What is product matching and how can it increase my sales?
Product matching is a key technique for efficiently structuring a product catalog and enhancing the shopping experience. It enables you to identify and associate similar or equivalent products from different sources, whether marketplaces, suppliers or multiple sales channels.
In this article, we'll find out how product matching works and why it's essential for optimizing catalog management, boosting competitiveness and boosting sales.
What is product matching?
Product matching involves recognizing identical or closely related products based on several attributes. This technique unifies product information, avoiding duplication and offering customers a more consistent experience.
The main criteria taken into account:
- Product reference (SKU), name and brand.
- Technical specifications (dimensions, weight, color, etc.).
- Description and visuals.
- Prices and availability.
Product matching algorithms can be applied both to harmonize an internal catalog and to align information between different partners (manufacturers, suppliers, marketplaces).
What are the advantages of product matching for e-commerce?
1. Simplified catalog management
By detecting and eliminating duplicates and errors, product matching ensures a clean, reliable database. This facilitates inventory management and reduces inconsistencies.
To find out more about automation and product data quality, see How can I automate some of the tasks involved in managing my product catalog?
2. Better product visibility
Product matching enables customers to easily compare different offers on the same product, even if they come from different sellers or multiple marketplaces. Result:
- Products are better referenced.
- Offers are grouped together to avoid dispersion.
- Product recommendations gain in relevance.
3. A lever for cross-selling and up-selling
Thanks to the precise identification of complementary or alternative products, product matching facilitates the implementation of effective cross-selling or up-selling strategies.
If you'd like to find out more about setting up suggestions, discover How to create suggestions for complementary products for my customers.
4. Improved conversion rate
By simplifying the search for equivalent or compatible products, you make it easier for your customers to make the right decision. They'll find what they're looking for more quickly, with a clear, unambiguous offer.
How do you set up a product matching strategy?
1. Automate product matching with AI
Artificial intelligence-based tools analyze databases to detect matches:
- Analysis of product attributes (name, SKU, features).
- Visuals and descriptions are taken into account to refine recognition.
- Match detection even with incomplete information.
This automation optimizes management without requiring human resources to perform repetitive tasks.
2. Clean up and structure your product data
Before automating, it is essential to have consistent databases:
- Standardize data formats.
- Delete input errors or duplicates.
- Harmonize categories and attributes.
3. Cross-channel product matching
E-tailers selling across multiple channels (e-commerce site, marketplaces, B2B partners) benefit particularly from product matching to synchronize their catalogs and guarantee uniform information across all platforms.
To find out more about multichannel automation, see How AI can simplify my product catalog management.
Use cases
- Multi-vendor marketplaces: group together different offers for the same product to avoid duplication of data sheets.
- B2B e-commerce: simplify the matching of supplier part numbers to customer catalogs.
- Product recommendations: suggest alternatives or complementary products based on detected matches.
Conclusion
Product matching is a powerful lever for improving catalog quality, harmonizing data across multiple channels and boosting product visibility. By combining this technique with the analytical capabilities of AI, e-tailers can enhance the customer experience, optimize their referencing and boost sales.