Here are three steps to take right now to get your data ready for launch.
Data quality
What data do you need? What data don’t you need anymore? Take a long, hard look at the data you have. Is it good enough and relevant enough to fuel your business objectives?
If you’re looking to get a 360° customer view, for instance, and your customer data fields are inconsistent, inaccurate or incomplete, you just won’t be able to achieve it.
Data governance
How has the way you use your data changed? Do people understand these changes? Do they understand the critical role they each play in managing data as a valuable asset? Do they understand how and why the data they manage impacts other areas of your business? Data governance directs your business’ data practices. It keeps everyone on the same page and makes sure that data quality is maintained, even as your objectives evolve.
If your goal is to implement advanced analytics in 2022, but your teams don’t understand the importance of absolute accuracy when inputting and manipulating data, your analytics will be a wasted investment and its insights will be unreliable.
Data management
Is the technology you use enough to support your ambitions?
Product data stored in spreadsheets, for instance, might have been the perfect solution for your business two years ago.
But as you look to the next stage of your evolution – a more comprehensive and flexible ecommerce platform for example – you probably need PIM or MDM. Without it, managing your data is going to become a gruelling manual process, and will make it impossible to deliver the e-commerce experience you want.
