Distributors: how to carry out a successful supplier onboarding?

When a distributor or retailer decides to accelerate its digitalization by choosing our Equadis PIM, they are embarking on a project to dematerialize their product data. This represents a major challenge, with consequences for their supplier network. To ensure that this transition goes as smoothly as possible, Equadis supports and guides each supplier through these changes.

What is supplier onboarding?

For retailers and distributors, onboarding their brands and suppliers is a major step, as it involves acquiring their entire product assortment and ensuring that they collect 100% complete, high-quality data. The extent of the work depends on the size of the supplier network, which can vary from a few hundred to several thousand.

Equadis, the ideal partner for onboarding your suppliers

• Equadis acts as an intermediary between the distributor and their suppliers.
• Support adapted to the digital maturity of each supplier
• The guarantee of receiving verified data that complies with current standards and regulations
• One of the most connected solutions on the market, enabling you to embark all your suppliers on this transition.

The benefits of the Equadis PIM solution

• Automated data transfer
• Reliability of exchanged data
• Acceleration of time to market
• Human support throughout the partnership
• Greater peace of mind for suppliers and distributors

Key steps to a successful onboarding

1. Diagnosis of the distributor’s specific needs

In order to automate and scale the acquisition of product data, Equadis develops a data model specific to the distributor’s requirements and organization, taking into account several major aspects:

• Integration of the specificities of the distributor’s organization
• Implementation of distributor-specific management rules and controls
• Integration of all specific fields in compliance with current standards.

Once the data model has been developed, Equadis communicates it to all the distributor’s suppliers.

2. Support for each supplier

While some suppliers are already ahead of the game when it comes to dematerializing their data, others are just starting out. It is therefore important to analyze the typology of each supplier by contacting them one by one. This contact is essential to determine their precise profile, provide them with informative explanations about the project and inform them about the various options available to them.

Brands or suppliers can send their data in several ways via the Gaia by Equadis platform. Whether they choose to do so via GDSN (GS1 Global Data Synchronisation Network) to connect more easily to the distributor, whatever datapool is used, or via the Onboarder (webportal), Equadis PIM adapts to the specific needs of each structure, from the most equipped to the least.

Each supplier must make the right choice according to its structure and objectives, to guarantee smooth data exchanges with the distributor.

3. Training on the Gaia by Equadis platform

Whichever option you choose, we take care to train every supplier on our Gaia by Equadis platform. Our ambition is to make all users operational and independent, while remaining available and attentive to their needs.

4. Ongoing communication between suppliers and distributors via Equadis

Véritable fil rouge de cette transition, la relation que nous entretenons avec le distributeur est centrale à la réussite de ce processus d’onboarding. Equadis se positionne en tant qu’intermédiaire entre les fournisseurs et le distributeur. Qu’il s’agisse de lui rendre compte de l’avancement de la mission ou d’être le relais de ses demandes auprès des fournisseurs, nous cherchons en permanence à fluidifier les relations entre tous les acteurs impliqués.

5. Essential human support

Above technical considerations, we believe that human support is essential to the success of any project, no matter how complex. That’s why we place human support at the heart of each and every one of our missions.

Our approach is based on the same high standards of quality for all our suppliers, which is why we provide them with dedicated support and personalized advice to make them as autonomous as possible. More than just technical support, our teams are committed to being as close as possible to all Equadis PIM users.

For further information, please contact our teams.