The supply chain runs on data, which means tiny details can (and do) have a huge impact. Case in point: item data.
Item data is the set of facts that describes a product well enough for a retailer to buy it, stock it, price it, and sell it. Retailers pull this data into their systems during item setup and then reuse it everywhere: purchase orders, distribution center receiving, shelf planning, product pages, etc.
Wrong or incomplete item data can result in downstream problems fast, such as receiving delays due to mismatched barcodes and poor search rankings from thin product descriptions. With so much riding on item data, it’s no wonder big box retailers publish detailed item data specifications and increasingly score suppliers against them.
In this article, you will find:
A discussion of why accurate item data matters
A breakdown of the four categories of item data
Tips for keeping data accurate across retailers
Why Accurate Item Data Matters
From the warehouse management system (WMS) to the checkout screen, every supply chain process relies on item data. Accurate item data is critical to:
Accuracy across trading partners. Item data between a supplier, distributor, and retailer must match exactly. Mismatched dimensions, weights, and product identifiers lead to electronic data interchange (EDI) failures, chargebacks, and shipping errors.
Order and fulfillment accuracy. Systems (e.g., ERP, point of sale) rely on item data to correctly route, pick, pack, and invoice. Bad data leads to wrong quantities, pricing errors, and fulfillment delays.
Onboarding speed. Accurate item data paves the way for new items and trading relationships to get set up faster.
Compliance and traceability. Regulatory and retailer-specific requirements (e.g., labeling, safety data) depend on complete and correct item data.
Customer experience. Customer-facing item data (e.g., marketing, ecommerce listings) determine whether customers get the correct size, fit, and spec information, which affects returns and trust.
Automation reliability. The more automated a business becomes (e.g., auto-replenishment, EDI), the more important it is to get data right from the get-go before it negatively affects everything downstream.
Related Reading: Why Supplier Item Data Failures Cascade and What They Cost Retailers
Core Item Data Requirements
While the specifics vary from retailer to retailer, most item data requirements can be broken into four different broad categories:
Product identification
Physical and logistics details
Digital content
Compliance and safety information
Product Identification
For many products sold through major U.S. retailers, that means using a Global Trade Item Number (GTIN), the barcode-ready identifier issued through GS1. Walmart, Target, and most other big box retailers require GS1-registered GTINs before a purchase order can even be issued.
There are two GTINs that are the most common in big box retailers in the United States:
GTIN-12: The GTIN-12 has 12 digits and is most often used at point of sale (POS) in North America.
GTIN-14: The GTIN-14 has 14 digits and is used to identify trade item groupings, such as a case or a set pack. It is not intended for POS.
Related Reading: What are Walmart’s GTIN Standards?
Physical and Packaging Attributes
This category includes data regarding a product’s dimensions, weight, and configuration (case pack, pallet, etc.). These attributes determine how a product moves through a retailer’s distribution center. Retailers double-check physical and packaging data against what ships, and mismatches between the item record and the physical case are a common cause of shipment rejections and chargebacks.
Digital Content
While every retailer will have its own detailed guidelines, products sold online or on a retailer’s app generally need the following:
Product titles
Detailed descriptions (size, color, material, brand, etc.), optimized for SEO and AEO
Category-specific attributes (e.g., a television will have different category attributes that need to be provided, such as aspect ratio and wireless technology, that don’t apply to products from other categories, such as apparel)
Multiple high-resolution product images
Rich media (e.g., 360-degree images, videos)
Big box retailers often evaluate content completeness because digital content affects search placement and product performance, which in turn affects the retailer’s bottom line.
Related Reading: From Search Bars to Conversations: How Product Data Quality Shapes AI Discoverability
Compliance and Safety Data
Products with a chemical, battery, or hazardous component typically need documentation through third-party systems before setup can finish. Country of origin, import status, and category-specific certifications are also collected during onboarding.
Related Reading: How To Be WERCS Compliant
Tips for Keeping Item Data Accurate Across Retailers
Maintaining separate item records for every retailer, in every portal, is a situation that’s ripe for error. A few practices help suppliers keep item data consistent no matter how many retailers they sell to.
Start From One Source of Truth
Build the complete item record that everything flows from, including every attribute the widest set of retailers could ask for, rather than filling in only what one retailer's portal requires. It's easier to trim data for a specific retailer than to chase down missing attributes item by item.
Sync Through the Global Data Synchronization Network (GDSN) Where It's Supported
GDSN is a global network that facilitates the exchange of standardized product data (e.g., weight, dimensions, GTIN, description) between trading partners, including suppliers and retailers. Built and governed by GS1 (the same organization behind GTINs), you can think of GDSN as the plumbing that allows this standardized product data to move throughout the supply chain.
How does GDSN work?
The supplier enters their product data into a GDSN-certified data pool.
The GS1 Global Registry acts as the central directory, letting data pools find and connect with each other regardless of which pool a trading partner uses.
Retailers and other buyers subscribe to a supplier's catalog through the network. When the supplier updates their product data, it automatically updates with every subscribed retailer. No manual re-entry is needed on either side.
Related Reading: 7 Important Questions and Helpful Answers About GDSN Data Synchronization
Watch for Downstream Signals
Item data issues can show up as downstream problems like chargebacks, shipping errors, and returns. Take the time to trace problems back to their source to avoid repeat issues.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does every retailer require a GS1 GTIN?
Nearly all big box retailers require a GS1-registered GTIN before an item can be set up or ordered. GTINs are crucial for maintaining product consistency across ordering, receiving, and point of sale.
What's the difference between a retailer portal and GDSN?
A retailer portal, like Walmart's Item 360 or Target's LaunchPad, is where item data is entered or reviewed for that specific retailer. GDSN is a GS1-run network that lets a supplier publish item data once and have it sync automatically with every connected retailer.
Ready To Get Data Right From Day One?
SPS Assortment is an item data content management solution that works alongside GDSN-certified data to centralize, validate, and distribute product data directly to a supplier’s trading partners in a format that fits the retailers’ unique requirements.
Not ready to talk about a solution yet? The Supply Chain Source has more guides for suppliers getting started with big box retailers