Hana+ Cosmetics takes its first steps into retail with My Product Manager
For many SMEs entering the retail market, the work does not stop once they acquire a new customer. Retailers today expect accurate, structured and digitally exchangeable product data. For companies with little or no experience in this area, that can seem like a significant challenge.
This was also the case for Hana+ Cosmetics, a young Belgian wholesaler of professional beauty products. When the company wanted to supply products to Colruyt Group, it also needed to create product sheets through My Product Manager. Thanks to the guidance and tools provided by GS1 Belgium & Luxembourg, this process became much more straightforward.
Hana+ Cosmetics specialises in professional beauty products for manicure, pedicure, waxing, eyelashes and eyebrows. The company distributes several brands across Belgium and Europe.
The business was founded two years ago by Niels Spotbeen and his wife. Although both have a business background, they had no previous experience with product data, GS1 standards or the way retailers manage product information.
A new world of product data
Hana+ Cosmetics started using My Product Manager when they wanted to introduce products from the Italian brand Faby to Colruyt Group. To make this partnership possible, the company had to register and share its product data through My Product Manager.
For Niels Spotbeen, this was initially a learning process. Not only was the terminology new, but also the expectations of retailers were an unfamiliar territory.
"At first, you don't really know which data is required or how everything needs to be completed," says Niels.
Support made the difference
"To find my way around, I made use of the knowledge centre and the support provided by GS1 Belgium & Luxembourg," says Niels. The direct contact with the support team proved especially valuable.
According to Niels, the support team helped answer practical questions about creating product sheets and completing the required information correctly. This enabled the company to build up its product information step by step.
The first product sheet was created together with one of the GS1 customer advisors. Once that foundation had been established, entering the remaining products became much easier, as they largely belonged to the same product category.
Collecting and entering the data
For the product information, Hana+ Cosmetics was able to rely on the support of the brand owner. As Faby is an international brand, the required information was readily available and could be gathered relatively easily. The details for around thirty SKUs were then entered into My Product Manager.
Although completing the product sheets themselves was relatively quick, understanding the requirements took considerably more time. Overall, the project was spread over approximately two months alongside the company's day-to-day operations.
Learning by doing
Looking back, Niels Spotbeen is pleased that he completed the process himself. By working directly with the product data, he gained a much better understanding of the information retailers require and how product information is managed.
According to him, this makes it easier to make future changes or add new products independently. In addition, this knowledge will help future retail projects run more efficiently.
Ready for further growth
Now that its product data is available in My Product Manager, Hana+ Cosmetics will be able to share it with other data recipients as new business opportunities arise. Today, Colruyt Group is the company's first major retail customer, but it already sees opportunities to work with other retailers in the future.
This experience demonstrates how important product data is in the collaboration between suppliers and retailers. Accurate and standardised data enables companies to work more efficiently and share information seamlessly throughout the supply chain.
Advice for other SMEs
For companies that are working with product data for the first time, Niels Spotbeen has a clear message: start early.
In his view, the process is not complicated, but it does require proper preparation and attention to detail. His advice is to complete the initial onboarding process yourself as much as possible. Doing so not only helps you become familiar with the system, but also gives you a better understanding of retailers' expectations and the structure of product information.
The Hana+ Cosmetics case shows that, for SMEs, product data may initially feel like an administrative obligation, but it quickly becomes a valuable investment. Companies that invest in high-quality product data today are laying the foundations for future growth, more efficient collaboration and easier access to the retail market.
