How to optimize product catalog management for marketplace success
Managing product catalogs is now a critical yet increasingly complex aspect of running a successful eCommerce business. As sellers and brands grow their presence across marketplaces and digital channels, maintaining accurate and up-to-date product information has shifted from being merely a best practice to an absolute necessity.
However, many businesses still rely on fragmented systems and manual processes to manage their catalogs. This often results in inconsistent product listings, outdated pricing and lower customer satisfaction. These inefficiencies frustrate internal teams and can also hurt search rankings, lower conversion rates and impact profitability.
In this context, optimizing product catalog management is key to making it easier to update, scale and ensure product data accuracy across all platforms.
Why product catalog management matters
In eCommerce, product catalog management is more important than ever. Marketplaces have become central to eCommerce growth, serving as primary platforms where shoppers can browse, compare and purchase products.
Mirakl data shows a clear link between multichannel selling and growth, with sellers active on three or more seeing a 104% increase in GMV.
Buyers expect seamless, intuitive shopping experiences. They want to see consistent listings with clear product names, rich descriptions and high-quality images.
When product data is lacking, it can compromise both user trust and sales performance. In fact, 83% of shoppers say they’ll abandon a product page and turn to a competitor if they can’t find sufficient information.
Poor quality listings can result in lower search rankings, customer confusion, dissatisfaction and increased product returns. This not only impacts customer retention, but also undermines brand reputation and can ultimately lead to lost revenue.
On the other hand, strong catalog data contributes to higher visibility and conversions. Optimized listings with consistent formatting and SEO-friendly content are favored by marketplace algorithms, making it easier for customers to discover and engage with your products.
In an environment where every click counts, ensuring catalog accuracy can be a powerful growth driver.
Common challenges
Despite its importance, catalog management is still a major struggle for many businesses. One major issue is inconsistent data across platforms, which can lead to errors, confusion and inefficiencies when selling across multiple channels.
These inconsistencies often result in poor performance including reduced search visibility, customer dissatisfaction and ultimately lost sales.
Another challenge is reliance on manual processes, often resulting in spreadsheet fatigue, as teams struggle to keep up with constant updates and revisions. Notably, Mirakl data shows that as much as 50% of total onboarding time is commonly spent on catalog onboarding alone.
Launching on a new channel can require an initial investment of up to $100,000 and four months of work — making it difficult to scale efficiently.
Scaling catalogs to new marketplaces or regions presents additional difficulties, as businesses must adapt to unique requirements and manage expanding inventories.
Constant updates such as pricing changes, inventory levels and new SKUs create an ongoing burden for teams, requiring significant time and attention to stay accurate and competitive.
Platform-specific requirements further complicate the process, as each marketplace may demand a different approach to data formatting or structuring, adding to the overall complexity.
Solving these challenges is essential for successful catalog management and growth in today’s competitive markets.
Best practices for catalog management optimization
Optimizing product information is key to delivering a seamless experience for both internal teams and customers. By adopting a set of best practices, businesses can streamline operations, improve product visibility and create consistent, high-performing catalogs.
1. Leverage centralized tools
Invest in centralized multichannel management solutions to simplify workflows and ensure data consistency across platforms. These technologies make it easier to manage updates, reduce manual errors and keep product information aligned across all sales channels.
2. Establish standardized naming conventions
Consistent product names, categories and attributes bring clarity and organization to the catalog. This consistency supports efficient catalog management at scale and improves searchability and navigation for customers. A well-structured catalog reduces confusion and contributes to a smoother shopping experience.
3. Enhance product listings with SEO and quality visuals
Rich, SEO-friendly descriptions and high-quality visuals help listings stand out in crowded marketplaces. This enhancement goes beyond aesthetics — it establishes credibility, boosts engagement and drives sales by providing customers with clear and compelling information.
4. Automate updates for real-time data accuracy
Real-time updates are crucial for maintaining trust and staying competitive. Automation tools enable instant synchronization of inventory, pricing and product availability across platforms, minimizing errors and ensuring customers receive consistently accurate information. This approach also helps prevent lost revenue by reducing stockouts and overselling, while improving overall customer experience through timely and reliable information.
Scaling for marketplace growth
Success on today’s marketplaces demands speed, accuracy and adaptability. Each marketplace has unique requirements and standards, and scaling effectively means meeting these demands without bottlenecks or delays.
That’s where Mirakl Connect makes a difference. Powered by advanced AI, Mirakl Connect empowers sellers and brands to effortlessly manage and integrate their catalogs across multiple channels.
Ally Cheong, Business Development Manager at Rokka & Rolla, shared, “Mirakl helps us onboard marketplaces efficiently and scale our operation in a structured, centralized way, which has been instrumental in expanding our business.”
Leveraging AI-driven attribute extraction, Mirakl Connect automatically assigns the right attributes and categories to your products, ensuring perfect alignment with each marketplace’s requirements.
It also rewrites titles and descriptions to fit the specific format of every channel, streamlining your catalog integration process and reducing setup time by up to 70%.
Plus, with near real-time synchronization of inventory, pricing and orders, sellers can maintain up-to-date product information and minimize the risk of missed sales.
Unlocking multichannel success with catalog management
Optimizing your product catalog is essential for improving customer experiences, increasing visibility and achieving long-term success across marketplaces.
By adopting targeted strategies and leveraging automation, businesses can simplify workflows, operate more efficiently and unlock opportunities for accelerated growth.
Looking to streamline your product catalog and scale efficiently? Learn how Mirakl Connect can help.
