Accessibility Tools

Skip to main content
Image of a watch

NEW MEMBER BENEFIT

The RIA Product Data Collaborative

If time is money, how much are you losing managing brand product data?

The RIA Product Data Collaborative is the first-ever, centralized tool for accessing and managing brand product data. It empowers you to save time and money with seamless data sharing across the entire run specialty channel - including brands, retailers and business partners.

Securing and managing brand product data (UPC codes, product descriptions, product images, etc) can feel like utter chaos. It is an incredible drain on precious staff resources, and is often fraught with human errors.

The RIA has a Solution

We’ve created a universal access, easy-to-use platform with accurate product data - the RIA Product Data Collaborative (PDC). This database ensures seamless product data management for the entire run specialty channel - including brands, retailers and business partners.
Logo for the RIA Product Data Collaborative
"One of the most exciting developments I've seen recently is the RIA's Product Data Collaborative (PDC), which aims to centralize and standardize product data on neutral ground in a way that's accessible to all industry participants. While it'll be a big effort, it will provide standards and automation at scale that will save retailers tens of thousands of dollars per year and provide the rails for innovators like Run Free Project and our peers to transform the industry with cool new stuff never thought possible."

How it Works

In a nutshell, the PDC removes the burden of gathering, formatting, and managing brand product data by providing a centralized storehouse that gives retailers exactly what they need with a few clicks and drag-and-drops.
  • The platform enables brands to easily input seasonal product data.
  • It uses artificial intelligence protocols to standardize the data.
  • Retailers easily create product assortments for uploads to POS providers, e-commerce and digital marketing solutions.

It includes hard and soft data like model number, SKU, UPC/EAN, color (description and code), size, width, wholesale cost, retail price, MAP, and images.

Simply put, the PDC promotes the ‘ease of doing business’.

  • Image of Brands Input Seasonal Product Data
  • Image of various products
  • Image of products and brand logos

Let's Dive In!

Please preregister below to receive timely information as we approach the PDC launch date, including invitations to training modules and online FAQ discussions.

Preregister for PDC

Powered by Contentserv

RIA chose to partner with Contentserv, a recognized technology leader serving over 300 businesses in 89 countries, to develop the PDC. They have a proven track record as expert software developers who simplify and automate product content management for brands and specialty retailers across the globe. They know data management can waste time and create inconsistencies that hurt the customer experience. Their solutions enable businesses to spend less time fighting fragmented data and more time delivering rich, relevant and emotional product experiences that enhance their brand and ultimately delight customers.

Image of Contentserv logo

The PDC Goal

The ultimate goal is to save time and money for retailers, brands, and associate members. For retailers, this means dramatically reducing the resources currently required to collect and manually format data from brands. For brands, it increases data quality and efficiency while minimizing data inquiries from retailers. Associates also benefit from increased data quality and save time with instant uploads.

Why the RIA?

It is neither a digital product catalog nor a competitor for any online tools provided by brands or third-party platforms. Instead, it is quite simply a ‘single source of truth’: a repository for secure clean, standardized brand data, available to all. In this fashion, the PDC acts to support brand and third-party tools and services.

What the PDC is Not

As a neutral entity within the run specialty channel, the RIA is uniquely suited to provide a centralized storehouse for brand product data - creating easy access for all existing platforms or tools that require product data and avoiding potential productization of data.

Key FAQ's

What types of data will be available?
Both hard and soft data, including model, SKU, UPC/EAN, color, (description and code), size, width, wholesale cost, retail price, MAP, and images
Can I control if I get push notifications or not?
The PDC wil have notifications as part of the dashboard once logged in. The goal is to also have the ability for users to recieve email notifications if desired.
Can you set permissions so different team members have different access?
The PDC will not include different levels of access for different x, but rather a single login for each retailers. The expectation is that every user will have access to all data that brands have authorized them to see.
What training is available?
The RIA will provide access to the platform and training through ‘How-To’ videos, user guides, and on-demand training.
How do I sign up for the PDC?
Through the RIA website. A landing page within the RIA member portal is being set up that will process sign-ups.
What does it cost to use the PDC?
It is free to be a PDC user through the end of 2023. Subscription access is scheduled to begin Q1, 2024. Pricing is TBD, but the goal is to keep the rate as low as possible. The PDC is a member benefit, not a revenue driver.
How does the PDC standardize the data?

All product attributes (ie, size, color code, style number, price, cost, etc) are built into the database. During the import process the columns in the import file are mapped to their corresponding attribute fields in the database.

Development Timeline

Have questions or feedbackabout the development process? Shoot us an email.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

  • Project Planning

    January-June

    Research, developer engagement 

  • Concept & Design

    July-August

    Building the data structure, designing user interface, customization of key features

  • Data Upload

    September

    Brand data uploads into the platform

  • Training & Testing

    Mid October

    User training, feedback, adjustments

  • Launch

    Early November

    Go LIVE!

Have questions or feedbackabout the development process? Shoot us an email.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.