Your customers ask for ever more complete product data, in ever more formats. GDSN exists precisely to put an end to that scattering. GDSN (Global Data Synchronisation Network) is the worldwide network of GS1-certified electronic catalogues. It allows brands, retailers and marketplaces to exchange and synchronise their product data to a common standard, with no re-keying and no file transfers.
We’ve condensed the essentials into a practical guide: how the network works, the role of each party, and a glossary of key terms.
Why GDSN has become essential in retail
Product data is now a condition of market access. On the brand side, it has to be complete and up to date to get listed. On the retailer side, it has to be published across their own channels — and stood behind. The same standard applies at both ends of the chain.
Channels multiply faster than your teams. Marketplaces, e-commerce sites, click & collect, export: each with its own template, its mandatory fields, its validation rules. The same product record ends up filled in five or six times, by hand, with the discrepancies that follow.
Bad data costs more than it used to. A wrong net weight, a missing allergen, an outdated photo: what went unnoticed on the shelf is immediately visible online, and reaches customer reviews before anyone corrects it.
Inside the guide
- What GDSN really is, who it is for and why does it exist.
- The full data flow: from supplier to retailer, in four steps.
- The glossary: GTIN, GLN, GPC, data pool, syndication…
- Why retail players choose to digitalise their data exchange.
