TrueSource to help maximise m-commerce opportunity with trusted product data

This article is brought to you by Retail Technology Review: TrueSource to help maximise m-commerce opportunity with trusted product data.

GS1 UK, the not-for-profit supply chain standards and solutions organisation, has launched TrueSource, a new data management service which provides a tool set for retailers and brand owners, to ensure their product data is accurate, up-to-date and standardised across supply chains, stores and online.  

 
Trusted and authenticated information from TrueSource will be made available to marketing agencies, technology and mobile developers to enable brands to offer new services to 21st century 'savvy shoppers'.  For example, if the trusted data were available it would allow a shopper to scan a bar code with their mobile phone to check nutritional or dietary information about a particular product or to choose products based on their environmental impact or ethical sourcing.
 
Consumers increasingly expect more information about the products they buy and they interact with companies through many different channels whether it is in-store, online or via loyalty schemes and promotional offers.  The volume of electronic data about retail products is expected to increase by 400% by 2015 and the TrueSource service uses globally unique numbers to accurately identify individual items and provide a single, reliable view of product data as it is shared between multiple retail outlets, warehouses and suppliers.   
 
The service is available to GS1 UK member companies to enter and manage product information before sharing it with trading partners via GS1's Global Data Synchronisation Network (GDSN).  Some of the largest retailers, suppliers and food operators around the world use the GDSN including Boots, Unilever, Kraft Foods, Heinz, Coca Cola and Proctor & Gamble.  The TrueSource service is available initially to over 1,000 suppliers and currently holds trusted and authenticated information for over 17,000 products.  
 
TrueSource can manage any number of product data items depending on demand from  retailers, suppliers and consumers.  Examples could include allergy advice, information about where a product was produced or its carbon footprint.  TrueSource also features a Product Sourcing tool that allows brand owners to promote their products and buyers to search for new suppliers.
 
A 'light' version of the TrueSource App, which demonstrates how a user can search for and view information about products currently held in TrueSource is available for download through Apple iTunes. This app was developed for GS1 UK by BT's specialist capability unit BT Supply Chain Solutions, which supports the use of trusted and authenticated product information for mobile scanning apps.
 
Maximising the M-Commerce Opportunity
Over three billion mobile applications have been downloaded from the iPhone App Store to date and 2010 has seen service levels, devices and the popularity of apps evolve to the point where many retailers and brands are looking at how they can introduce new mobile retail services.  By providing trusted and authenticated information about products, the mobile market is a key area where TrueSource can help as it enables companies to easily share accurate information with mobile developers and keep the information being accessed by users of a service up-to-date.  
 
A new 'Mobile-Savvy Shopper' report released by GS1 UK today, has investigated consumer attitudes towards mobile applications and looked at the accuracy of data currently available on mobile applications.  As part of the report, GS1 UK worked with Cranfield School of Management to examine the quality of product data available on three leading generic (non-retailer) iPhone apps.  By scanning 375 randomly selected grocery products and comparing the product description and image returned by the apps to that authorised by the brand owner, GS1 UK and Cranfield School of Management were able to rate the accuracy of data available.  From a total of 1,125 scans across all three apps, only 9% of scans returned the correct product information when compared with the brand owner's approved data.  
 
Gary Lynch, chief executive of GS1 UK says, "Multi-channel retailing and the ubiquity of mobile devices have made mobile services an attractive opportunity for retailers, however the 'Mobile-Savvy Shopper' report clearly shows that there is a huge problem with missing and inaccurate product information. And consumers are very sensitive to this issue. We found that only 17% of consumers would buy a product if they don't feel confident about the data they receive.  And 1 in 3 would stop using an app altogether if they can't find the information they need.  It's a great example of how TrueSource will help ensure that consumers receive trusted and authenticated information about products and services, wherever and however they interact with it."