Experts in e-commerce, PXM, Tech, Retail and CPG Marketing all converged to learn from their peers and industry experts on how to drive product experiences and consumer engagement in today’s constantly changing omnichannel universe.  

Here are a few key highlights and takeaways from Syndigo Connect 2025. 

Content & Commerce: The Drumbeat of Growth 

In today’s digital age, product content is the lifeblood of retail success. Whether in-store or online, from the moment a product is created, every information detail plays a key in driving growth. And it has to move at the speed of commerce. Complete and precise descriptive data, governed through Master Data Management (MDM), Product Information Management (PIM), syndication and analytics through PXM. Being composable and connected is required to scale for success. Brands and retailers that prioritize data integrity and consistency are better positioned to thrive in a competitive retail environment.

“Item not found” rates average 9%—leaving millions on the table.

Insight shared by Simbe

AI & Automation: No Longer “The Future” 

While Artificial Intelligence (AI), Large Language Models (LLM) and generative AI continue to dominate news cycles with new innovations, the reality is that automation is a driver for business success, and AI capabilities are now assumed…It’s no longer a luxury. While automation is now a core expectation, AI is becoming one, embedded throughout the entire product lifecycle to drive value. Partnering with leaders who are learning and leading with AI tools can help retailers and brands streamline processes, enhance the customer experience, and make data-driven decisions that lead to better outcomes. 

“Syndigo has the ability to orchestrate and push the right content to the right customer… creating that cohesive, beautiful experience for every customer touchpoint.”

Jim Bennette, Senior Director Channels

Retail Media: Organic Content Fuels Retail Media Strategy

Retailers, like other businesses, have expanded their capabilities for performance growth, across media, marketplaces and memberships. Retail media networks are becoming a cornerstone of modern marketing strategies, as they offer a unique blend of reach and relevance that is hard to match through traditional channels. Understanding the importance of retail media in your digital shelf strategy is critical to success. By leveraging these networks, brands too can benefit by reaching their customers with greater precision, ensuring that their messages resonate and drive conversions.

Retail & Consumer Shifts: Adapting to Change

The retail landscape is evolving at an unprecedented pace. Marketplaces, memberships, and AI search bots like Rufus are reshaping the way consumers shop. From AI bots like Rufus to new marketplace and membership models, the way consumers shop is evolving fast. In-store experience still matters—and consistency across channels is key. Agile, customer-first strategies are winning. But even with the rise of digital platforms and AI agents, a great majority of purchases—70%—still happen on the shelf, highlighting the importance of consistent product experience online and in stores. Both brands and retailers must be adaptable, responsive, and collaborative to ensure that their strategies are aligned with continuing changes in technology and consumer behavior.

“I definitely feel closer to the Syndigo Team…I better understand the product offering and how it fits inside our martech stack.”

Brandon Phillips, Marketing Operations Manager

Execution & Innovation: The Path to Success

Within organizations, collaboration is also a driver of success through innovation. Partnerships between commercial and IT organizations have helped accelerate the capabilities within organizations, as well as the connectivity with solution partners. This cross-functional collaboration inside organizations and across partners is critical to driving product experience success. Product discoverability, syndication, and strong Product Detail Page (PDP) storytelling are essential for winning the digital shelf. Retail media and organic search optimization must be considered together, with continuous iteration and A/B testing becoming the new norm. The ability to deliver composable solutions for commerce, with flexible technology that reduces friction and scales loyalty, enables brands to stay ahead of the curve.

“Very useful, very user-friendly, everyone at Syndigo is very responsive and easy to work with.”

Erik Stapleton, Product Information Specialist

Evolving for the Future

Speed and adaptability were the themes that played throughout Syndigo Connect 2025. As the industry evolves, the organizations that embrace high-quality content and connected ecosystems will lead the way. The voices, lessons, and connections forged at this event will help attendees shape the future of product experiences—with confidence, creativity, and clarity.

The post Remixing the Future of Retail: Syndigo Connect 2025  appeared first on Syndigo.

The opportunity here is huge as delivery services evolve simply from a convenient way to get a burrito or iced coffee into a go-to option for everything from grocery staples to last-minute supplies, snacks to cover spontaneous cravings, or over-the-counter pharmaceuticals for a sick day at home. 

As shoppers flock to this new channel, they’re exposed to products in a completely new medium. Consumer brands need to be proactive to make sure their products are presented in the best possible light and maximize every sales opportunity in this fast-growing delivery app marketplace. 

An essential new shelf to conquer 

Delivery apps have exploded in recent years as infrastructure to support services and user bases have grown. Today, services like Doordash, Uber Eats, Instacart, Shipt, and more have enormous customer bases. In 2024 there were some 138 million online grocery delivery users in the US alone.  

Many of these solutions are making big investments in growing and deepening their user bases even further, laying the groundwork for even more adoption, from special promotions to high-profile Super Bowl ads. 

This new source of growth is a global phenomenon, with opportunities to captivate shoppers around the world across nearly all markets.   

How to get an edge on this new frontier 

The global online grocery delivery market is projected to reach $941 billion in revenue in 2025, and the general retail delivery space is not far behind at $729.83 billion. 

Despite the size and potential of these markets, the novelty of this channel and technology means the sophistication of the product experience on these apps and platforms has not fully matured compared to traditional e-commerce. 

That means consumer brands have a lot of ground to make up in the way their products are depicted across a fast-growing, fast-changing marketplace. It also represents an enormous opportunity for consumer brands to get out ahead of the competition and establish themselves as THE go-to brands on these platforms. 

Social networks and online review sites are full of complaints from disappointed or frustrated shoppers not getting the products they expect delivered. The causes of these issues are varied, but incomplete or inaccurate product listings are certainly a contributor. According to a finding in Syndigo’s “The State of Product Content” consumer experience survey, 43% of respondents were recently disappointed by a product they purchased that didn’t meet expectations set by online product content. 

Many product listings on delivery apps are based on content pulled from the sites of retailers they partner with and deliver from. But this content isn’t always optimized for the delivery app UI—images, information, and data submitted to a supermarket, convenience store or grocery chain might not translate to the product listings on Instacart or Uber Eats. 

That’s why it’s important for consumer brands to take control of their product experience on these channels. There are several immediate steps that can be taken to augment a brand’s presence on delivery storefronts and prompt sales growth: 

1. Upgrade your content delivery game 

Putting your product experience in the hands of whatever data a delivery app can pull from a retailer is a questionable choice.  

All the major delivery apps now offer the opportunity to directly manage item listings on their channels. The challenge is keeping up with all the different accounts, nuances requirements, platform nuances for your entire catalog. Uploading and updating item content for the entire delivery marketplace can quickly get unmanageable. 

The easy solution is content syndication through a reliable Product Experience Management platform that has direct connections to these apps and automatically delivers your assets and data from a single platform. 

2. Adapting content for mobile apps 

Every mobile app has its own UX and all the major delivery services are in tense competition to differentiate their shopping experiences not only from each other but from traditional e-commerce channels. That means different choices about how product information and images are displayed. Consider how similar products are depicted across different delivery channels; how might you adjust your content to make it more appealing above the fold for each one? 

A content syndication provider with custom data checks and validations for each delivery recipient can ensure your content is provided in the correct format.  

3. Monitor and optimize 

The retail and grocery delivery market is still young and maturing. New apps and services are likely to continue disrupting the market, and existing ones will shift and adapt to consumer behavior.  

That means you’ll need to closely monitor content performance, experiment to see what  works, and refine your product experience over time. Real-time analytics like content completion scores and Compare With Live can help you ensure your content is ready for performance in this new, fast-changing environment. 

The post How to master your product experience on the new frontier of commerce: Delivery apps  appeared first on Syndigo.

In today’s rapidly evolving e-commerce world, retailers face an increasing challenge in efficiently managing and optimizing their online storefronts. The digital landscape is highly competitive, and the need for a streamlined approach to digital merchandising has never been more critical. Two key findings from a Gartner report on e-commerce merchandising state that:

• Sixty percent of consumers who cannot accurately search for products on a retailer’s website will buy less or nothing at all.
• Incisive personalization of the online shopping experience is vital to garner loyal customers who feel valued by the retailer.

To address the need for better merchandising, Syndigo has launched a new offering called Merchandise Optimizer.

This innovative tool combines data analytics with visual product information in a unified graphical interface, providing a distinctive solution within the Master Data Management (MDM) space. This tool enhances sales and website performance by streamlining the online merchandising process and significantly reducing the time and resources needed by leading brands to design, update, and manage their online storefronts.

Key Features of Merchandise Optimizer

Merchandise Optimizer is designed to empower e-commerce merchandisers to make data-driven, real-time decisions while optimizing website layouts through visual cues and actionable insights.

Automated Merchandising with Advanced Business Rules

One of the most effective ways in which a Merchandiser can increase the impact of their products is by dynamically optimizing category pages. Using scheduled rules based on conversion, sales, and inventory data, Merchandise Optimizer ensures precise and efficient online merchandising, allowing you to stay ahead of the competition. For example, you can set rules to automatically promote products with high conversion rates or low inventory levels, ensuring that your category pages are always optimized for maximum performance.

Integrated Analytics Management

As Merchandisers look to improve the impact of their decisions, they need a single view of critical metrics such as page views, conversion rates, and sales directly from product images. Merchandise Optimizer offers immediate insights without the need to toggle between multiple dashboards, making it easier to make informed decisions on the fly. Retailers can quickly identify which products are performing well and which ones need attention, allowing for real-time adjustments to improve sales and customer engagement.

Seamless Product Management

Organizing your layouts has never been easier with Merchandise Optimizer’s drag-and-drop functionality. Add products to multiple categories with a single click, streamlining the process and saving you valuable time. This feature is particularly useful for large catalogs, where manual updates can be time-consuming and error-prone.

Inventory Visibility and Alerts

Stay on top of your inventory with real-time low-stock alerts and color-specific inventory insights. This feature helps you make timely adjustments to your storefront, ensuring a seamless and engaging shopping experience for your customers. For instance, if a particular color of a product is running low, you can quickly update the display to highlight alternative options or promote related products.

Customizable Color Management

Easily sequence color swatches with drag-and-drop functionality and set category-specific leading colors for tailored product displays. This customization ensures that your products stand out and meet the unique needs of your customers. Whether you’re running a seasonal promotion or highlighting a new product line, Merchandise Optimizer makes it simple to adjust your color schemes to match your marketing goals.

Visual Attribute Management

Manage product attributes with a visual interface, enabling quick updates, missing attribute alerts, and seamless online filtering and search optimization. This feature ensures that your product information is always accurate and up-to-date, enhancing the overall customer experience. For example, you can easily add or edit product descriptions, images, and tags, and receive alerts for missing attributes, ensuring that your products are fully optimized for search and discovery.

Synergies with Syndigo’s PXM Offerings

Merchandise Optimizer is not just a standalone tool; it is seamlessly integrated with Syndigo’s Product Experience Management (PXM) offerings – both for retail and for brands. This integration ensures that your product data is consistent and accurate across all channels, from your website to your mobile app and social media platforms. Syndigo’s end-to-end content management tools help you create a cohesive and engaging customer experience that drives sales and loyalty.

Leverage End-to-End Content Management

Syndigo’s PXM platform provides a comprehensive suite of tools for managing product content, including rich media, descriptions, and specifications. When combined with Merchandise Optimizer, these tools create a powerful ecosystem that ensures your product information is always up-to-date and optimized for conversion. For example, you can use PXM to create detailed product descriptions and high-quality images, and then use Merchandise Optimizer to place these assets in the most effective locations on your website.

Enhanced Data Accuracy and Consistency

By centralizing and standardizing customer and product data, Merchandise Optimizer ensures that your data is accurate, consistent, and up-to-date. This is crucial for maintaining a reliable customer experience and making informed business decisions. Syndigo’s PXM tools further enhance this by providing robust data validation and cleansing capabilities, ensuring that your product information is of the highest quality.

Improved Customer Insights

Merchandise Optimizer’s integrated analytics management provides a 360-degree view of your customers and products. With these insights, you can tailor your interactions and marketing strategies to drive higher engagement and loyalty. Syndigo’s PXM platform complements this by offering advanced segmentation and personalization tools, allowing you to create highly targeted and relevant content for your customers.

Streamlined Operations

Automate data management tasks and integrate with your existing systems to reduce manual effort and errors. This not only saves time but also ensures that your operations run smoothly and efficiently. Syndigo’s PXM platform supports seamless integration with a wide range of systems, including CRM, ERP, and marketing automation tools, creating a cohesive and efficient data ecosystem.

Enhanced Customer Experience

Provide a consistent and personalized experience across all touchpoints. Faster response times and a more intuitive user interface can significantly improve customer satisfaction and retention. Syndigo’s PXM tools help you create a seamless and engaging shopping experience by ensuring that your product information is accurate, up-to-date, and optimized for search and discovery.

Future-Proofing Your e-Commerce Strategy

Merchandise Optimizer is built on Syndigo’s future-proof platform, which is designed to adapt to the ever-changing e-commerce landscape. As new technologies and trends emerge, Syndigo’s platform will continue to evolve, ensuring that you always have access to the latest features and capabilities. This future-proof approach means that your investment in Merchandise Optimizer will continue to deliver value over the long term.

Unlock Scalability and Flexibility

Merchandise Optimizer is designed to grow with your business. Whether you’re a small retailer just starting out or a large enterprise with a complex product catalog, this tool can scale to meet your needs. Experience the power of data-driven, visual e-commerce merchandising and take your online storefront to the next level.

With its seamless integration with Syndigo’s PXM offerings, end-to-end content management tools, and future-proof platform, Merchandise Optimizer is the solution you need to succeed in the competitive e-commerce landscape. Contact us to learn more about how this offering can help you improve your commercial performance.

The post The Future of e-Commerce Merchandising: Introducing Syndigo’s Merchandise Optimizer appeared first on Syndigo.

Data Quality is the Key to Relevance 

One of the most significant takeaways from D-Congress 2025 was the paramount importance of data quality. In the AI-driven era, structured, consistent, enriched, and up-to-date product data is crucial for staying competitive. Brands that prioritize this will gain a significant advantage, as AI algorithms increasingly dictate visibility and engagement. 

AI as the New Decision-Maker 

AI’s role in commerce is evolving beyond recommendations to influencing real-time purchase decisions. Brands must shift their focus from optimizing their own platforms to ensuring their product data is AI-ready. This means structuring data for automated curation, leveraging AI-driven content distribution, and adapting to AI-driven purchasing trends. 

Overcoming AI Fatigue: Why Data-Driven AI Matters 

With AI dominating industry discussions, brands and retailers may feel overwhelmed by the constant need to adapt. However, AI is only as effective as the data it relies on. Rather than viewing AI as an abstract concept, businesses should focus on its practical applications—enhancing efficiency, shortening time to market, personalization, and decision-making in measurable ways. The key to avoiding AI fatigue is to see AI as a business enabler, not just a trend. Investing in strong data foundations allows AI to work effectively, driving real outcomes rather than just following the latest developments. 

How Syndigo Helps Brands Stay Ahead in the AI Shift 

Syndigo ensures data quality for AI-driven commerce with solutions like: 

• Master Data Management (MDM): Centralizes product data for consistency. 

• Product Information Management (PIM): Organizes and enriches product data. 

• Enhanced Content & Syndication: Ensures AI-ready product data. 

• Real-Time Analytics & Performance Tracking: Provides insights for better engagement. 

• AI-Optimized Content Strategies: Structures data for AI discovery and automated commerce. 

Syndigo empowers brands to embrace AI without fatigue, focusing on real outcomes. Our solutions ensure AI-driven commerce is built on high-quality, structured, and enriched product data. 

The Future is AI-First—Are You Ready? 

AI is the new decision-maker in commerce. Brands that embrace data quality, structured content, and AI-driven strategies will shape the future of digital retail. Syndigo is committed to equipping brands with the solutions they need to stay competitive and lead in the next evolution of commerce. 

The post The AI Shift in E-Commerce: D-Congress 2025 Takeaways appeared first on Syndigo.

REQUEST A COPY OF THE EBOOK

Unlock the Power of Product Transparency with SmartLabel™ 

When shopping for CPG products, savvy consumers want transparency, trust, and detailed information before making their buying decisions. Learn how leading brands are meeting these demands while building stronger customer relationships and staying compliant with evolving regulations. 

Transform Your Product Information Strategy 

SmartLabel offers a unique approach to sharing product information that benefits both consumers and brands. While shoppers gain instant access to more comprehensive and detailed nutrition information about ingredients, sourcing, sustainability practices, and usage instructions—beyond what can fit on a food label—brands are building greater customer loyalty.  

What You’ll Discover: 

• Implementation Made Simple: Learn how to streamline the SmartLabel process from creation to publication, including how Syndigo’s experts can help capture, verify, edit, and publish your SmartLabel pages. 
• Compliance Without Complexity: Understand how SmartLabel helps meet federal and state regulatory standards, including the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard and California’s Cleaning and Menstrual Products Right to Know Acts. 
• Consumer Engagement Strategies: Explore how customers interact with SmartLabel through web searches, brand websites, and QR codes, and how to optimize your product information to build trust and drive purchasing decisions. 

Download Your Free Copy! 

Use SmartLabel to transform your product information strategy into a competitive advantage. You’ll not only meet growing consumer demands for product knowledge but also build deeper trust through the power of transparency

Download Your Free Copy Today!

Featured Resources

Ebook

Unwrapped 2023: Product Content Performance in Peak Holiday Periods

Read more

Ebook

Stay Ahead of the Holiday Rush with Syndigo’s 2023 Trend Analysis

Read more

Ebook

Generative AI Trends in Retail and eCommerce 

Read more

The post Unlock the Power of Product Transparency with SmartLabel™  appeared first on Syndigo.

This is where Syndigo Vendor Central steps in, offering a comprehensive solution designed to streamline vendor data management, enhance data quality, and foster better collaboration between retailers and their vendors. By addressing the pain points associated with traditional vendor management methods, Syndigo Vendor Central helps businesses stay competitive and responsive in an ever-evolving market. 

Challenges retailers face with vendor data management 

Attempts at managing your vendor data typically run into a few challenges:  

1. Maintaining data quality:

Retailers often struggle with inaccurate or outdated product information from their vendors. Current product data quality doesn’t meet the retailer’s standards and ensuring that product data meets internal standards can be a daunting task. Further, maintaining consistency in product data across categories is essential for a seamless shopping experience. 

2. Lack of visibility: 

Retailers lack a line of sight into vendor launches and product availability which can hinder strategic planning. Inefficient communication between retailers and vendor can lead to delays and misunderstandings. 

3. Managing vendor profiles: 

Retailers struggle to keep vendors providing accurate data in real-time. Typically vendor management is done manually with CSV and Excel which is time-consuming and prone to errors. 

4. Poor onboarding and logistics: 

It’s challenging to maintain vendor relationships due to the prevalence of manual processes for providing and receiving accurate product data which can strain vendor relationships. Slow go-live times with product launches and onboarding can impact sales. Retailers often receive limited product assortment due to scalability limitations. 

Syndigo Vendor Central makes dealing with vendors a breeze

Syndigo Vendor Central was designed by keeping in mind the challenges of managing the critical but complex area of dealing with vendor data as well as data from vendors. Here’s how Syndigo Vendor Central addresses the challenges of vendor data management. 

1. Enforce data quality:   

Syndigo Vendor Central enforces consistent data standards across all product categories to minimize errors and improve decision-making. This ensures that all product data adheres to consistent standards, reducing errors and enhancing decision-making capabilities. 

2. Improved access to product information: 

By creating a central repository of product information from all vendors that is accessible to stakeholders across the lifecycle, Syndigo Vendor Central provides a centralized platform where all product information is easily accessible, improving visibility and collaboration. 

3. Collaborative vendor management: 

Syndigo Vendor Central streamlines onboarding by allowing vendors to directly provide and update information, fostering collaboration thereby ensuring real-time data accuracy. 

4. Smoother onboarding and logistics: 

Automating workflows and validation help Syndigo Vendor Central speed up onboarding and reduce manual effort and accelerate product launches in the long run. 

Designed for a variety of use cases

Here are some typical use cases that Syndigo Vendor Central is designed to encounter and how it provides value in each of these cases. 

1. Home Goods Retailer: 

•  Issue: A home goods retailer deals with 100s of vendors each with 1000s of SKUs and collects the latest product information from them via emails/ Excels, and then loads them into their systems manually. As a result, the retailer is having issues with data quality and real-time updates for products. They enter their own detailed descriptions, but they are often out of date and incorrect 
• Solution: Syndigo Vendor Central moves this task of uploading product information to the vendors, who can login to Vendor Central and easily upload/ update their product assortment and attribution. The system enforces consistent data standards for entry of data and provides a central repository for product information, ensuring accurate and up-to-date data. 

2. Athletic Wear Retailer: 

• Issue: An athletic wear retailer is having issues showcasing similar products in a unique and distinguishable way. They are also hoping to gain customers in a new segment – athletic shoes.  
• Solution: Syndigo Vendor Central can help manage and distinguish product data, ensuring that similar products are presented uniquely. Additionally, the platform provides flexibility in ease of creation of new product categories and supports the expansion into new product. 

3. Electronics Retailer: 

• Issue: An electronics retailer is having issues with manual onboarding. The length of time spent on processing is important as their team dedicated to the initiative is small. They do not have time to audit content often and are looking for a more streamlined solution.  
• Solution: Syndigo Vendor Central automates workflows and validation processes, significantly reducing the time and effort required for onboarding and ensuring a more streamlined solution. 

Syndigo Vendor Central is a powerful tool that addresses the critical challenges faced by retailers in managing vendor data. By providing a centralized, automated, and collaborative platform, it ensures data quality, improves visibility, and streamlines vendor management processes, ultimately leading to better decision-making and enhanced customer satisfaction.  

Contact us to learn more about how Syndigo Vendor Central can make a difference in how you operate with your vendors. 

The post Streamlining Vendor Data Management: Enhancing Efficiency and Accuracy   appeared first on Syndigo.

AI: Moving Beyond Hype to Impact 

AI was everywhere at NRF, not just in keynote discussions but woven into the fabric of the event’s conversations. This wasn’t the typical “we should use AI” chatter. Instead, it was about how AI is already making measurable impacts in operations and experiences. 

Retailers are deploying AI to optimize warehouses with precision, utilizing smart cameras to detect and respond to issues like fallen inventory and coordinating autonomous equipment like forklifts to address problems in real time. These are not experiments—they’re practical implementations. 

Agentic AIs are also taking a front seat. These systems are fine-tuned with proprietary data to handle complex tasks, from shopping assistance to predictive maintenance in stores. For example, some retailers are now using AI to create store planograms tailored to local demand patterns, enhancing product placement and customer navigation. 

Syndigo’s AI-native PXM, with features like detection and extraction, image comparison, and multilingual translations, plays a critical role in enabling retailers to manage the complex product data that feeds into these AI systems. Accurate data is foundational to AI’s effectiveness, ensuring that decisions made by these systems are both reliable and impactful. 

Unified Commerce: The New Normal 

Unified commerce is no longer an ambition but an expectation. Retailers are integrating physical stores, e-commerce platforms, and social channels to create seamless customer experiences. A growing focus on Retail Media Networks (RMNs) exemplifies this shift, with brands and retailers leveraging customer data to create targeted, personalized campaigns. 

What was notable this year was how unified commerce wasn’t just about integrating channels—it was about creating agility. Retailers with systems capable of syncing inventory, pricing, and promotions across locations are better positioned to adapt to rapid changes in consumer demand. 

This is where location-based assortment management becomes critical. Retailers need to optimize inventory not only for national trends but for hyper-local demand, ensuring that the right products are available where and when they’re needed. 

Sustainability: The Strategic Imperative 

One of the most impactful conversations at NRF revolved around sustainability. Discussions about Digital Product Passports (DPPs) highlighted how transparency is becoming essential for consumer trust. While DPPs are still in the early stages, they represent a vision where every product comes with detailed information about its lifecycle, from material sourcing to recyclability. 

For retailers already pursuing sustainability goals, centralized platforms are critical. ESG reporting isn’t just about compliance; it’s about efficiency and clarity. Tools that integrate sustainability data with broader operational data allow retailers to monitor their progress, identify gaps, and make adjustments in real time. 

Customers using Syndigo’s Product Experience Cloud for Retail leverage its capabilities to track ethical sourcing, manage supplier data, and provide transparent reporting to stakeholders. With the ability to centralize this information alongside other operational metrics, they’re well-positioned to meet evolving regulatory and consumer expectations. 

Emerging Technologies: From Immersive to Intelligent 

Beyond AI, immersive technologies like AR and VR continue to evolve. Virtual showrooms are now moving beyond novelty to real utility. Customers can visualize products in their homes or on avatars, creating deeper connections with brands. 

At the same time, advancements in digital twins are reshaping how retailers design and manage physical spaces. NVIDIA showcased how physics-based AI and digital twins are being used to simulate store layouts and optimize inventory placement. These tools allow retailers to test changes in a virtual environment before implementing them in the real world, saving time and reducing costs. 

Key Takeaways for Retailers 

• AI is Maturing: Retailers are deploying AI at scale, from warehouse optimization to personalized shopping experiences. This is no longer about pilots; it’s about impact. 
• Unified Commerce Drives Agility: Integrating channels and optimizing assortments for local markets are critical for staying competitive. 
• Sustainability is Non-Negotiable: Transparency and accountability are table stakes for consumers. Retailers must embed sustainability into their operations. 
• Data is Everything: From powering AI to enabling sustainability reporting, centralized, accurate data is the foundation of modern retail. 

The Road Ahead 

NRF 2025 showed us that retail is no longer just reacting to technological shifts—it’s driving them. From AI-driven efficiencies to immersive consumer experiences and sustainable practices, the industry is embracing a future where innovation isn’t just nice to have; it’s essential. 

For those of us in retail technology, this is an exciting time. These trends validate the work we’ve been doing and highlight the potential for even greater transformation in the years to come. As we look ahead, it’s clear that success will depend on staying agile, customer-focused, and willing to embrace the opportunities technology provides. 

The post The Next Chapter of Retail: Insights from NRF 2025  appeared first on Syndigo.

Tackling Mismatched Expectations – A Lesson in Consistency

Nothing undermines consumer confidence like inconsistent product representations. The report highlights a 57% rise in consumers encountering discrepancies between product advertisement and their actual experience, whether in-store or online. Such mismatches not only disrupt trust but also deter purchases.

Tips and Takeaways

Implementing robust Product Information Management (PIM) systems to ensure a single source of truth and a unified presentation across channels, keeps your product’s story consistent and your customers satisfied.

The Secret Power of Spontaneity – Leveraging Impulse Buys

During the holiday season, 40% of shoppers made unplanned purchases inspired by creative imagery, engaging information, or rich media content. Impulse buys aren’t just events of serendipity – they are strategic opportunities earned by thoughtful planning.

Tips and Takeaways

Make the most of these moments with dynamic content strategies, including eye-catching visuals, lifestyle imagery, and curated product recommendations powered by a Product Experience Management (PXM) framework.

Holiday Returns – Prevention Through Precision

Returns are the bane of holiday commerce, with $160 billion in returns expected this season alone. The report underscores the importance of precise, detailed product descriptions to align customer expectations with reality.

Tips and Takeaways

Beyond accurate descriptions, highlight compatibility guides, care instructions, and FAQs to minimize post-purchase surprises.

Beyond Stock Photos – Enhanced Content Drives Decisions

The inclusion of Enhanced Content, such as videos, interactive product tours, and 360 views, yields a 39% lift in conversion rates. Shoppers value dynamic and engaging content that paints a vivid picture of your product in their lives.

Tips and Takeaways

Focus on creating high-quality multimedia assets tailored for holiday campaigns. Syndicating this content across platforms maximizes its reach and impact.

Holiday shopping success isn’t just about having the best deals – it’s about creating a seamless, inspiring, and trustworthy experience that turns browsers into buyers. Ready to elevate your holiday strategy? Click here to download the Unwrapped 2024 Peak Holiday Consumer Preference Report and gain actionable insights to dominate the next sales event!

The post Beyond the Buy Button: Inside the Mind of Holiday Shoppers  appeared first on Syndigo.

We surveyed 1,510 consumers who shopped during the weeklong period leading up to and through Cyber Monday to unwrap what they thought about the product experiences they encountered through a record-breaking peak season. Check out some highlights of the findings and get the complete results in Unwrapped 2024: Product Content Performance In Peak Holiday Periods. 

Content availability holds steady—with room to improve 

78% of peak holiday shoppers strongly or somewhat agreed that they were able to find the information they wanted about products they were considering this year. This figure is roughly flat with what Black Friday/Cyber Monday shoppers shared with us last year, indicating that brands and retailers have maintained a relatively high level of base content availability even as the holiday shopping climax widens and becomes more competitive.  

To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement: When shopping during this year’s Thanksgiving/Black Friday/Cyber Monday week sales event from November 25th – December 2nd…

I was always able to quickly and easily find the product information I needed to feel confident about the products I was interested in.

Tips and takeaways 

Still, more than 1 in 5 shoppers indicated they weren’t able to readily source the content they sought to feel confident about a purchase decision, showing plenty of room for improvement. A content provider with a strong syndication network that appropriately tailors content to each retailer can ensure your products are depicted appropriately everywhere they are sold. 

Love at first sight 

Basic images of products and packaging are looked for much more often during the peak holiday season than the rest of the year. In The State of Product Content 2024, Syndigo found that 39% of shoppers noted ‘basic images of product and packaging’ were likely to influence a purchase decision online. During the peak holiday season, that figure spiked to 49%. For comparison, shoppers reported slightly less interest in basic product data like weight, measurements, and ingredients during the holidays (45%) than the rest of the year (52%). 

Tips and takeaways 

During a fast-paced phase of digital commerce packed with time-sensitive deals, holiday shoppers may be more inclined to shop visually. For brands and retailers that count on a big peak holiday, that makes it particularly important to have the latest, most-up-to-date product images available with multiple angles and perspectives for easy review across devices.  

Ratings and reviews rule 

Ratings and reviews of products were among the top product information sought by gift shoppers, with 45% of surveyed respondents saying it was one of the first things they sought out. 60% of peak holiday shoppers overall said ratings and reviews influenced purchase decisions very much or a little. 

During or near the Thanksgiving/Black Friday/Cyber Monday week sales event from November 25th – December 2nd…How much, if at all, did product recommendations and reviews from other shoppers influence your decision to purchase or not purchase any product?

Tips and takeaways 

Positive ratings and reviews can make all the difference in driving a purchase on both digital and physical shelves. Scoring scales and review systems can vary significantly from site to site, and it’s important to monitor performance across all of them and respond quickly to shopper questions and concerns. Rating and Reviews reporting makes it possible to keep an eye on all your items, act on concerning trends, and improve scores over time. 

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