Overview

As manufacturers, retailers and distributors recognise the importance of working more closely together to improve operational efficiency and service levels, and as competition becomes fiercer and margins continue to shrink, the way information is managed and shared is becoming a critical issue for industry executives to address.

To achieve competitive advantage by eliminating loss of revenue from incorrect product information, suppliers and retailers need to communicate in a more efficient manner.

Global Data Synchronization (GDS) a collaborative electronic commerce strategy is a worldwide initiative intended to resolve product data inaccuracies among trading partners.

Global Data Synchronization has been implemented using a Global Data Synchronization Network (GDSN), where country-specific data pools – such as 1SYNC or other mostly GS1/GXS operated or dominated data pools provide a GDSN compliant service.
Those data pools are able to register GTIN information in the GS1 Global Registry™.
Once registered, GTIN information can be published to any trading partner worldwide that subscribes to a GDSN certified data pool.

Other approaches for Data Synchronisation are more pragmatic avoiding the highly expensive data pool's which have formed a monopoly altogether.
Often it is not necessary to register GTIN information worldwide and all the overhead in infrastructure may not be justified.
The alternative approach consists of direct connections between the parties (retailers and suppliers) via a supplier portals and EDI links which allows the capture of product information among other functions. A supplier can choose to enter manually product information into the portal, upload a spreadsheet (CSV) or transmit EDI/XML messages.

Both approaches make strategic sense and Commerce-Connections supports either option. For trading partner portal solutions please follow this link to learn more about the CC Portal Services or the CC Data-Synch Service.