Are you regularly asked by your various major contractors to move on to the dematerialization of product and logistics sheets?
Here’s what you need to know …
An interesting development
The product sheet is generally the EXCEL document with all the characteristics of a product (product, logistics and pricing data). Its goal is to simplify the exchange of characteristics and information of a given product between suppliers and their partners in the Mass Distribution. Today, the product sheet is evolving and becoming completely dematerialized, reducing maintenance costs and optimizing exchanges while also avoiding possible manual errors.
Once the product sheet has been completed, meeting the standard defined by GS1 (see details a little further down in the article) in collaboration with the Mass Distribution, it is published in a network catalog named “GDSN” to make it accessible.
Thus, this electronic catalog is used to exchange product characteristics with distribution partners in a dematerialized, reliable and rapid manner. For the supplier, this means “publish once, broadcast to all” and for the distributor “subscribe once, receive from all”.
Why so much enthusiasm for the dematerialization of product sheets?
In an era that favors the dematerialization of all of the flows, retailers are increasingly favoring this method, appreciated for its practicality and efficiency.
What are the advantages for suppliers?
This approach has many advantages for suppliers. Indeed, this allows them to industrialize and simplify their product sheet management processes. A significant time saving. The supplier no longer needs to adapt to the multiple requirements of customers in terms of product sheet format and content (EXCEL file), but only to enter the data on a dedicated online platform and then publish them to the all of its partners.
A leading player in the dematerialization of product sheets
In order to provide a common frame of reference and to standardize exchanges, it is first necessary to meet the specifications of GS1. Who is GS1? GS1 is the global, neutral, not-for-profit standardization organization created by businesses to facilitate information exchange and commerce. With GS1 standards, companies can better sell and digitize their products, automate their transactions, optimize their logistics and improve flow traceability. The common interest is to speak the same language.
And TX2 CONCEPT in all of this?
TX2 CONCEPT supports you with its TX2 WEBCAT product sheet dematerialization solution. This is a secure web portal where you can manually enter or import from your ERP all the data (characteristics, prices, etc.) of your product sheets.
Our solution checks the mandatory information as well as the accuracy of the data in your product sheets (multiple checks and alerts by email) before they are broadcast on the GDSN * network set up and managed by GS1.
Then all of your files are of course distributed to the various desired major contractors (unlimited number of contractors).
Need to update a product sheet? With each update, all subscribers subscribing to the said sheet automatically receive its new version.
The advantages of our TX2 WEBCAT solution:
- Simple, ergonomic and intuitive interface
- Access to follow-ups of flows and publications
- Online help for each data to be entered
- Multilingual support and maintenance
Today, TX2 WEBCAT welcomes more than 300 customers through secure access.
* An export function for sheets in EXCEL format is also available, for supermarket chains that are not yet connected to GDSN.
What about the future?
All the suppliers of mass distribution and specialized distribution will have, in the years to come, to dematerialize their product sheets whatever the type of their products (agrifood, wines and spirits, games and toys, cosmetics, etc.), so what are you waiting for to adopt this simple and intuitive method?
You would like to learn more or find out more about the solutions offered by TX2 CONCEPT, ask us your questions in comments or contact us.
