GS1 Connect 2019: View from Afar
Read Time: 3 minutesThe GS1 Connect conference provided an intensive week of learning and discussion around product content standards.
Now, after everyone has departed the Gaylord Rockies for home, here are a few reflections from the 2019 GS1 Connect Conference.
1. Data is becoming more plentiful, more complex, and more necessary.
The conference featured more than 1,200 attendees and literally hundreds of educational sessions, plus industry speakers from companies as diverse as foodservice, healthcare, grocery and trucking. The types of information needed to manage businesses, from supply chain, through virtual eCommerce shelf, has only grown more important for businesses to run efficiently. The exhibit hall was lively, and the Syndigo team was busy answering many questions on our Content Experience Hub and how we have integrated our solution sets with a single platform. Which brings us to reflection #2 from the conference…
2. Integration continues to be a pain point.
This issue was obvious from the many suppliers and recipients we talked with. The fact is, that in many organizations the different departments needing product content are disparate and not always well-connected. Whether eCommerce, in store, Master Data or Operations, the uses for data are different even as they refer to the same product or item attributes. Syndigo’s entire purpose and vision is to help integrate data within an organization for consistency and efficiency, while also sharing with partners and agencies for the same efficiency.
3. Our clients are engaged and excited about the future.
The Syndigo User Group offered an opportunity to share our vision and provide a place for our clients to share their success stories with others, to highlight how their organizations are able to help simplify the complex data processes and be better integrated with the right combination of solutions. It was also a great chance to hear the suggestions we can make for continued improvement.
4. The robots are here.
If you were looking for presentations including AI, machine learning, automation, or other kinds of -bots, GS1 Connect was the place to be. Even Syndigo’s own resident taxonomy experts shared an engaging presentation on how to include a healthy mix of machine power with human expertise to deliver more insightful analysis of content to make product content more effective with consumers and more efficient internally.
As far as conferences go, the GS1 Connect team provided a great opportunity for the Syndigo team and our clients to gather, learn, and then apply our learnings in the months ahead.
Finally we would especially like to thank our client colleagues:
Boston Beer Company and Lipari, Delta Faucet, General Mills, HD Supply, Lipari, Roppe Holding Company, and Wayne Farms
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