Margaret Fitzsimons, CEO of the Electrical Distributors’ Association, explains how the EDA’s product data pool is giving wholesalers access to the best product information for use in their business.

In 2017 the Electrical Distributors’ Association (EDA) embarked on a major initiative to help its members digitalise their businesses. This digitalisation drive hinged on converting manufacturers’ product information and images into a consistent digital format so that it was more easily transferable along the supply chain and available for wholesalers’ e-commerce platforms.

Manufacturers are the guardians of their product information – they know the part number, GTIN code, technical spec, measurements, performance, marketing wording, packaging and sustainability information, and have images in various orientations and colour-ways, and so on. The problem was, each manufacturer organised this information differently. For wholesalers dealing with multiple suppliers this was a massive headache. Over several years, the EDA team worked with manufacturers to standardise the way their data was classified and shared using the universal ETIM data standard as their starting point.

By 2020 plans were formed to create a standardised, cloud based portal where the information about manufacturers’ product information could be stored in a consistent format and graded for quality, consistency and completeness. The EDATA data pool was born.

Fast forward a few years, and by mid-2025 EDATA has swelled to offer valuable, enriched, deep, comprehensive technical information and images on over 300,000 products sold through UK electrical wholesalers. This volume grows daily, with over 200 leading electrotechnical brands opting to share their product information and images with multiple wholesalers via the data pool. It picked up a national Innovation of the Year Award in 2024.

EDATA is a ‘by the industry, for the industry’ enterprise governed by a board of equal numbers of wholesalers and manufacturers. Its strategic direction is determined by a Steering Group of representatives from 29 business sponsors – leading wholesalers and manufacturers that have committed to support EDATA and to volunteer time towards its development.

Three reasons why the EDATA data pool is so powerful

1. informative: information on hundreds of thousands of products available on demand to enhance wholesalers’ customer service.
2. intelligent: product descriptions, technical information, and images, all to the highest specification, to populate web sites and support sales.
3. indispensable: download Product Data Sheets, in a consistent format, for quotes, tenders, submittals, and Operation & Maintenance Manuals.

Here’s how EDA Wholesalers are using the EDATA data pool

Trade counter customer service: where speed, accuracy and efficiency matter

• Immediate access to an online portal with high-quality information on hundreds of thousands of SKUs in one time-saving hub.
• Download individual product data sheets to support sales conversations.

For Tenders, Submittals and Operation & Maintenance Manuals

• Time consuming, complex and often high stakes, anything that can transform response times and help wholesalers win more business is good news – and the EDATA data pool can do just that.
• New products and specification changes would be impossible to track if wholesalers had to deal with each manufacturer separately. EDATA keeps it all in one central hub.
• Wholesalers tell us how much they value EDATA’s PDF Product Data Sheets: created on demand using the latest information and images inside the data pool, making it easier for your customers to compare like-with-like.

Reporting on sustainability and packaging data

• Introduced in 2025, sustainability and packaging info, including embodied carbon, recycled content, WEEE/RoHS/REACH, energy efficiency as well as packaging volumetrics and material breakdown, plus other valuable data.

E-commerce, click and collect services: where compelling images and product descriptions drive sales

• Bulk download the latest product descriptions, marketing bullet points, technical spec and images from the data pool to drive websites, e-shops and click and collect services.

Still re-keying information for printed catalogues and e-catalogues?

• Re-keying information is a time-consuming and resource-heavy process, it also increases the risk of errors. Far better to streamline the whole project and take a feed of images and product information direct from EDATA.

EDATA integrates with your business software

• Work continues to integrate EDATA with wholesalers’ business systems, such as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Warehouse Management and stock control software, Product Information Management (PIM) systems and so on.
• Some software providers have already completed their EDATA integration with many EDA Wholesalers already benefitting from EDATA’s rich product information and images.

 

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