Product Catalog Management for an eCommerce Lighting Store

99%

data accuracy across all listings

30%

lesser product returns

25%

enhanced conversions

40%

faster time-to-market

Service

Product Listing Services
Product Photo Editing
Data Enrichment Services

Platform

NetSuite

The Client

An Established Retailer for Luxury Lighting & Designer Home Accents

Our client is a renowned US-based eCommerce retailer specializing in premium architectural chandeliers, smart home lighting appliances, industrial-grade outdoor fixtures, and contemporary home decor pieces. With an extensive inventory sourced from over 120 renowned manufacturers worldwide, they serve both B2B distributors and discerning retail customers seeking distinctive lighting solutions and statement pieces for residential and commercial spaces.

Project Requirements

Comprehensive Catalog Data Management & Product Photo Editing

The client initially engaged our services in 2008 for basic image editing tasks. Impressed by our attention to detail and turnaround efficiency, they progressively expanded the scope to end-to-end product data management. The key requirements included:

Visual Assets Optimization

Background removal or manipulation: Removing distracting backgrounds and replacing them with uniform white backdrops or contextual lifestyle settings
Color correction and retouching: Adjusting lighting, saturation, and color balance to ensure accurate product representation across all images
Bulk image processing: Resizing and cropping bulk product images as per the listing requirements, and optimizing for mobile devices
Multi-angle image creation: Creating images to showcase a product from multiple angles (thumbnail, zoom, and gallery views)

Product Listing Creation and Variation Management

Bulk product upload: Accurately collecting product details (technical specifications and attributes) from Excel files, and managing bulk upload on the client’s website.
OpenBox listing creation: Creating fresh listings (and updating data for existing product pages) with open-box status, packaged content, and updated prices.
Attribute mapping: Extracting and organizing product specifications from manufacturer documentation into 90+ standardized data fields.
Product data classification: Categorizing products across multiple taxonomy structures for improved site navigation.
Variant creation and management: Establishing parent-child relationships for product variations (finishes, sizes, configurations).

Project Challenges

Managing Product Data Across 120+ Brands While Maintaining Accuracy and Speed

The client had a huge catalog with over 5,0000 SKUs to process and manage while maintaining over 98% data accuracy. Some of the key challenges that make data processing complex for our team include:

Inconsistent Data Formats

The client sourced products from over 120 brands, each providing data in varying formats. These inconsistencies extended to dimensions, attributes, data fields, and units of measurement. To accurately bulk upload product data on the client’s website, we first had to standardize the disparate data into a uniform format, map it across 90+ fields to ensure complete accuracy, and categorize products according to the client’s existing taxonomy. This process was not only time-intensive but also required subject-matter expertise to ensure zero (or near-zero) listing errors.

Multiple Variable Options for Every SKU

A single lighting fixture often came in multiple finish options (brushed nickel, oil-rubbed bronze, matte black, etc.), size configurations, and smart/standard versions—creating dozens of SKU variations from a single base design. Our team had to accurately link these variations while maintaining distinct product identities across the catalog, ensuring each SKU was correctly represented and easily searchable for customers.

Need for Manual Data Validation

The specs sheets shared by various manufacturers and vendors had data discrepancies and missing details. This necessitated manual data verification, research, and enrichment to ensure accuracy and completeness before uploading the data to the client’s website.

Precise Image Scaling from Side Angle Photos

The client only had side-angle images of the products, requiring us to create high-resolution front-angle images from them using precise scaling. This process demanded careful precision, as we had to balance quality with speed, delivering multiple product images within a short timeframe to meet client expectations.

Platform Understanding and Adaptation

The client was using NetSuite to manage extensive product data and visual assets. To ensure efficient, seamless product data management, our team had to thoroughly understand the tool and its complex functionalities.

Our Solution

Deploying a Hybrid Workflow: Combining AI Automation with Subject-Matter Expert Validation for Efficient and Precise Product Catalog Management

We delegated a team of 25 product data specialists (including photo editing experts, web scraping specialists, and QA experts) who were trained specifically on the client’s product line, taxonomy, and NetSuite’s functionality. Our catalog management services included:

Product Data Standardization and Enrichment Services

To handle inconsistent and incomplete data, we created a scalable, structured workflow by leveraging automation and manual oversight. Our approach included:

Data Scraping From Multiple Sources: Utilized Excel-based macros and scripts to automatically extract product details from different sources, such as PDFs, supplier Excel files, and databases, reducing manual efforts and time.
Data Standardization and Attribute Mapping: We standardized disparate measurement units (e.g., converting all dimensions to inches) and terminology across the catalog to align with the client's internal taxonomy. Our team carefully mapped raw data into 90+ specific data fields with accurate naming conventions.
Product Data Enrichment and Validation: Our team collected missing product details from authoritative sources and manufacturers’ websites to fill in gaps. Before uploading this data to the client’s website, we cross-validated it using our two-level quality checks.

Product Upload Services

We streamlined product listing creation (for 1,500+ SKUs) and variant management across the catalog for improved product discoverability and conversions. Our listing experts handled:

Parent-Child Relationship Mapping: We grouped related SKUs (e.g., a pendant light available in Brushed Nickel, Oil-Rubbed Bronze, and Matte Black) under a single "Parent" product page. This allowed customers to toggle between finishes and sizes without leaving the page.
Master Data Creation: We built a master sheet with all finish options (brushed nickel, oil-rubbed bronze, polished chrome, matte black), size configurations (small, medium, large, custom), technology types (LED, incandescent, smart-enabled), and mounting options for each base product model, ensuring no variations were missed during bulk product upload.
Product Listing Creation: Our team bulk uploaded 70 product entries per day to enable seamless catalog expansion. Simultaneously, we created OpenBox listings by updating and uploading revised data to the client’s website (including details on the product’s condition, pricing, package content, and open-box status).

Product Photo Editing Services

We deployed a team of 7 product image editing experts to work on the client’s complex visual asset creation requirements. These experts handled:

Front-angle Image Creation: Using advanced photo editing software, our experts digitally transformed side-angle product images into accurate front-facing views. Our team carefully adjusted angles, maintained proper proportions, and preserved design details, ensuring the final images accurately reflect product dimensions and aesthetic features.
Background Removal & Image Resizing: Meticulously removed cluttered background from product images to add a pure white backdrop for main images. We bulk-resized product images to the recommended aspect ratio and optimized them for different devices.
Lifestyle Image Creation: We crafted contextual lifestyle images, placing products in realistic home and commercial settings—highlighting scale, ambiance, and usage scenarios to boost buyer comprehension and conversions.
Product Image Retouching: We fixed lighting, color, and other inconsistencies in product images with advanced retouching techniques. Our photo editing experts also added reflections in product images to elevate overall visual appeal.

Project Outcomes

The project started in 2008, but after witnessing our work quality and consistent results, the client signed a long-term contract with us. We are now their dedicated eCommerce data management partner, handling end-to-end data processing and listing management. Some of the remarkable outcomes the client achieved with our collaboration are:

40% faster time-to-market with scalable and structured workflows

30% decrease in product return rate with accurate, complete, and validated item details

99% data accuracy maintained across the catalog with multi-tier quality checks

25% increase in conversions with optimized listings and accurate variation mapping

Catalog Management and Image Retouching Services for an eCommerce Lighting Store: 5,000 SKUs Processed, 40% Faster Time-to-Market, and 25% More Conversions