FMCG use case
Product truth to channel for FMCG operations.
A product exists once, but it is described dozens of times: retailer portals, marketplaces, distributor sheets, shelf labels, export packs. Each re-description is a chance to drift from the approved truth. This page describes the workflow that keeps every channel telling the same story.
The operational problem
Each retailer wants the same product described in its own template, attribute set and character limits. Teams copy from old spreadsheets, listings drift out of date after reformulations, and claims that were never approved end up on shelf-edge labels and marketplace pages.
The current workflow, typically
A master sheet somewhere, per-retailer spreadsheets edited by hand, email rounds with brand and regulatory for sign-off, and a correction cycle that starts only after a retailer or consumer notices the error.
The proposed system
S1
Establish one approved source of product truth: names, variants, ingredients, claims, imagery references and regulatory copy.
S2
Transform that source into each channel’s template: attributes mapped, lengths respected, tone rules applied.
S3
Validate required attributes and flag uncertain output; nothing invented, nothing dropped silently.
S4
Route channel-ready packs to brand and market owners for approval, then publish and track corrections.
Required systems and data
- Current product data: PIM, ERP item master or the honest spreadsheet
- Retailer and marketplace templates with their validation rules
- Approved claims register and regulatory constraints per market
- The people who own brand, regulatory and channel sign-off
Human approval points
- Brand owners approve final claims and copy per market
- Regulatory-sensitive fields never publish without sign-off
- Reformulations trigger review of every affected listing
Risk controls
- Generated copy is grounded in the approved source only
- Attribute validation blocks incomplete packs before submission
- Versioned audit trail of what was published where, and when
Evaluation and measures, agreed before the build
Evaluation uses your own catalogue: a golden set of products with known-correct channel outputs, checked field by field. Baselines come first; targets are set per engagement, not promised in advance.
- Time to publish per channel
- Attribute completeness
- Correction and rejection rate
- Approval turnaround time
- Listings still edited by hand
Implementation stages
Delivery follows the Forward-Deployed AI Sprint: diagnostic to inventory channels and establish the source of truth, a focused build for the first channel set, then run-and-improve as retailers change their templates.
Feasibility constraints
- An approved source of truth must exist or be created first; the system syndicates truth, it does not invent it
- Channel submission is via each retailer’s supported route; no scraping or portal automation against terms of service
- Small catalogues with rare changes may not justify the build; the diagnostic answers this honestly
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