- goods without specifications is not bought;
- goods with erroneous specifications is a time bomb;
- goods without photos are not bought;
- goods with poor photos generate customer frustration.
Goods specifications are a matrix of properties and values (a template) associated with groups of goods. To create a new item, its group’s template is used and only the item’s specifications are filled in. The specifications can be inherited from another item; then the operator should only change the values of the properties that differ, e.g. WiFi to none.
Such a goods description process will guarantee that the goods’ specifications are sufficient, uniform and formalized. Software can now compare goods and filter them by parameters and their values → a visitor can filter the goods catalogue using any combination of the goods’ properties pertaining to the chosen goods category. The possibility of effective filtering instead of browsing through the catalogue and reading every line makes it easier for the buyer to part with his/her money.
A set of camera angles was chosen for each group of goods, but
Ulmart’s photographers keep using their brains and looking for something special about each goods
item that might hit a visitor. The result is almost a promotional photo.
No algorithms can
formalize this process, but the shooting results processing, photo storage and linking to the goods,
resizing and watermarking are all hands-free and fully automated.
The cameras are equipped with Wi-Fi modules, so a picture taken is instantly uploaded into the process and checked automatically for correctness. A non-acceptable picture will not appear in the ‘shop window’, and the photographer will be told to take another. The results are sufficient photo content quality and prompt photo delivery to the customer.
And the cataloguing unit employs just three persons: a describer, a
photographer, and the latter’s assistant.
NO analysts, formers, definers or
other spongers are needed.
In 2013, Ulmart’s cataloguing unit would issue descriptions for
1500 goods items every day (on averages, sometimes peaking to 2000).
Creating descriptions for
1500 goods items takes 2500 to 5000 studio quality photos, among other thing, plus filling in up to
50,000 specifications.
Every day.
P. S. In addition to the above in-house description making tools, a
mechanism is included for automatic import of descriptions from Yandex.Market, with fine-tuning
settings for source selection on a case-by-case basis.