Let's build a new platform to exchange Rich Product Information!

This is what of my collegues reported back to me today. He was joining one of those new GS1 MobileCom meetings and they were discussing how they could exchange rich product information.

Just to get everybody on the same page - what is rich product information? My understanding of rich product information is that this consumer oriented information which helps the consumer to take a buying decision. Examples are for sure images, but also feature informations, nutritions, allergenes and similar stuff.

Everybody complained that today there is no standard and no platform in place where you can exchange that type of information.

And believe me there were many of the big manufacturers and retailers sitting in this room and complaining too!

If you are familiar with some of the details of the GDSN you for sure are aware that all of the above can be easily exchanged via the GDSN.

The discussion went on for a while and became more and more ridiculous and people were even suggesting to build a new platform to be able to exchange that type of data.

At one point my collegue remarked that the GDSN and even current standards would be technically capable to support the exchange of this type of rich product information but that manufacturers just were not entering that data. And then he asked one of the manufacturers who was participating  in that meeting why they were not entering that type of information into the GDSN.

The representative of that manufacturer could not answer that question! And also the rest of the audience was obviously overstrained with the question why not simply use the GDSN.

But my favorit comment during that discussion was "I just do not like the GDSN. Let us build something new.".

(And just to be clear on that - I do not want to put anybody on the spot, therefore I am not mentioning any names here)

What is my take away?

1. Building new things is more fun (at least in the beginning) than understanding and leveraging existing stuff.
2. Knowledge of people participating in such meetings often is not sufficient:
1. No Knowledge on GDSN - you need not only to understand the principles but you also have to know some details about attributes, extensions and stuff like that
2. No Knowledge on their internal organisation, processes and IT infrastructure and how they manage their product information.
3. No Knowledge on what is going on in the rest of the world.

And now? I would suggest "Let's build something new! That will be fun!" ;-)

PS: You want to know what I think why manufacturers are not putting the "richer" product information into the GDSN? Remember one of my former posts regarding "every manufacturer has a database with all his productinformation"? I just think that most of the manufacturers just do not have that data available in a form to easily send it through the GDSN ...