According to Brandquad, 90% of Russian marketplaces and online retailers use MS Excel to collect product data. However, not everyone knows the functions of this program well and errors often occur. Another popular service is Google Sheets. This service is free and provides many opportunities to analyze data, but it also has its drawbacks. For example, the interface is not intuitive and there are many difficulties when working with large data amounts.
Brandquad shared hacks on how to minimize risks when working with MS Excel and Google Google Sheets.
1. Remember the restrictions
It is important that employees have a minimum freedom of action when working with tables: just one error can lead to serious consequences for the business. For example, you can fill table cells exclusively with data from a pre-created list. A unified approach in typing items will allow you to easily filter information by partners and contractors.
2. File format
Marketplaces most often request information about products in Excel files. Then the employees of the trading platforms process the received data. When you send an Excel file, keep in mind that the software versions may differ. Before 2003 files had the “xls” extension, after 2003 — xlsx. In addition, the table may not display correctly. Before sending, always check which extension you need to specify when saving the table.
3. Safety comes first
The tables often contain commercially sensitive information, so it is essential to keep this information safe. You should protect your Excel files with passwords t or restrict access to the selected part of the content. Google Sheets also has different options that help protect the information setting restrictions for editing or adding certain editors.
4. Don’t forget about the design
Google Sheets is often functionally more productive than MS Excel. In some cases, the functionality of Google Sheets provides more features than MS Excel: for example, the collaboration option. However, the Google Sheets don’t have, for example, a large set of styles. This is important because visibility allows you to navigate the data faster and to avoid errors. To “color” your tables, you can use special add-ons. For example, Table Styles add-on includes 24 pre-supplied styles with an option to create your own template.
5. You have a choice
MS Excel is not the only data management tool. There are many professional CRM systems for accounting, logistics, or customer relations — 1C, SAP, and others. But remember that it may cost you pretty much to integrate such programs with your system. MS Excel and Google Sheets work well with small businesses, but as your business grows, you should consider using special solutions developed for specific business processes: PIM or DAM systems, for example. Brandquad uses automated channels to transfer data and can deliver content to each online or offline retailer in Russia, regardless of the channel format.
