p24,25:Layout 1 25/11/2020 09:16 Page 24 Interview
Driving digitalisationin the electrotechnical sector
EW editor Bryony Andrews speaks to Richard Appleton, general manager EDA Data Services at the Electrical Distributors’ Association (EDA), about his work on the EDATA project and why, as we enter 2021, digitalisation is more important than ever for manufacturers and wholesalers alike.
What do you believe are the main forces driving the UK electrotechnical sector today? As in many sectors, digitalisation is key, and product data is vital for effective digitalisation. Major drivers behind the shift include smart phones; faster networks and broadband; younger buyers who have grown up with ecommerce entering positions of responsibility, and the need to respond to threats from new entrants. Now, with COVID-19, we are seeing a switch to digital self-service and remote sales interactions. We may regret the decline of traditional wholesaling practices, and there has been a certain emotional attachment to “the old ways”, but digitalisation is an inevitability and we must adapt. On the other hand, you can’t just re-invent yourself as Amazon and, for most, multichannel is probably the way forward. The winners will be those who can harness the power and benefits of technology and marry it to the personal service and product knowledge offered by a traditional wholesaler.
The two main pillars of the EDA’s digitalisation strategy are ETIM and EDATA. Can you explain briefly what these two concepts are? Product data is vital for effective digitalisation, but currently for B2B, the availability of rich data is poor. This is a problem shared across the industry, so it follows that the industry needs to address it together. Both ETIM and EDATA address the issue in different ways. ETIM creates a standard for product data, specifically the technical
attributes that a B2B buyer needs in order to select the correct product. With ETIM adoption, this data will be consistent from all manufacturers enabling web developers to develop the kind of powerful searches and filters we are used to seeing on consumer web sites. EDATA is the EDA’s project to address data availability. It is a central data pool where manufacturers can upload their product data and wholesalers can download it. EDATA contains data in the ETIM format at its heart but also contains selling data such as ecommerce friendly product descriptions and feature/benefit bullets and digital assets such as product images and data sheets.
Day to day, what are the benefits of the EDATA system for wholesalers? How can it help them be more cost-effective and time-efficient? Data management is a specialist skill and there is a significant skills shortage. This has meant that manufacturers have historically struggled to provide the rich data the wholesalers need. So data availability is a big problem for wholesalers. It is not uncommon for wholesaler owners or CEOs to spend their evenings creating data for their company’s website. The EDATA system offers high quality, consistent, ecommerce-ready data from a single source. This is firstly more efficient: it makes it quicker to add products. With EDATA, the data is managed by manufacturers and is independently
verified so is both traceable and trustworthy. It also allows the input of rich data – more accurate, comprehensive data means fewer mistakes and fewer
24 | electrical wholesalerDecember 2020
Now general manager, EDA Data Services at EDA, Richard Appleton has worked in the sector for most of his working life, involved in product data and software for wholesalers, contractors, and specifiers. He has worked on data implementation projects with many major wholesalers and contractors.
Most wholesalers were aware of the need to change, but COVID-19 has been the catalyst to start them on the digitalisation journey.
returns. Improving the purchasing process via a wider choice of buying options also helps with customer retention.
How does ETIM work across different countries? In each country, the standard is managed and promoted by a country organisation. In our case, ETIM UK Limited, a joint venture by EDA and BMF (Builders Merchants Federation). Each country is in turn represented on the ETIM International General Assembly which discusses and decides strategic and commercial matters, and the Standardisation Committee which is responsible for the ongoing development of the standard itself. Individual country organisations can submit requests for change originating in their
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