Travis Perkins using data management software

Software will improve quality of product descriptions from suppliers

Data management software to improve product descriptions sent to builder's merchant

Builders' merchant Travis Perkins Group has installed new data management software to improve the quality of the product descriptions it receives electronically from over 1,200 suppliers across the UK.

The Group, which incorporates retail outlets Wickes and Tile Giant, has installed DataFlux software which will create standard rules to which product descriptions must adhere.

"This is quite a big issue for us as we list over 200,000 products and our suppliers use different formats – some of them have good data quality, some bad, " said Sean Sinclair, group head of data development at Travis Perkins Group.

By standardising the format and words used in product descriptions, Travis Perkins believes it can minimise errors and significantly speed up the estimated 200 million product searches its 1,500 staff input at the in-store terminals located at its retail outlets, thereby improving the experience of customers requesting specific items.