VANTAGE POINT -- Picturing a New Image
To date, the management and exchange of images for retailers has been a source of frustration. The trade of images between suppliers and retailers tends to be ad hoc, with little or no descriptive information about the image being transmitted with the file.
Consequently, retailers often incur large costs to re-shoot product photographs that are essentially the same as photos commissioned by suppliers; photos that the retailers already have, but which have been lost in the morass on a hard drive.
There is a better way.
Using a Supply Chain Community Master Data Management approach, electronic data synchronization already allows suppliers to record product information once and make it immediately available to all of their distributors and retailers. The logical next step is to include product images in the data synchronization service. That way, all product information, including images, will be easily accessible to anyone who needs it.
Image Issues
Despite being stored digitally, as is the case for most other corporate data, images aren't like other data. Creating, storing, sharing and retrieving images introduces challenges that don't exist for the highly structured names, words, codes and numbers that are typical of other business data. Some challenges include:
> Accessibility
Trying to find the needle in the image haystack can consume hours of valuable time. What's more, the search is fallible. Searchers often don't find what they are looking for even when it is, in fact, there.
> Format Variation
Electronic images come in a variety of file types. Not all of these are supported in all companies, which significantly complicates the exchange of images between supply chain partners.
> Style and Angle Variation
Suppliers and retailers often need multiple images for each product. For example, some products have to be seen from a number of perspectives to be appreciated. And, in the case of clothing and upholstered furniture, there might also be color swatch images and detail shots showing fabric texture. Linking these image variations to each product and finding the right one when needed can be a challenge.
> Version Variation
As suppliers update the look of their products, they issue new photography. With multiple versions on file, the chance that human error will lead to an out-of-date image being used is high.
> Lack of Metadata
One of the reasons why it is so difficult to sort through image files and select the right one is that raw images do not include any metadata that describes the attributes of the image and the depicted product
> Cost
Image creation is expensive and often retailers and their suppliers lose track of what pictures they have. Even if they know they have a needed photo, in the absence of a searchable image library, the human resource cost required to search for the image might be greater than the cost of re-shooting the photo.
Solution Requirements
So, what would an ideal product image storage and exchange solution look like?
> A Single Point of Storage
The logical place to store product images is in existing electronic data synchronization service. This would automatically attach images to the related product. When an employee needs a picture of a particular product, they would be able to simply access the data synchronization service, locate the product and download the associated image.
> Multiple Image Support
If one image is good, four -- say, left, right, top and bottom perspectives -- or more is better. Thus, the data synchronization service needs to be able to associate multiple images with a single product.
> Metadata
By storing images in an electronic data synchronization database, product metadata will automatically be attached to product images. A department store graphic designer creating a flyer for a home furnishings sale will be able to, for example, use that metadata to search for all images of leather chairs. In addition to product metadata, the data synchronization service also needs to store image metadata -- information about the attributes of the image itself. It might be easy to identify colors visually, but the other traits -- image resolution and, in particular, publication rights -- are not. A better approach would be to include comprehensive image metadata in the data synchronization database so that searches return only the images that meet the users' requirements down to the most granular level.
> Web Services
Because a number of suppliers and retailers will need to connect to the data synchronization service simultaneously, it should use an industry standard connection technology. Web services are emerging as that widespread standard. However, not all companies support Web services, so other protocols should also be supported.
> Ease of Use
For the most part, the people who work with images are very comfortable with desktop computers -- be that PCs or Macs -- but they are typically not hard-core "techies." Consequently, an image exchange solution must provide a simple interface that looks and feels much like the applications that image creators and users already employ. The ability to simply drag-and-drop images between other applications (or folders) and the image exchange solution, rather than having to hunt for an image in file system directory lists, would vastly improve the productivity of the solution.
Solution Benefits
An image exchange solution, such as the one sketched out above, will deliver a number of benefits. The most important can be categorized in three areas: cost savings, quality improvements and revenue opportunities.
> Cost Savings
As noted already, managing images is expensive. With an image exchange solution, the costs of creating, storing, searching for, and replacing images are greatly reduced.
> Quality Improvements
Even with modern bar-coding and RFID tags, mistakes are occasionally made by pickers, packers, shippers and receivers. The cost to ship back wrong products, ship out the right ones and, probably worse, leave store shelves empty while all of this happens, can be tremendous. Many of these mistakes can be eliminated if everyone in the supply chain can consult a picture of the product they need to pick, pack, ship or receive while they are doing their jobs. And with gasoline prices creeping higher every passing minute, reducing or eliminating unnecessary reverse logistics and transportation will help manufacturers battle against shrinking profit margins due to errors.
> Revenue Opportunities
Pictures sell. But many retailers have to curtail their use of them due to the high cost of images. By significantly reducing this expense, an efficient and effective image storage and exchange solution can make the use of pictures cost-effective in more situations, thereby increasing sales.
Creating, storing managing and exchanging images is a significant expense for many companies. Fortunately, technology and the marketplace offer a solution. Third-party product data synchronization services, which eliminate the complexity by serving as a central product information hub for the whole supply chain, can be enhanced to store images. An effective image solution will make image storage, exchange and retrieval much more affordable and significantly easier.
So, are pictures really are worth a thousand words? One can debate. But, one thing is for certain, images add value to any business' bottom line.
__________________________________________________________________
As Chief Technology Officer for Inovis, Erik Huddleston drives the vision for Inovis products and technology and evangelizing the value of the Inovis offerings to the market. Erik has a strong track record of visionary technology leadership in supply chain, CRM and multi-enterprise collaboration. Erik came to Inovis from the acquisition of BetweenMarkets, the provider of partner performance management applications, where he served as Founder and CTO. While at BetweenMarkets, Erik drove an agile product and development organization and helped dozens of the worlds leading organizations solve the Business Community Management challenges. Prior to founding BetweenMarkets in 2000, Erik architected consumer and retail analytics products at two enterprise software startups: eCustomers, a retail merchandising software provider; and SMART Technologies, a supply chain software provider acquired by i2 Technologies. For information, contact [email protected].
Consequently, retailers often incur large costs to re-shoot product photographs that are essentially the same as photos commissioned by suppliers; photos that the retailers already have, but which have been lost in the morass on a hard drive.
There is a better way.
Using a Supply Chain Community Master Data Management approach, electronic data synchronization already allows suppliers to record product information once and make it immediately available to all of their distributors and retailers. The logical next step is to include product images in the data synchronization service. That way, all product information, including images, will be easily accessible to anyone who needs it.
Image Issues
Despite being stored digitally, as is the case for most other corporate data, images aren't like other data. Creating, storing, sharing and retrieving images introduces challenges that don't exist for the highly structured names, words, codes and numbers that are typical of other business data. Some challenges include:
> Accessibility
Trying to find the needle in the image haystack can consume hours of valuable time. What's more, the search is fallible. Searchers often don't find what they are looking for even when it is, in fact, there.
> Format Variation
Electronic images come in a variety of file types. Not all of these are supported in all companies, which significantly complicates the exchange of images between supply chain partners.
> Style and Angle Variation
Suppliers and retailers often need multiple images for each product. For example, some products have to be seen from a number of perspectives to be appreciated. And, in the case of clothing and upholstered furniture, there might also be color swatch images and detail shots showing fabric texture. Linking these image variations to each product and finding the right one when needed can be a challenge.
> Version Variation
As suppliers update the look of their products, they issue new photography. With multiple versions on file, the chance that human error will lead to an out-of-date image being used is high.
> Lack of Metadata
One of the reasons why it is so difficult to sort through image files and select the right one is that raw images do not include any metadata that describes the attributes of the image and the depicted product
> Cost
Image creation is expensive and often retailers and their suppliers lose track of what pictures they have. Even if they know they have a needed photo, in the absence of a searchable image library, the human resource cost required to search for the image might be greater than the cost of re-shooting the photo.
Solution Requirements
So, what would an ideal product image storage and exchange solution look like?
> A Single Point of Storage
The logical place to store product images is in existing electronic data synchronization service. This would automatically attach images to the related product. When an employee needs a picture of a particular product, they would be able to simply access the data synchronization service, locate the product and download the associated image.
> Multiple Image Support
If one image is good, four -- say, left, right, top and bottom perspectives -- or more is better. Thus, the data synchronization service needs to be able to associate multiple images with a single product.
> Metadata
By storing images in an electronic data synchronization database, product metadata will automatically be attached to product images. A department store graphic designer creating a flyer for a home furnishings sale will be able to, for example, use that metadata to search for all images of leather chairs. In addition to product metadata, the data synchronization service also needs to store image metadata -- information about the attributes of the image itself. It might be easy to identify colors visually, but the other traits -- image resolution and, in particular, publication rights -- are not. A better approach would be to include comprehensive image metadata in the data synchronization database so that searches return only the images that meet the users' requirements down to the most granular level.
> Web Services
Because a number of suppliers and retailers will need to connect to the data synchronization service simultaneously, it should use an industry standard connection technology. Web services are emerging as that widespread standard. However, not all companies support Web services, so other protocols should also be supported.
> Ease of Use
For the most part, the people who work with images are very comfortable with desktop computers -- be that PCs or Macs -- but they are typically not hard-core "techies." Consequently, an image exchange solution must provide a simple interface that looks and feels much like the applications that image creators and users already employ. The ability to simply drag-and-drop images between other applications (or folders) and the image exchange solution, rather than having to hunt for an image in file system directory lists, would vastly improve the productivity of the solution.
Solution Benefits
An image exchange solution, such as the one sketched out above, will deliver a number of benefits. The most important can be categorized in three areas: cost savings, quality improvements and revenue opportunities.
> Cost Savings
As noted already, managing images is expensive. With an image exchange solution, the costs of creating, storing, searching for, and replacing images are greatly reduced.
> Quality Improvements
Even with modern bar-coding and RFID tags, mistakes are occasionally made by pickers, packers, shippers and receivers. The cost to ship back wrong products, ship out the right ones and, probably worse, leave store shelves empty while all of this happens, can be tremendous. Many of these mistakes can be eliminated if everyone in the supply chain can consult a picture of the product they need to pick, pack, ship or receive while they are doing their jobs. And with gasoline prices creeping higher every passing minute, reducing or eliminating unnecessary reverse logistics and transportation will help manufacturers battle against shrinking profit margins due to errors.
> Revenue Opportunities
Pictures sell. But many retailers have to curtail their use of them due to the high cost of images. By significantly reducing this expense, an efficient and effective image storage and exchange solution can make the use of pictures cost-effective in more situations, thereby increasing sales.
Creating, storing managing and exchanging images is a significant expense for many companies. Fortunately, technology and the marketplace offer a solution. Third-party product data synchronization services, which eliminate the complexity by serving as a central product information hub for the whole supply chain, can be enhanced to store images. An effective image solution will make image storage, exchange and retrieval much more affordable and significantly easier.
So, are pictures really are worth a thousand words? One can debate. But, one thing is for certain, images add value to any business' bottom line.
__________________________________________________________________
As Chief Technology Officer for Inovis, Erik Huddleston drives the vision for Inovis products and technology and evangelizing the value of the Inovis offerings to the market. Erik has a strong track record of visionary technology leadership in supply chain, CRM and multi-enterprise collaboration. Erik came to Inovis from the acquisition of BetweenMarkets, the provider of partner performance management applications, where he served as Founder and CTO. While at BetweenMarkets, Erik drove an agile product and development organization and helped dozens of the worlds leading organizations solve the Business Community Management challenges. Prior to founding BetweenMarkets in 2000, Erik architected consumer and retail analytics products at two enterprise software startups: eCustomers, a retail merchandising software provider; and SMART Technologies, a supply chain software provider acquired by i2 Technologies. For information, contact [email protected].