What was actually wrong
Forterra needed an ecommerce platform that could carry trade account ordering, repeat purchase patterns and operational reporting expected by a Builders & trade business.
Product data ownership, attribute structure and channel-specific feed rules were likely sources of operational friction, with brand, editorial and trading teams reconciling the same product record for each retailer.
Trade buyers and account customers needed account-based pricing, repeat ordering and visibility of their own purchase history without friction.
Product information was spread across teams and systems, making catalogue management harder to control and product content harder to reuse with confidence.
Enrichment work needed a clearer workflow, with ownership defined for the people preparing, checking and maintaining product information.
Attributes, product models and category structure needed common rules so the catalogue could stay consistent as products and channels changed.
What was at stake
When account-based pricing, repeat ordering and purchase-history visibility slip, trade and account customers lose confidence in the site and push work back onto sales and support.
Most relevant to Builders & trade teams running B2B operations and weighing similar platform decisions.
Poor product data makes teams work around the catalogue instead of improving it. Product onboarding slows down, enrichment becomes repeated manual effort and ownership stays unclear.
That creates catalogue drift and inconsistent product presentation. It also weakens confidence in the information each channel receives.
The longer those gaps remain, the harder it becomes to reuse product data across channels without another round of checking, correction and content rework.
Four things, in order.
- 01Audited the product data shape before changing workflowsMapped the existing product information, catalogue structure and maintenance work so the team could see where inconsistency and repeated effort entered the process.
- 02Defined ownership around product information and enrichmentSet clearer responsibility for creating, enriching, checking and maintaining product information across the teams involved.
- 03Structured attributes, categories and content rulesOrganised product models, attributes and category rules so the catalogue could stay consistent as the range and channel requirements changed.
- 04Put governance in place so the data could keep improvingEstablished maintainable rules for enrichment, content consistency and ongoing data quality instead of treating catalogue preparation as a one-off task.
Platforms and integrations
Difficult parts
Results
In the client's words
iWeb's proactive communication, flexibility in adapting to new challenges, and dedication to delivering exceptional results have fostered a collaborative environment that has been crucial to our project's success. It's rare to find a partner who genuinely invests in understanding your business objectives and leverages their expertise to not just meet but exceed those goals.”
Ongoing support
The product data foundation moved into ongoing maintenance and improvement.
Support kept data ownership, enrichment workflows, catalogue structure and channel readiness visible as the product range changed.
That continuity gave teams a clearer basis for resolving data issues and improving product information without claiming an unverified outcome.
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