OPTIMALLY ALIGNED PRODUCT DATA MODEL AS COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

TAKKT AG is a business-to-business trading company with various brands and companies operating in the European and American markets: The product range offered by the Group covers business equipment. TAKKT AG is divided into two business models, Omnichannel Commerce and Web-focused Commerce. These differ primarily in terms of customer needs and distribution channels. Certeo Business Equipment GmbH is part of the web-focused commerce segment. Certeo's product range consists of office furniture and other equipment for businesses, and sales are exclusively digital. 

In the course of the further development of TAKKT 4.0, Certeo was also adapted to changing and even more demanding market conditions. The company is investing in a stronger product data structure in order to differentiate itself from its competitors and remain successful in the long term. 

The need for action arose because the existing data quality was no longer sufficient and the PIM was also no longer able to meet the performance requirements. In order to eliminate such system bottlenecks and to create the conditions for the long-term successful development of the company, a product data structure adapted to Certeo's specific requirements became necessary. Such a tailor-made product data model represents an important competitive advantage. In order to implement the necessary further development, Certeo relied on Onedot's expertise as a specialist in the development of product data models based on a data-driven process. In its own methodology, Onedot combines the data-driven approach with software designed specifically for this purpose - using algorithms and artificial intelligence (AI) developed in-house.

The aim of the first phase is to revise the product data model in accordance with Certeo's specific requirements and conditions. In the next phase, the model is implemented, i.e. the articles are migrated into the new structure. The aim is to achieve high data quality while reducing the complexity of the data model. This will simplify the planned expansion of the product range and enable efficient use of the existing PIM system. The product portfolio can be prepared in a customer-oriented manner, thus also strengthening sales. Such a tailor-made product data model professionalizes the entire data maintenance and facilitates supplier onboarding, thus providing an important competitive advantage. 

HOW ONEDOT HELPED

Certeo is an online pure player, i.e. it operates exclusively online. In order to remain successful in this agile market in the long term, further development through the targeted revision of the product data model was necessary. This enables Certeo to react quickly to changing market conditions.

In the first phase, a new product data model was created on the basis of Onedot's data-driven method. Since the previous structure was originally used for different business areas, professionalization and the associated increase in granularity were required. Therefore the existing data model and the product data were read into the Onedot platform. The data records were analyzed on different levels: For example, they contained attributes that were no longer needed for the Certeo portfolio. Other information was redundant, these duplicates were removed. In this context, around 300 new product families were created, which additionally structure the portfolio and enable simplified data maintenance in the future. The result of the first phase was a data-based product data model specifically adapted to the Certeo Portfolio.

In the second phase, the new data model with around 1,150 attributes was mapped in the PIM: The previous category tree was still suitable as a navigation element for Certeo customers and could therefore be retained. The existing categories were assigned to the approximately 300 new product families. The names of the over 1,000 attributes were clearly defined. The associated value lists were expanded and inconsistencies were corrected, so that the new product data model now contains around 3,000 possible attribute values. The entire existing product catalog with over 60,000 SKUs was migrated to the new structure: The articles were assigned to the newly defined product families and then the characteristics and the corresponding characteristic values were mapped. Within the scope of normalization, the attribute values were then assigned to the new structure specifications and values for filter attributes were standardized. 

Complex processes are divided into individual steps and presented to the customer by means of so-called feedback tasks. The software displays a confidence level for each individual result. This serves to show the user how secure the artificial intelligence (AI) was in the respective assignment. In this way, it is possible to systematically and efficiently check and, if necessary, override the results. Thanks to this interaction with the user, the AI is constantly learning in order to further optimise accuracy. At the same time, an efficient, targeted quality check is carried out. Thanks to the timely and accurate review of the interim results by the Certeo team, the high data quality was further enhanced. 

Here it becomes clear that the interaction between AI and human beings also empowers the employees involved: instead of having to carry out tedious, repetitive work steps, the work performance can be used to improve data quality or to take on other more demanding tasks.

In addition, metrics about the processing are output in reports. This means that users can see the progress of the process at any time via the Onedot platform. The results are thus easily comprehensible and easy to understand.

THE RESULT

The newly generated product data model is data-based and adapted to the Certeo product portfolio. The specific structure enables consistent filters to be implemented in the online shop, enabling customers to find items more quickly. This professionalization of the product data structure thus leads to higher sales.

The data model follows the architecture of the existing PIM system. By tuning it, the performance of the PIM can be increased and its potential can be fully exploited.

In total, more than 60,000 SKUs were successfully migrated to a newly defined structure. The further data maintenance for the articles was significantly simplified and the manual effort was reduced overall. By outsourcing redundant tasks to AI, the important work performance of employees can be used for crucial areas such as quality inspection or strategic alignment. The future onboarding of new manufacturers and products can be carried out efficiently, thus simplifying the continuous expansion of the product range. This internal optimization also leads to an improvement in sales potential. 

By investing in an optimized product data structure, Certeo is strengthening its own position in the market and ensuring its continued success.