Why is Data Normalization important?
When you import data feeds from multiple distributors, that does not mean they all list products the same. Here is an example:
The manufacturer Tripp Lite has been listed as Tripp-Lite, Trip Lite and Tripp Lite. If you are running a comparison by Manufacturer and model, these three different data feeds will not compare against each other for Tripp Lite because they all list them as three different manufacturers. The computer is dumb until you give it intelligence.
Here is another example:
The manufacturer Western Digital is listed as WesternDigital, Western Digital and WD. Try comparing now.
When you sign up, we spend a good bit of time going through your distributors data and try to map manufacturers accurately. So Western Digital, Western Digital and WD are all mapped as Western Digital. Only then can we do accurate comparisons.
We also map distributor categories to how you define categories on your own website. Every distributor lists categories differently. You also define categories the way you want to. So how do we make sure the products that you are importing, go under the correct category.
Because the lower your cost, the more competitive your prices. Translates to greater sales and greater profits.
Markup prices at cost + % or cost + $ or both. You can markup prices differently for different distributors. You have total control over your selling price.
All products don't ship equally. You can apply shipping markups in addition to price markups to come up with a selling price that takes all costs into account.
If you don't want to sell a product or a product category, you can simply block it and it won't get downloaded to your database.