Product Data Weekly

Ben Adams
  • 0.0 (0)
  • Business

Product Data Weekly is a short, practical podcast about the realities of product data operations. Each week, we explore the challenges that sit behind growing catalogues, evolving systems and ever increasing data demands. No theory. No vendor hype. Just grounded conversations about what it really takes to manage product data at scale. If you’re involved in ecommerce, product information, supplier onboarding, ERP, PIM, marketplace feeds or anything connected to product data, this is for you. For more practical insight, sign up at productdataweekly.com and receive our weekly newsletter every Thursday.

  1. 1d ago

    Episode 22: Structured attribution is more important than content

    This episode discusses the importance of structured product attributes, especially for AI readiness and e-commerce success. Ben & Clare explore how missing or outdated data can hinder product discovery and customer experience. Keywords product data, structured attributes, AI readiness, e-commerce, product information, data enrichment, product page optimization Key topics Importance of structured product attributes Challenges with outdated product data How AI relies on structured data Case study: Blanket product data Strategies for data enrichment and auditing 00:00 Introduction to Product Data Operations 00:42 The Importance of Structured Attributes 02:43 Challenges in Product Data Management 05:32 Understanding Customer Needs for Attributes 08:20 AI Readiness and Product Discovery Resources Start with Data - https://startwithdata.com Product Data Weekly Newsletter - https://productdataweekly.com

  2. Jul 16

    Episode 21: Product Data Regulation (Part 1) Getting Ready for the EU Green Claims Directive

    Millions of product descriptions say "eco-friendly", "sustainable", or "green". Under the EU Green Claims Directive, every one of those needs evidence behind it, or it's a fine waiting to happen. In this episode, we break down what the directive actually requires, why most catalogues are full of claims nobody can substantiate, and how to audit thousands of descriptions to find them. We also share how AI can help strip out unverified claims, plus the governance controls that stop new ones creeping back in. If your product content mentions sustainability anywhere, watch this before the deadline does it for you. This is part one of our series on product data regulation. Next up: the Digital Product Passport, followed by the Golden Record in construction. Episode Breakdown 00:00 – Why green claims are a product data problem 00:28 – What counts as greenwashing under the directive 02:52 – Inventorying your claims: finding what's scattered across thousands of descriptions 05:44 – Removing unsubstantiated claims and building governance for new ones 08:03 – What's coming next: Digital Product Passport and the Golden Record Keywords: product data, green claims, EU Green Claims Directive, sustainability claims, greenwashing, compliance, data governance, product descriptions, AI content management, e-commerce, Digital Product Passport, product data regulation Resources Product Data Weekly Newsletter – https://productdataweekly.com EU Green Claims Directive – https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/law-topic/data-protection/eu-green-claims-directive_en

  3. Jul 9

    Episode 20: Your FAQs Just Stopped Being Optional

    Most product pages still treat FAQs as an SEO box-tick. But AI models are answer engines, and FAQs are answers. If yours are missing or vague, the engines go and describe your products from someone else's content. In this episode, we break down how a heatwave, a paddling pool and a filter pump became the perfect example of what happens when compatibility questions go unanswered, why return reasons are an untapped goldmine of customer questions, and why your product page needs to become an answer engine hub. We also share the fifteen-year-old irony behind brands that accidentally solved this problem early. If AI search keeps skipping your brand, this will explain why. Episode Breakdown 00:00 – Why FAQs suddenly matter (blame AI) 01:52 – The wrong pump: buying blind on answer engines 04:20 – Breaking the FAQ vicious circle 05:30 – Return reasons as FAQ fuel 06:59 – Where the traffic goes instead Keywords: product data, FAQs, answer engines, AI search, product pages, e-commerce, return reasons, social proof, structured data, customer questions Resources Product Data Weekly Newsletter – https://productdataweekly.com

  4. Jul 2

    Episode 19: Why Supplier Data is Never Usable

    Supplier onboarding should be a solved problem by now. In this episode, Ben breaks down why supplier data arrives unusable no matter how hard you push suppliers or your own team, and why the real problem is the gap between how data is collected and how the business actually needs to use it. Ben also shares the 3 principles that fix it. If supplier onboarding keeps resurfacing as a problem you thought you'd solved, this will explain why. Episode Breakdown 00:00 – Why supplier data still isn't a solved problem 03:53 – Where the pain hits hardest: distribution, retail, marketplaces 05:40 – Why it's harder now than it used to be 07:30 – Machines don't guess: why ambiguity no longer survives 09:22 – The 10 to 15 back-and-forths behind every product 13:08 – The three principles: structure, usability, automation 15:17 – Structure: stop forcing suppliers into your template 18:44 – Usability: removing guesswork at the point of entry 20:35 – Automation: focus it, or just break things faster 21:30 – Real examples: how Bowens and RS Group did it 25:38 – Four steps to make onboarding something you can scale Keywords: product data, supplier data, supplier onboarding, PIM, data enrichment, data quality, automation, marketplaces, e-commerce, digital transformation Resources Product Data Weekly Newsletter – https://productdataweekly.com

  5. Jun 24

    Episode 18: Product Data Dr Problem: Moving Product data from Magento to Shopify

    This is the first of our Product Data Doctor segment, where we take a real product data problem and break it down. This one's a shoe retailer moving 11,000 products from Magento to Shopify. Most teams start by exporting everything and rebuilding the same structure on the new platform. That's usually the mistake. You just move broken data into a nicer box. Episode Breakdown 00:00 – Introducing Product Data Doctor 01:46 – The Magento to Shopify problem 04:29 – It's not 11,000 products, it's 1,500 shoes 06:30 – Profiling: what you've actually got 07:36 – Why migration is the time to redesign your taxonomy 10:00 – Mapping and filling the gaps with AI 13:30 – Send us your product data problem Keywords: product data, e-commerce, data migration, Magento to Shopify, product taxonomy, data profiling, product variants, attribute model, data enrichment, PIM, digital transformation Resources Product Data Weekly Newsletter – https://productdataweekly.com

  6. Jun 18

    Episode 17: Why Pricing Has Never Lived in a PIM

    Akeneo just acquired PricingHub, which got us thinking about why pricing has never lived in a PIM. This episode is about pricing, PIM, and why the two have stayed apart for so long. Episode Breakdown 00:00 – The Akeneo and PricingHub acquisition 03:13 – Reason 1: product data and price run on different clocks 05:41 – Reason 2: price isn't a content problem 07:33 – Reason 3: one product, many prices 09:35 – Why PricingHub looks like an AI play 11:37 –  Pricing comes up in 70% of PIM projects Keywords: product data, e-commerce, pricing, PIM, Akeneo, PricingHub, dynamic pricing, ERP, B2B distribution, pricing matrix, digital transformation Resources: Product Data Weekly Newsletter – https://productdataweekly.com

  7. Jun 12

    Episode 16: Mastering Product Data for Industrial Solutions & Electrocomponents

    Manufacturers and distributors think they're dealing with different product data problems. They're not. It's the same problem, viewed from opposite sides of the fence. In this masterclass episode, we focus on industrial solutions and electronic components, and the product data flow between manufacturers and distributors. We break down why the data nearly always exists but stays buried (in someone's head, an ERP, or a PDF nobody's digitised), why that bottleneck delays launches, frustrates sales teams and creates compliance risk, and what it's actually costing you. We also share ten things you can do right now to fix it (none of which need a PIM). If product data is the bottleneck between you and your trading partners, this will show you where it's slipping. Episode Breakdown 00:00 – Why the data exists but stays buried 04:40 – Three real examples: RS Group, Varian Group, Pacific Automation 06:54 – Same problem, opposite sides of the fence 11:00 – What slow product launches really cost 14:19 – Why the data required keeps growing (and DPP is coming) 20:06 – Why supplier data onboarding isn't a PIM problem 28:19 – Ten things you can do now without a PIM Keywords: product data, supplier data onboarding, industrial distribution, electronic components, data enrichment, data sheets, Digital Product Passport, compliance, new product introduction, e-commerce, B2B, digital transformation Resources Product Data Weekly Newsletter – https://productdataweekly.com

  8. Jun 5

    Episode 15: Why Massive Retailers Still Run on Monstrous Spreadsheets

    You'd assume the biggest retailers have moved past spreadsheets by now. Most haven't, and it's not because they're behind. In this episode, we break down why massive businesses still run their entire product catalogue off one giant spreadsheet Sharon could break on a Tuesday, why spreadsheets survive because they're bad and not despite it, and why a PIM so often just replicates the same mess in an expensive database. We also share what actually needs fixing before you swap the spreadsheet for a system. If you've ever felt behind for still running on spreadsheets, this will explain why so many others do too, and what really has to change first. Episode Breakdown 00:00 – Why big businesses still run on one giant spreadsheet 02:57 – The three reasons teams get stuck 06:54 – Why "free" spreadsheets cost more than you think 12:20 – Why the PIM business case is so hard to prove 13:24 – Where big catalogues get dangerous 15:34 – What to fix before you move off a spreadsheet Keywords: product data, e-commerce, spreadsheets, PIM, data governance, product data model, business case, product taxonomy, ROI, digital transformation Resources Product Data Weekly Newsletter – https://productdataweekly.com

See All (22)

About

Product Data Weekly is a short, practical podcast about the realities of product data operations. Each week, we explore the challenges that sit behind growing catalogues, evolving systems and ever increasing data demands. No theory. No vendor hype. Just grounded conversations about what it really takes to manage product data at scale. If you’re involved in ecommerce, product information, supplier onboarding, ERP, PIM, marketplace feeds or anything connected to product data, this is for you. For more practical insight, sign up at productdataweekly.com and receive our weekly newsletter every Thursday.

Information

  • Creator
    Ben Adams
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    22
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Ben Adams