Back almost 30 years ago when the original 20 distributors and 20 manufacturers came together to form IDEA, the goal was to reduce operating costs, which was defined as reducing errors in data when it was communicated between the two parties. The intent was “reduce errors, less costly, quicker response on supply chain issues.

This is why the IDW (Industry Data Warehouse, now called IDEA Connector) was developed. The original product data that was available had data fields that were supported by ERP systems and were needed to support purchasing transactions.

The goal of the same product data used by both channel partners would help reduce costs and, theoretically, improve profitability.

Product Data is More Valuable

Product data has since then become much more valuable.

The internet grew in value. Non-distribution competition launched websites and developed their own data or solicited it from manufacturers. Distributors needed to compete and sought product data for their websites. While some did, and still do, send it directly, IDEA launched tools to provide distributors with enhanced product content that had more data fields that could be used for websites.

This was the first time that product data was used to provide information directly to customers and had the potential to drive / support sales.

IDEA was then providing product content that served two business objectives … improve profitability by lowering supply chain costs AND facilitate sales.

IDEA and Product Data Today

Nowadays, the roles of product data have evolved, and more importantly, have expanded.

• It’s still used to support transactions and communication between distributors and manufacturers as well as populate ERP systems, but
• It is now used in data analysis to inform internally as well as support sales organizations.
• It is communicated to customers to populate their estimating and purchasing systems

And now, given the emergence of AI, it is being used to populate systems throughout the electrical industry ecosystem such as:

• Being information to support GEO and AEO while continuing to support SEO
• 3^rd party AI-powered systems for contractor estimating systems, project management tools, cross-reference tools and more are using product data … oftentimes “scrapping” manufacturer sites or requesting data from manufacturers.
• Distributors who are using 3^rd party AI-powered rely on quality product data to support their internal order quotation, order entry, inventory management / forecasting, pricing, warehousing, and other systems.

Essentially, product data becomes the blood flowing through the electrical ecosystem’s network to support a healthy industry. If there become “hiccups”, systems flounder and perform sub-optimally. (I know, it is very macabre.)

So, product data is more important than ever to supporting today, and perhaps more importantly, tomorrow’s channel. This is also why the upcoming IDEA eBiz conference is important to electrical distributors and manufacturers.

Key elements of this year’s eBiz

This year’s eBiz is, in my opinion, a transitional year. The conference goes from an “IDEA sales conference” where they promote their products to a thought leadership conference to help distributors use product information to differentiate themselves, grow top line and bottom line, and prepare for the future.

AI Thought Leadership

• There is a session on AI from an ex-Deloitte leader who is going to share ideas on developing pilots and generating an AI flywheel within the business … and this “adoption” aspect is hindering many companies.
• A discussion on how product data, deployed by manufacturers and distributors, can affect GEO, AEO and Agentic Commerce while being deployed through customer 3^rd party AI applications such as estimating tools, project management tools, cross-references and more to help drive sales. A leading distributor and manufacturer will share what they are looking at
• Agentic AI … from product management to communication to commerce

Sales Builder

• IDEA launched a service that can be drive revenues AND/OR be a product knowledge database to support staffs.
  • Data Whispers enables salespeople to gain insight insights about an account to help them uncover opportunities. This goes much further than your BI tools as it interprets the information and shares suggestions.
  • Within the Data Whispers offering lies Nudge which, could also be deployed separately to help train your people on electrical products, their applications and much more. You expect your team to have a level of industry knowledge. Nudge gives them the depth and insights to carry the conversation further. Think if it as an “expert in a box” that, over time, can also be customized with deeper insights from your team, exclusively for your company. Nudge can be deployed to outside sales, inside sales, counter personnel and even in the warehouse!

Profit Builder

• Sessions digging deeper into IDEA’s ProjectNexus which is designed to provide greater information, and transparency, on project shipping.
• Sessions on optimizing the IDEA Connector for both distributors and manufacturers … something most distributors and manufacturers need.

And yes, there will be

• Networking
• Essentially an IDEA users conference but this is only a breakout session track
• About a dozen sponsors that have solutions for distributors and manufacturers.

The conference is September 29-October 1 in Denver. Over 50 leading companies have already registered.

If digitalization, AI, product data is important to your company, at least one person, possibly two (someone who manages / “uses” the data and someone leading digital strategy) should attend. Click here to register.

(As a note, how do I know about the founding of IDEA? When I was with IMARK, I was involved in meetings where it was discussed, pre-development. I also facilitated an IMARK Members Meeting where we invited Stuart Irby (Irby Company, an AD member at the time) and Tom Kozak from Panduit and encouraged 34 IMARK members to becoming IDEA founding members … and I served on the first IDEA Marketing Committee. Search www.electricaltrends.com for more information on IDEA in its earlier years.)