Data quality provides for more efficient processes in retailing and higher customer satisfaction. However, the quality of addresses is generally not the best, due to inconsistencies, gaps, and multi-language problems. Data quality tools help retailers keep their employees and processes efficient and their customers satisfied.
We all know the problem of deficient data quality exists because we have, for example, been addressed erroneously as „Dear Mrs. Matzer”. If I were a customer I wouldn’t be too happy about this mistake. And I would doubt that the retailer would be efficient enough to provide the articles I want in the way that I need them.
Improving the quality of address and master data does not only keep the customer satisfied. Consistent data allows for efficient processes and enables employees to be more productive and to work error-free. In order to integrate data quality testing in every process like writing a (electronic) letter the data quality tool should not be an isolated tool but the service of a platform that forms a foundation on the level of the information management level (like databases).
Vendor: Omikron
FACT-Finder by the German software vendor Omikron allows for an efficient data quality testing in real-time and, when combined with the tool WorldMatch, for correct addresses in many languages. In the age of globalization and internationalization that’s important not only for large companies but also for midsize companies providing niche products and specialized services. Both tools are integrated with Data Quality Server (DQS) as their information management platform that provides the services the application need, e.g. Microsoft Office.
Application: Cliplister
One of the most striking uses that the FACT-Finder Framework and DQS are put to is Cliplister, a service of the eponymous company providing online retailer with the vendors’ product videoclips. Cliplister fills in the data necessary to publish each video via link on the websites of e-retailers (licenses, language, publisher, content, etc.). But some articles have no unique ID number (EAN, ISBN), like fashion articles. Then the vendor sends the data about its articles to Cliplister who consequently have to match master data and video data. In this step FACT-Finder comes into play, automating the process of matching and testing.
FACT-Finder, being integrated with Cliplister, generates lists of search results to be delivered to the e-retailer. It can include the video image to give the retailer an idea what the article (a blouse, a shoe) looks like. If a video exists, the link to the video can be included in the data package the e-retailers receives from Cliplister.
The benefits for the retailer: He doesn’t have to write code for anything, but merely links the content and the lists delivered by Cliplister. This way the content is always uptodate and error-free. And because a video tells more than a thousand words the attraction of the article displayed is increased. This effect can be used for cross- and upselling purposes, because articles with a video can be ranked higher in a chart display, making them even more attractive to customers.
Device: iPhone
You can now use FACT-Finder even on your iPhone as an app. It makes use of the “Suggest” feature, whereby users can type in a few letters and potential matches are displayed in a selectable list, increasing usability. The feature is self-learning, meaning that the list of suggestions reflects queries entered into the e-retailer’s site. That’s data quality on the go.
