How Product Data Impacts eCommerce Sales for Manufacturers
October 29, 2026
By: Tiffany Hindman
Summary: How does product data impact eCommerce sales for manufacturers? Buyers need accurate, consistent product information to find products, compare similar options, confirm compatibility, access technical documentation, and understand exactly what they are ordering. When that information is missing or unclear, purchases stall. Manufacturers can start by reviewing their most important product pages from the buyer's perspective.
For manufacturers selling online, having the right products available is only part of the eCommerce experience. Buyers also need enough information to find those products, determine whether they meet their requirements, and understand exactly what they are ordering.
That can be challenging when products have detailed specifications, multiple variations, compatibility requirements, different units of measure, or technical documentation that customers need before making a decision.
When important product information is difficult to find or understand, buyers may have to contact sales, search through separate documents, or delay an order while they look for answers.
Good product data helps remove those obstacles. It gives customers a clearer path from searching for a product to confidently placing an order.
Customers Can't Buy Products They Can't Find
For manufacturers with large or complex catalogs, product discovery can become one of the first challenges in the buying process.
Customers do not always search for products the same way your organization names or categorizes them internally. One buyer might know an exact part number, while another searches by material, size, application, product type, or technical requirement.
If products are missing useful attributes or organized inconsistently, buyers may struggle to narrow a large catalog down to the products that meet their needs.
Product information should reflect the different ways customers look for products, particularly when a catalog includes many similar items.
Missing Information Can Stop a Purchase
Finding a product does not necessarily mean a customer is ready to buy it.
Imagine a buyer looking for a replacement component for a piece of equipment. They find what appears to be the correct product, but the page does not include its dimensions, material, compatibility information, or technical specifications.
It might be exactly what they need. But without enough information, the buyer cannot confidently make that determination.
Depending on the product and industry, useful information might include:
Not every product needs every type of information. A better question is:
If the most common answer to a basic product question is "contact us," there may be an opportunity to make that information more accessible online.
Product Data Helps Buyers Compare Similar Options
Manufacturing catalogs often contain products that appear very similar until you look closely at their specifications.
Two components might have the same general purpose but differ in size, material, capacity, application, configuration, or another important characteristic.
- One product page may include a specification that is missing from another
- The same characteristic may be described differently across the catalog
- Comparing products becomes difficult
- Differences between products are easier to understand
- Buyers have a straightforward way to compare their options
- Customers can narrow their choices more efficiently
For example, if several products are available in different materials, displaying the material attribute consistently gives buyers a straightforward way to compare their options. The same approach can be applied to:
This becomes increasingly important as catalogs grow. Instead of requiring customers to interpret different descriptions or open multiple documents, consistent product data gives them a more efficient way to narrow their choices.
Compatibility Information Can Help Buyers Choose the Right Product
For some manufacturers, selecting the correct product involves more than comparing specifications.
A customer may need to know whether a component works with a particular piece of equipment, which replacement part corresponds to an existing product, which accessories are compatible, or which items are required to complete a particular application.
Making those relationships clear can simplify product selection. Depending on the catalog, that could mean showing:
This information can be especially useful for replacement parts, components, configurable products, and catalogs where products are selected based on a specific application.
The easier it is for customers to understand how products relate to one another, the less guesswork is involved in finding the appropriate option.
Images and Documentation Are Part of the Product Experience
Product data is not limited to names, descriptions, and specifications.
For many manufactured products, customers also rely on visual and technical resources to evaluate what they are buying. Depending on the product, that might include:
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management's product information management capabilities, for example, support product definitions, attributes, product variants, units of measure, images, attachments, and other product-related information.
The important consideration on the eCommerce side is whether customers can access the information they need at the appropriate point in their buying process.
A technical document may already exist somewhere within the business, but if the customer cannot easily access it while evaluating the product, it may not be helping them make the purchasing decision.
Ordering Details Need to Be Clear Too
Even after customers identify the correct product, unclear ordering information can create problems.
Units of measure are a good example. A customer might assume a displayed quantity represents an individual item when the product is actually ordered by a box, case, pack, roll, pallet, or another unit.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management supports inventory, purchase, and sales units of measure for released products, reinforcing the importance of clearly managing units within product and order processes.
On the eCommerce site, the customer-facing presentation should make the ordering requirements clear. Depending on the product, buyers may need to understand:
- How the product is sold
- Quantity per package
- Minimum order quantities
- Available configurations
- Purchasing units
- Other ordering requirements
Start With the Product Information Your Customers Actually Need
Improving product data does not have to start with a complete overhaul of an entire catalog.
Manufacturers can begin with products that are purchased frequently, generate significant online activity, or regularly lead to questions from customers.
Take several important products and look at their pages from the buyer's perspective. Ask:
Can customers find the product using the information they already know?
They may know a part number, application, dimension, material, equipment model, or another characteristic rather than your internal product name.
Can they determine whether the product fits their requirements?
Look for missing specifications, compatibility information, options, dimensions, or other details needed for selection.
Can they distinguish it from similar products?
Important attributes should be presented consistently enough for customers to understand the differences.
Is it clear what they are ordering?
Units, packaging, minimum quantities, and available configurations should not require guesswork.
Can they access the documentation they need?
Technical documents should be easy to locate when those documents play a role in evaluating the product.
Can they identify related products when necessary?
Accessories, compatible components, replacement products, or required items should be connected where those relationships matter.
Finally, talk to the people who answer customer questions every day. Sales and customer service teams can often identify recurring questions that point directly to missing or unclear information online.
Keeping Product Information Consistent Across Your eCommerce Experience
As a manufacturer's product catalog grows, maintaining all of this information can become more complicated.
Product information may originate in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Supply Chain Management, an eCommerce platform, a dedicated Product Information Management (PIM) solution, or another business system.
The specific technology matters, but it should support the larger objective: giving customers accurate and consistent information wherever they interact with your products.
Manufacturers should first understand what information customers actually need and then establish a manageable process for maintaining that information across the systems and channels involved.
Turn Product Information Into a Better Buying Experience
Product information plays a role throughout the online buying process.
It helps customers find products, understand their options, compare similar items, confirm compatibility, access technical resources, and understand what they are ordering.
When that information is difficult to find or incomplete, customers have to work harder to make a purchasing decision. When it is organized around the questions buyers actually need answered, eCommerce can provide a much more useful self-service experience.
For manufacturers, improving product data starts with looking beyond the product record itself and considering the complete buying journey.
At Strabo Partners, we help manufacturers and other product-based businesses build eCommerce experiences that work alongside Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Supply Chain Management. By connecting eCommerce with the business systems and processes behind it, we help create a more consistent experience from product discovery through ordering.