EDATA, ecommerce, and the pandemic

If the pandemic has demonstrated one thing, it’s how digital technology has changed both our communication and our purchasing behaviours. 

Here Edgar Aponte, CEO of Rexel UK Ltd,  Board Member at the wholesalers’ trade body, the Electrical Distributors’ Association (EDA), and Chair of EDA Data Services answers our questions about how the EDA is championing the digitalisation of the UK’s electrotechnical sector through the EDATA initiative, and what this means for the manufacturer, the wholesaler and the contractor...

How do you see the Covid crisis affect the way contractors interact with electrical wholesalers?

The continuous flow of product innovation through the supply chain shows no signs of slowing. Indeed, the pandemic has brought its own stream of innovations, for example lighting that attacks the COVID virus. Product innovation provides the wholesaler with a big opportunity for communicating with the contractor community. It’s not easy to share innovation through digital channels, after all it’s hard to demo a product without touching it, but digital channels are helping the contractor save time and money. 

Product features and attributes build trust

What are the main challenges for contractors procuring materials and what initiatives are helping overcome them?

Until now, the UK has not had the benefit of a central product data warehouse and a consistent standard of product data. For the contractor/installer that is a problem and here’s why. If the product data on which buying decisions are made is inaccurate, vague, or incomplete then the product they purchase may not be right for the job in hand. Purchasing errors are expensive for everyone in the supply chain, plus there’s the additional negativity around poor customer service and dissatisfaction.

the pandemic has brought its own stream of innovations, for example lighting that attacks the COVID virus

Fortunately, this is changing and since early 2020 we have a sector-wide product data solution. EDATA is the EDA’s new digital data warehouse where manufacturers upload their product data and wholesalers can, in one pass, access accurate, high quality and complete product data and serve it up on to their web sites for contractors to search, filter and buy.  

The EDA is absolutely doing the right thing in championing the foundation of product data quality. Accurate product attributes and performance data means the installer knows they are getting the right product that will deliver the right performance for the job.

Trust in product data is a big part of the buying decision. What steps are being taken to ensure the accuracy and quality of product data?

This is achieved by establishing a quality standard for product data and showing our sector exactly what excellent product data looks like. Product features and attributes build trust: the more product information - wattage, voltage, dimensions, lumens, beam angle, energy rating, lifespan and so on - visible online through ecommerce websites, the more confidence the contractor has in their purchase. EDATA is based around the international ETIM standard which provides a framework for rich attributed product data.

Who’s got the best data? Well, reassuringly for the contractor, behind the scenes in EDATA (our sector’s new product data pool) there are data accuracy scores built in that can answer that question. These benchmarks show the manufacturers and wholesalers that use EDATA just how good their data is: Gold, Silver, Bronze. It provides a real understanding of their data’s ‘reliability’ factor.

any manufacturer who wants to provide high quality data, eliminate errors, and improve customer service will want to be part of the EDA’s digitalisation drive

Plus, manufacturers change their product data daily. This is another reason why the EDATA data warehouse is crucial: manufacturers can log in and update their product data exactly when they need to. Wholesalers will be notified of the change and can ensure that their web sites are kept up to date with the very latest information.

Contractors coming up the career ladder have grown up with e-commerce, but how will the buying experience be for them in the future?

Ecommerce offers convenience - providing it has its foundations in high quality data - and it is a great complement to the years of experience, knowledge and problem-solving that our EDA member wholesalers have acquired. 

Contractors and installers want both: they want the convenience of ecommerce, but access to the incredible bank of knowledge at the trade counter too. This blended offer is how the sector is evolving.

How is EDATA run and which manufacturers have their data inside?

The strategic direction of EDATA is a collaborative effort. Manufacturers have an equal footing on the Board and Steering Group, and all EDATA Founders are working together to agree the direction of travel. 

Our aim is to have the UK’s leading manufacturers plugged in to EDATA. I have a feeling that we won’t have a hard time persuading them because any manufacturer who wants to provide high quality data, eliminate errors, and improve customer service will want to be part of the EDA’s digitalisation drive.

For more information visit https://www.eda.org.uk/etim-edata/