If their sales are slow, a lot of Shopify merchants jump to the conclusion that the problem must be marketing-related. Perhaps they need to tweak their ad copy, or maybe their social media campaigns aren’t hitting the right target. However, what we find, time and time again, is that the real problem isn’t actually marketing at all – it’s the quality of information. In other words, it’s a product data issue.
Every single customer touchpoint is underpinned by product data. From the moment a shopper lands on your site to their click at checkout, it’s the accuracy, consistency, and completeness of your product information which build trust, reduce friction during the customer journey, and in the best of all worlds, close sales.
So, when that data quality falls short, customers start to hesitate. They aren’t finding what they need, they aren’t getting their questions answered, and they begin to doubt whether you’re a credible merchant. What happens next? Abandoned baskets, negative reviews, and not only a lost revenue opportunity but the loss of a customer.
That’s why we’ve identified three important signs that your Shopify store could be losing sales because you’re using bad product data. Naturally, we also provide suggested ways to address these bugbears before they cost your business even more.
1. Customers keep asking the same questions
Imagine, your support inbox is filled with messages such as:
- “Does this come in my size?”
- “Is this machine washable?”
- “What is this made of?”
Those are a sure sign your product data isn’t up to the tasks required of it.
A well-structured product page should anticipate and answer these questions upfront. But far too frequently, merchants end up uploading supplier spreadsheets directly into Shopify, leaving gaps in even baseline information. As customers, we are not happy about having to email or live chat just to get the most basic information about attributes, compatibility, or usage.
The cost of missing details
Every unnecessary question adds friction to the buying process. Some customers will wait for a reply, but you can bet your bottom dollar that many won’t. They’ll simply move on to a competitor who has clearer and more complete product data.
The fix?
Get your product data enrichment workflows into shape. Centralise your product attributes and be sure to define mandatory fields for every SKU: dimensions, materials, colours, usage instructions, warranty terms, delivery times. A modern PIM system, or data sourcing and onboarding tools like SKU Launch, will enforce the rules you establish so that you can guarantee no product goes live without those deal-making details which customers need.
2. Shoppers can’t filter products properly
A major strength of ecommerce is the customer’s ability to browse and filter. As customers, we all expect to narrow our search to “size 10 navy trainers” or “4m extension cable with USB-C”. If a product’s attributes are incomplete, inconsistent, or unstructured, then your filters simply won’t work.
The red flags
- Filter options that don’t appear at all (because the SKU’s attributes are missing).
- Customers having to endlessly scroll through irrelevant products.
- Filters which return “0 results” despite the fact that the item exists.
It’s not just an inconvenience. When shoppers cannot filter results effectively, they assume the product isn’t available and give up looking. Face it, poor attribute management is one of the quickest ways to lose sales and send site visitors to competitors.
The fix?
Standardisation. You need to implement a controlled list of values for attributes (for instance, “XL” vs “Extra Large”) as well as using consistent units (for measurements, always centimetres, never a mix of cm/inches or even mm/cm). Another essential step is to optimise your product taxonomy by structuring product categories and subcategories in a logical and, for the customer, intuitive way.
Once these foundation blocks are in place, Shopify filters will work seamlessly, and customers will actually be able to find exactly what they’re looking for.
3. Inconsistent content creates distrust
Trust is a fragile asset in digital commerce. Nowadays, customer are suspicious creatures – they are wary of scams, misrepresented products, and the risk of purchasing something of poor quality. All in all, it’s why consistency of information matters.
Let’s say the same product has three different titles across your Shopify store, Instagram listings, and Amazon feed. Or even worse, conflicting images are displayed. The typical omnichannel customer will pick up on those inconsistencies very quickly. And when customers notice, they think twice about a purchase. At best.
The risks
- A shopper sees one price on Instagram, another on Shopify. They walk away.
- A B2B buyer downloads a PDF product sheet with different specs than the website. They question your professionalism.
- A return is triggered because the image didn’t match the variant the customer received.
Inconsistent data send a disturbing signal: ‘We don’t have control over our catalogue.’ And if you don’t have control, why should a customer weighing up a decision decide to trust you with their money?
The fix?
The solution lies in the processes of centralisation and syndication. A Product Information Management (PIM) system functions as your “single source of truth,” feeding consistent product data and digital assets (multi-media, PDFs, high-quality images, and so on) to all of your channels. Once you’ve cleaned and enriched your product data centrally, everyone – be it Shopify, Amazon, retail partners, or marketing teams – can draw from the same trustworthy source. That means no more copy-paste errors or version mismatches across channels.
What are the hidden costs of bad product data?
The three signs above are what customers see, but under the bonnet, poor product data also drives up your operational costs. Duplicate SKUs cause confusion about the definitive version, while incomplete descriptions mean extra work for customer service staff. Furthermore, delayed information updates slow down product launches, allowing competitors to get first bite of the cherry.
A large body of industry research indicates that poor-quality product data can reduce revenue by up to 25% and increase operating costs by 30%. For growing Shopify merchants those are sobering statistics, because these percentages translate into real money and real lost growth potential.
How to get ahead of the problem
Remedying bad product data isn’t exactly glamorous, but it’s certainly transformative when it comes to business performance. Those who invest resources in data hygiene, enrichment, and standardisation will reap tangible benefits:
- Higher conversion rates (because customers trust what they see).
- Lower return rates (because products are described accurately).
- Faster time-to-market (because attributes and images are complete at launch).
- Better SEO performance (because titles, descriptions, and alt text are all complete and correct).
Managing product data shouldn’t be an afterthought. It needs treating as a strategic asset, which involves assigning ownership, putting data governance rules in place, and using the most effective tools – be it Shopify bulk editors for smaller catalogues or a full PIM solution for larger, multichannel businesses.
Let’s deal with the data gaps that are holding back your sales
Your customers want to find your products quickly, trust the information they see, and feel confident when they click ‘buy.’ That only happens when your product data is clean, enriched, and easy to manage at scale. We can help you get there.
Contact us today and let’s put your product data to work for your sales.