Reaping The Data Harvest

Good information essential to influencing shoppers before they reach the shelf.

The emergence of virtual stores and other digital applications has forced a change in the way that retailers and brand marketers approach category management. It has created a greater demand than ever for accurate product information and imagery so retailers can properly communicate their own messages and those of their CPG partners.

Among those staying on the cutting edge of this demand is Lisle, Ill.-based Gladson, whose mission is to supply information that's "consistent, complete and usable," says Sue Sentell, Gladson president and CEO.

This evolution toward digitally interfacing with retailers and brand owners has occurred over the past 10 years, Sentell tells Progressive Grocer. "We've been creating context for e-commerce for over a decade," she says, adding that most of the top 25 grocery retailers use Gladson's data. "We're trying to drive efficiencies through our customers' operations and help them meet their shoppers' needs."

Gladson offers a single source of up-to-the-minute product images and data to execute better shelf sets, enhance online presence and educate customers about choices while shopping. Historically, such information is used for planograms and supply chain purposes. The newest audience for product data has been e-commerce sites and third-party developers of digital applications, notes Stephen Cole, Gladson's chief marketing officer. "They're looking at everything around the product package," he says, particularly ingredient and nutrition information.

Sentell says brand owners typically prefer that app developers obtain product information from companies like Gladson, because it's so complete — it represents complete product lines, includes all needed information and is designed to be applicable for app use. "We touch all those different points within our customers," she says.

Cole adds: "We have relationships with over a thousand manufacturers and a lot of retailers. They can be assured their brand is consistently represented wherever their product appears."

Gladson recently patented a remote-capture process for gathering product images, thus speeding the time new product information becomes widely available. "Retailers need to do planograms months before products hit the shelves," says Paul Waldron, EVP of trade development, noting that this gives Gladson an early look at new product trends. "This gives our database a freshness that's beneficial to our customers."

Last year brought a widespread recognition that retailers "really need to compete digitally," Cole says. "Retailers en masse have recognized the need for digital content to complement what's in their stores. It reached a point where digital has become critically important to retailers."

Retailers face an increasing need to influence grocery shoppers before they leave the house, Cole points out. "They're using their Web browsers and iPhones to make their grocery lists," he says. "It's no longer making that brand choice at the shelf—it's making the brand choice in the kitchen."