Can you make your products more visible on Erudus?

So we’ve put together this list of best practices for helping make Erudus work hard for your products...

Populate your product specifications with as much detail as possible

The more attributes completed in a product specification the more likely that product is to show up on Query builder searches when users are using attributes as search terms. For example, “Diet suitability” attributes are non-mandatory - so if someone is looking for a “Vegan/Vegetarian suitable” product and the Manufacturer hasn’t completed the attribute, their product will not show up, even if it actually does fit the criteria. The more attributes a product has attached to it, the more likely it is to be discovered.

Include your whole product range

Having your whole product range in Erudus means Wholesalers can browse an entire range for a supplier, and not just the products they are currently selling in foodservice.

Clear and concise product names

Having a very clear and concise product name that can sum up your product accurately is a good way of making your product stand out in product searches.

Update your Specification Type

Last year we launched a new enhancement to product specifications - the Product Specification Type, which allows Manufacturers to choose from a list of Specification Types when adding a product, and the type they select will then determine what attributes are presented (or not presented) when completing the specification. This is because we’ve added more specific attributes, and we recommend that Manufacturers update their specifications to the new Erudus Specification Types and come off the legacy specification, as Wholesalers are using the new attributes. Find out more about Specification Types here.

Maximise Visibility Reports appearances with GTIN data

Manufacturers can find a Visibility Report in their dashboard that shows them which Wholesalers have linked up to their products, and specifically which products they are. The Wholesalers do this via Range Matching, and the chance of success for a Range Match is determined by whether Wholesalers can provide GTIN data for their products. So, in terms of making your products easy to find and match up to in Erudus, as well as increase the numbers in your Visibility Report, Manufacturers should make sure their specifications have GTINs on them, and that the GTINs are valid and up to date.

HFSS is an industry hot button, with more guidance expected to come in the near future. The Erudus HFSS calculator allows Manufacturers to calculate and share whether their food and drink products are classed as HFSS - something that Caterers and Wholesalers might actively be looking to find out. Read more about the calculator and how it works here.

Proactively close gaps highlighted by your Visibility Report

Manufacturers can use the Visibility Report to assess their current visibility, and if they know they have gaps, can contact their customer to make sure they are linked properly in Erudus. A win for both Manufacturers and Wholesalers.

Visit Knowledge Base

As ever, the new and improved Knowledge Base is your friend when it comes to understanding the Erudus platform and getting the most out of it. The more effectively you are able to utilise Erudus, the harder it will work for you - and Knowledge Base is full of handy how-to’s and articles that will aid you in doing just that. Here are some that might help with product visibility:

• Visibility Reporting
• Updating Legacy Specs
• HFSS Calculator
• Updating a Product (to complete more attributes)

Watch this space

Erudus are always working away on new tools, features and enhancements to help our users, and we currently have some potential irons in the fire that will allow additional information about products that could make them more desirable to those Caterers serving public sector contracts. So keep an eye out!