Case Study – Joseph Parr Group
The Joseph Parr Group consists of eight independent Builders’ Merchants. They have been serving their local trades and the public for over one hundred and twenty years and proud to be one of the top twenty leading merchants in the UK.
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The Challenge
The Joseph Parr Group was preparing to launch new web shops for eight different business silos. However, without any existing supplier product data information, they quickly realised they needed assistance and expertise from an external partner to help them enrich and transform their data, so they could efficiently integrate it into the new e-commerce platforms.
As a Builders Merchant Federation (BMF) member, The Joseph Parr Group was also eager to organise and structure their product data in accordance with the BMF’s Product Data template. The BMF template being an incredibly important industry initiative towards establishing product data standardisation across the building materials sector.
The datasets for the eight businesses were to be dealt with separately, with each having its own individual website launch date. The product range for each business varied, containing between approximately 8,000 and 16,000 products.
The Solution
Our Proplanet Product Data Services Bureau experts collaborated closely with the e-commerce team at The Joseph Parr Group and their Web Consultancy team. Due to the project’s scale, we adopted a phased approach to complete all datasets. Using extracts from Joseph Parr’s ERP reports, which included both internal and manufacturer product references, we conducted an initial data cleanse followed by a gap analysis. This process helped us understand the original sources of the data and identify areas missing product information. Additionally, we ensured that there was no duplication of effort regarding shared products across the eight businesses.
Through our enrichment process, which cross-references relevant industry databases, we successfully identified matches and obtained missing product information. In addition, we gathered product images and assigned appropriate naming formats. We then converted the product data to the BMF standardisation template, preparing it for integration into the new Joseph Parr Group websites. To aid in this process, we collaborated with the Joseph Parr team to create a bespoke XML file format mirroring the BMF standardisation template. Doing so enabled greater flexibility when uploading data, but also reflected Joseph Parr’s enthusiasm as an early adopter of the BMF Template.
Sam Hipkins, eCommerce Integration Specialist at Joseph Parr, commented: “We are thrilled with the product data services provided by Proplanet UK. Their assistance has transformed what was once a very time-consuming task into an organised and efficient process. We understand that delivering enriched product information is essential for eCommerce success, and the support from Anthony Newcombe and his team will help our products achieve higher rankings, increasing visibility in both our marketplaces and search engines. Most importantly, our customers will receive the best possible user experience.”
The Results
Since The Joseph Parr Group did not have in-house resources for this project, they utilised our flexible product data services and support, paying only for the hours needed during a specific period. Proplanet UK’s outsourced solution offered a very cost-effective alternative to hiring additional internal team members. As a result, Joseph Parr now enjoys much greater consistency, accuracy, and reliability in their product information across their forthcoming eCommerce platforms, leading to an improved customer experience.
By having their data structured and classified according to the BMF product data standardisation template, Joseph Parr can import data as per the latest template release, and easily introduce new products from their suppliers. Enabling a flexible and proactive business approach to underpin the future of their new e-commerce business.