ETIM in e-commerce: How data standardization solves problems with data from manufacturers

Problem: Data inconsistency and e-commerce

Suppose you are running an e-commerce business with a technical assortment — from electrical switches, to air conditioners and installation pipes or building materials — and a customer wants to order a product with specific parameters from you, such as a switch, air conditioning unit or pipe. You, as a seller, must obtain data from manufacturers describing the product that the buyer is interested in, so that he can make an informed purchase. Unfortunately, this is not so simple.

One manufacturer provides datasheets in PDFs, another has excele. They all provide data in a different format — once a table, sometimes bulleted lists, without a clear indication of which model has specific characteristics, such as voltage or diameter. Some provide an online catalog, but the data is scattered across subpages, without a consistent standard for products and their data types. Automatic retrieval of data from manufacturers' systems via the so-called API? This is a rarity, available to few.

Rewriting product information manually from PDFs or collecting it from online catalogs consumes hours. There is no common standard — each manufacturer uses their own feature names, SKUs, and EAN is the exception. For example, one specifies the switch voltage as “230V”, another as “rated voltage 230", and another omits this information. Platforms that collect product information from many manufacturers offer residual data, often without key parameters or certificates. Updates, such as a new air conditioner specification, require you to manually check each source, which is so time-consuming that the data in the store often remains outdated. For the customer, product comparison is a challenge — how do you judge which switch or tube is better when the data is inconsistent? This leads to errors in orders, returns and loss of trust.

Solution: What is ETIM standard?

ETIM (European Technical Information Model) solves these problems by providing a universal open standard for the classification of product data. Established in the Netherlands in the 1990s for technical industries such as electrical engineering, HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning), plumbing and construction, and overseen by ETIM International, it is regularly updated to meet the needs of the market. Each version introduces new classes, features or improvements, making the standard more and more complete. The current version, ETIM 10, offers expanded capabilities, supporting B2B and B2C e-commerce in data and process automation.

Using the ETIM classification in practice

ETIM is a classification system that acts as a common language to describe products and their information. Each product class has a unique code, a set of characteristics and values. Examples:

• Electrical engineering: Class “Electric switch” (code: EC000029). Characteristic: “Rated voltage” (code: EF000007), value: “230 V” (code: EV000001). Characteristic: “Grounding type” (code: EF005474), value: “With grounding” (code: EV000080).
• HVAC: Class “Wall air conditioner” (code: EC001048). Characteristic: “Cooling power” (code: EF002514), value: “3.5 kW”. Characteristic: “Energy class” (code: EF007296), value: “A++”.
• Sanitary installations: Class “Copper tube” (code: EC011020). Characteristic: “Outer diameter” (code: EF000009), value: “15 mm”. Characteristic: “Wall thickness” (code: EF000551), value: “1 mm”.

Data exchange formats: ETIM and BMecat

More and more manufacturers are adopting the ETIM classification system, seeing benefits in standardization, but many still do not support it. For those who support products with ETIM classification, standard data exchange formats such as BMecat (XML based on ETIM), CSV with ETIM mapping or JSON are available, which allow you to directly import technical information into your system without having to convert PDFs or analyze online catalogs. Such data exchange is more accurate and easier to update, which saves time and minimizes errors.

What if manufacturers do not use the standard classification of products?

Unfortunately, many manufacturers do not use ETIM or other standards for product classification and technical data, which requires the use of other solutions. So how do you efficiently import their data model into your system while maintaining a consistent structure?

Thanks Automation and AI you can pull data from their websites and catalogs, converting them to the ETIM standard, even if manufacturers have everything their way. For one of our e-commerce clients, we used AI to which we uploaded the entire ETIM 10 specification. This enabled us to convert PDFs to ETIM standard, and then we uploaded these products directly to the customer's PIM system, which made the assortment available both in the online store and in marketplaces, implementing an omnichannel strategy.

ETIM benefits: What does a common classification system give?

Data structuring is revolutionizing your e-commerce. With ETIM and AI support, you can automatically map technical information from PDFs, online catalogs or manufacturers' platforms, saving time and eliminating errors. Your customers can easily compare products — switches by voltage, air conditioners by power or pipes by diameter — with filters based on standard attributes, which builds trust and increases sales. You can share descriptions in different languages (e.g. “voltage” on “voltage”) and units of measurement (metric or imperial), facilitating your expansion into international markets. When a manufacturer changes a specification, such as adding a certificate for a pipe, automatic updates synchronize product data with ETIM in real time, regardless of the source.

ETIM is constantly updated, so even if today there are no classes or characteristics that guarantee product support, the market is quickly replenishing it. In the ETIM 10 version, classes have been added for:

• “Smart thermostats” (code: EC001099), responding to the demand for IoT devices.
• “Photovoltaic panels” (code: EC002701), supporting the development of renewable energy.
• “Heat pump systems” (code: EC001097), due to the popularity of environmentally friendly heating solutions.

Using ETIM in PIM systems

Technical products, such as electrical switches or photovoltaic panels, can be sold in many e-commerce places: in an online store, in marketplaces, in a mobile application and even on social media. Therefore, sellers need consistent B2B and/or B2C communication. A customer who checks the switch on Allegro and then looks into your online store expects the same information in both sales channels — identical voltage, grounding type or price. How to achieve this without chaos? Here PIM systems such as PimCore, Akeneo or Crystalize combined with ETIM data become your ally in maintaining product classification standards.

The PIM system is a central hub for managing product information. It collects and synchronizes product data between all sales channels. Products with ETIM — ordered, with clearly defined parameters, such as the power of the air conditioner or the diameter of the pipe — go to the PIM and are ready for distribution. For example, the parameters of the switch in the Polish online store are automatically translated into “voltage” for the UK market or converted into imperial units for customers in the USA. When a manufacturer makes a specification change, PIM instantly updates data and classifications everywhere, eliminating manual work and the risk of mistakes.

By storing ETIM data in PIM, customers see consistent descriptions and parameters, regardless of channel, which builds trust, increases sales and reduces returns. Want to learn more about how MDM and PIM systems support omnichannel strategy? Check out our article on managing product information in omnichannel: https://www.sagiton.pl/en/blog/pim-and-omnichannel-strategy

Summary - the benefits for your business

Products with ETIM classification ensure consistent data exchange in e-commerce. In addition, product information management, enriched with AI-assisted automatic ETIM data generation, will allow you to eliminate costly and manual rewriting of technical data. Your customers get a clear offering with easy comparison of product data types, and you can sell globally with automatic translations and conversion to the right units of measurement. Automatic updates ensure current data, and the continuous development of the ETIM model guarantees adaptation to new market needs. If you're struggling with similar issues, let us know — we'll help you implement ETIM and take your e-commerce to the next level.