How to support the on-pack label content and images to meet the eCommerce requirements from Coles Online, Woolworths and Foodstuffs NZ via the National Product Catalogue (NPC)

The digital age and the demand for online shopping will now mean that labelling information on products has become a critical function for eCommerce within the CPG and FMCG segments. 

It’s now become ESSENTIAL that this information is managed AND syndicated correctly across your supply chain.

Allergen & Nutritional Data is now crucial for products within the CPG and FMCG industries.

Even across other industry segments such as electrical, health and beauty, hardware to name a few, having the correct information on product labels is critical for consumer safety and also meet the legal requirements of specific industries.

Having easy access to quality information about your products helps to market your product, allow consumers to compare it more easily to other products, and it delivers essential information relating to ingredients, instructions and uses.

If you are a brand manufacturer or supplier, it’s YOUR responsibility to ensure that you supply the right information on your product labels to your retail and distribution partners.

Just as important, is making sure that your product listings on eCommerce marketplaces are correct and current.

In the Food and Beverage segment here in Australia, all products must contain certain information on a label so that consumers can make informed choices.

Labelling requirements under the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code and Australian Consumer Law (ACCC) within the Food and Beverage segment are very detailed, complex and quite specific across the full range of product categories.

The consequences for incorrect labelling of food products can be legal, brand-damaging, and of course, very costly for product recalls.

Key Data Elements of On-Pack Product Label

The following are some of the essential on-pack labelling data attributes required to be maintained by brand manufacturers and suppliers.

• Product Title and Description
• Features & Benefits Marketing Statements
• Nutrition information
• Serving and Portion Size
• Gluten, Halal, Organic, Kosher or other product claims
• Pack weight, Nutrition / Nutrient claims or Health claims
• Health Regulatory Requirements
• Allergen Information
• Country of Origin or Export Claims
• Storage, Handling and Hazardous Declarations
• Advisory and Warning Declarations 
• Company and Distribution Contacts.

Product Labelling Information Challenges

The challenge for brand manufacturers and suppliers is how they capture, store and then publish this information across their trading channels.

Top challenges include:

• How to control the capture of the data by stakeholders within the NPD process
• Create ownership by the data custodian to ensure its quality
• How to store and control changes to the information
• Implement data governance and controls over the data
• Support Industry and Trading Partner initiatives e.g. Country of Origin and Extended labelling
• To publish the data to trading partners in their required format (PIFs, Buying Forms and GS1 Data Pools)
• How to support multichannel eCommerce programs such as Woolworths (Cartology) & Coles (CitrusAd).

For many companies, workflow management has become a necessary tool to ensure visibility and control over the information aggregated throughout the NPD and NPI process.

Syndicating Product Labelling Information

Just as important as capturing and managing the data is how you syndicate the information to your retail and distribution partners. 

Publishing quality product labelling information to your trading partners will help them more effectively market YOUR products to THEIR customers.

Correctly managing on-pack product label content will help you to;

• Publish industry compliant data to retail customers
• Boost online sales by having accurate & detailed information about products
• Help consumers make more informed purchase decisions about products
• Streamline staff access to quality labelling information across the business 
• Support the industry mandates on GS1 Global Data Pools such as NPC 
• Support eCommerce programs for Coles, Woolworths and Metcash.

How to Manage Product Labelling Information

rev™ Branding is a specialist brand agency that has helped some of the world’s leading brands to integrate digital technology with their marketing and sales programs. For the last 20-years, we’ve helped 70 of the top 100 CPG / FMCG brands to optimise their New Product Development (NPD), Brand Launch, and eCommerce Programs.

rev™ Branding Product Information Management PIM Services help you to implement a sustainable and controlled process for the capture, management and syndication of product master data.

(1) Create a business process
Define and document your process for New Product Development, Item Maintenance, Price Changes, and Product Launches. Look to implement workflow management tools that can streamline and control, this process.

(2) Understand your data requirements
Define the product attributes and supporting documents and images that you will need to support your internal business operations, as well as what your customers require to market and sell your products online. Retailers like Coles Online and Foodstuffs are reaching out to suppliers NOW asking for this information.

(3) Implement Workflow Management
NPD Acceleration Workflow provides a visible, controlled and systematic process which enforces the disciplines surrounding the capture and management of product attributes within your NPD, and Item / Price Maintenance, and NPI process.

(4) Create a Master Data Repository
Centralise the management of your product master data using a master database or a Product Information Management (PIM) and Master Data Management (MDM) system. Ensure this is integrated into 3rd party tools like recipe management systems, contract manufacturing, warehouse management, and procurement tools.

(5) Centralise the storage of Images and Documents
Create a central location to store all your product images and documents e.g. barcode reports, MSDS, Packaging Specification, PIFs, UBFs. Look at using vendors such as SKUvantage who can automate the on-pack data management and syndication process.

(6) Implement Master Data Governance
To ensure that your company remains compliant and continues to operate a best-practise system and process, we recommend that you create a master data governance process and documentation. Use workflow management to enforce this procedure and empower your data custodians.

(7) Conduct a Product Listing Audit
Make sure that you have completed an eCommerce Product Listing Audit to ensure that your product cards are fully populated with quality product data, product images, and marketing statements.

(8) Document and Train Staff
Once you have a process in place regardless if you’ve been able to implement software systems, ensure that each member within the process has a clear role defined and supported with documentation and training.

Ready to Kick-Start a Project?

If your company has been asked to supply product on-pack label content to meet the eCommerce requirements from Coles Online, Woolworths and Foodstuffs NZ via the National Product Catalogue (NPC), speak to us about how we can help you achieve this, and also a streamlined master data management and data synchronisation process.

We are an independent group of professionals who can provide you with impartial advice on designing and implementing a better way to manage your product information.

Our teams are GS1 and GDSN / NPC Standards Accredited, and we work with most of the prominent PIM vendors across the world. We are perfectly positioned to help you understand the features and benefits of each PIM solution and match these to your project objectives.

We can help you with:

1. Workflow Management Systems
2. Outsourced Trade Admin services
(Managing Buying Forms, NPC Management, Planogram Services)
3. MDM and PIM systems
4. NPD, Product Launch and Brand Marketing services
5. Extended Labelling ‘On-Pack Label Content’ Services
(Partnering with SKUvantage)
6. Product Listing Audits
7. Trade Spend Budgets for eCommerce
8. eCommerce Marketing.

Learn more about rev™ Branding PIM Services

To understand more about how we help companies to manage their front-of-pack product labelling information please contact Robert Durrant our NPD specialist on +61 3 9863 7444 or [email protected].