to your specific business logic. It then distributes the optimised data to all relevant systems in your landscape. This makes the tool unique and particularly valuable for e-commerce companies struggling with complex daily data flows.
We have outlined how that looks in practice through three practical applications.
Application 1: Automated data import
Imagine you are responsible for the assortment of a large online store. Every day you receive updates from dozens of suppliers, each with their own delivery method. Your team spends hours manually processing this data, which brings significant risk. Errors creep in easily, and the time lost on repetitive, manual work would be much better spent on strategic assortment choices or innovation.
Import & Onboarding resolves this by automatically processing all incoming data. The system accepts every common file format and analyses the content according to pre-set validation rules.
You create these rules in a low-code environment. This means you do not need to be a developer, allowing a much larger part of the team to manage mappings and data pipelines.
In the event of discrepancies or inconsistencies, you receive an alert so that your team only needs to intervene by exception. The result is a drastic reduction in time spent on data imports, higher data quality through automated checks, and more room for your team to focus on tasks that add real value, such as improving the user experience.
Application 2: Supplier portal
Large retailers often face the same problem: they have entire teams of data analysts working full-time to convert supplier data into a single consistent format. These skilled analysts effectively function as human translators between different data systems, which is a waste of resources.
With the Onboard suppliers solution, you transform this process completely. You provide your suppliers with one central delivery point where they can upload their data. The system then takes over the work previously done by data analysts. Updates are processed immediately and standardised according to your specifications. This not only means enormous time savings but also helps you Launch products faster. Furthermore, communication with your suppliers improves because they can see immediately whether their data has been processed correctly.
Application 3: Intelligent migration hub
Switching to a new e-commerce platform or Product Information Management system is one of the most complex operations an online retailer encounters. The biggest cause of stress is often the migration of your data. How do you ensure all product information, including variants, prices, stock levels and media, is transferred correctly without disrupting daily operations?
In this scenario, Import & Onboarding acts as an intelligent migration hub. You first export all data from your old system to the Import & Onboarding component. There, you optimise everything and adapt it to the data model of your new platform. During this process, your original data remains safely preserved, so you can make the transition at your own pace. The result is a controlled migration without data loss, with the opportunity to improve your data along the way. This approach reduces the risks and stress of migration and ensures your new system starts with clean, optimised data.
The power of intelligent data distribution
Import & Onboarding distinguishes itself from traditional ETL tools by acting as a distribution centre for your data. In practice, this means you can automatically compile the best product data and content: one supplier has the best product descriptions, another has the highest quality images, and a third has the most accurate technical specifications.
With our platform, you compile your own source of truth by combining the best of each source. You then automatically distribute this optimised data to various channels, each with its own specific requirements.
This is no longer just about showing product data in online stores and apps. If your data quality is high enough, you can also trigger business processes: for example, automatically launching a campaign when a specific supplier releases new models.
Start today
Ready to take your product data management to the next level? Request a demo and discover how Import & Onboarding can solve your specific data challenges. We look forward to showing you how to let your product data flow.
More about Import & Onboarding use cases
In practice, Import & Onboarding use cases demonstrate how product data becomes available faster and more consistently. By making these use cases central to your strategy, you reduce the risk of errors and accelerate your time to market.
Want to get more out of these Import & Onboarding use cases? Start small and expand your approach step by step. A structured working method pays off, ensuring your data processes become truly scalable. By anchoring these use cases in your daily processes, you make the value of your product data measurable. A well-considered deployment ensures consistent results and strengthens your position where data quality truly makes a difference.
What is the primary goal of Import & Onboarding?
The primary goal of Import & Onboarding within the ConnectingTheDots PIM platform is to automate and streamline the import, update and consolidation of product data. This reduces manual work, minimises errors and ensures that product information is ready for e-commerce channels and marketplaces faster.
How does the Import & Onboarding component contribute to a faster time to market?
The component accelerates time to market by enabling the rapid onboarding of new products and suppliers. Large batches of product data, including specifications and media, can be efficiently loaded and validated, allowing products to go live and become commercially available much sooner.
Can the ConnectingTheDots Import & Onboarding component handle different data formats?
Yes, the Import & Onboarding component is designed to handle various data formats such as CSV, XML, Excel and API feeds. Advanced mapping and transformation capabilities ensure that data from different sources is standardised and harmonised to fit your unique data model.