When I look at B2B connectivity, I see an incredible amount of untapped potential. We have the technology to move goods around the globe with precision, yet the data that fuels those movements is often trapped. For years, the industry has relied on systems designed in the 90s, originally providing Product Name, Bar Code Data & MSRP data. The two leading systems today are simply workarounds and “good enough” patches to attempt to bridge the gap between these legacy catalog systems and the explosive growth of modern marketplaces.
We’ve all become experts at managing complexity, but as we say at Loren Data: We don’t have to. We need a way to look forward that isn’t held back by architectural decisions made thirty years ago.
For the last decade, we at Loren Data have been quietly reimagining the concept of the “catalog.” Catalog has been “kinda good enough” for quite some time. To remedy this, we have spent countless hours in conversation with vendors and retailers, hearing about the speed bumps that slow down their day-to-day operations. Through those discussions, a new vision for catalog began to take shape, and we are pleased to present Global Product Access to you now.
Integration as a Natural State
Our goal has always been to move toward a “natural state” of integration. A product catalog shouldn’t be a peripheral file that you “send” to a partner; it should be a living, breathing part of your operational ecosystem. It should be the heartbeat of the supply chain.
This led us to a fundamental shift in thinking. Instead of building another silo, we focused on the market’s expressed requirements with an API-first approach that brings communications, translation, catalog, and inventory functionality into a single environment. The vision is simple but transformative: all e-commerce endpoints should be able to interact, natively.
What we have developed is a catalog where functionality can live directly within your ERP, your warehouse management system, or your order processing tools. No more calls to IT for standard business functions; no more “bolting on” solutions to the periphery. We are finally delivering the promise of direct integration into the hands of the people who actually run the business, allowing global, managed access to all product information, static and dynamic.
Putting the User First
To make meaningful improvements in the catalog space, we had to rethink how product data is exchanged. The existing rules have made life harder for vendors and retailers, not easier. Innovation should remove friction, not introduce new constraints.
- Removing the penalty for growth: Many pricing models in this space discourage growth. Per SKU fees and usage limits turn success into a cost problem and force teams to think twice before expanding their catalogs. We replaced that approach with straightforward pricing. One flat rate lets you publish your entire catalog, no matter how many products you have.
- Designing for real world flexibility: Product data is not static, and businesses do not all operate the same way. Forcing a single data model does not reflect how vendors work in the real world. By making GTINs optional and allowing unlimited products, we give teams the flexibility to manage their catalog in a way that fits their market and their internal systems.
- Moving forward without breaking what works: Progress demands that we do not abandon existing infrastructure. Many organizations rely on legacy systems every day, and those systems still matter, and will continue to matter for years to come. That is why we built full compatibility with existing standards, formats and transport methods, including EDI, VANs, FTP, AS2, and X.400. You can move forward without replacing everything you and your trading partner already depend upon.
Empowering the Ecosystem
Global Product Access is designed to strengthen the ecosystem that already exists around ECGrid. Today, more than 100 ISVs and B2B solution providers use ECGrid as part of their own platforms to deliver EDI and supply chain connectivity to tens of thousands of their customers.
With Global Product Access, those same providers can extend their offerings to include modern catalog publishing and distribution without having to build and maintain new infrastructure. They can add real catalog capabilities to their platforms, offer more value to their customers and trading partners, and create new revenue opportunities without taking on the cost, complexity, or long timelines of building it themselves.
This model benefits everyone involved. Solution providers can focus on their core products. Vendors get a simpler way to manage and publish their catalogs. Retailers and marketplaces receive cleaner, more consistent product data directly from the source. By enabling solution providers, we improve outcomes across the entire retail value chain.
A Shared Journey
This journey hasn’t just been about launching a product; it’s been about a deep-seated commitment to the retail value chain. I’ve seen the fatigue that comes from managing dozens of different versions of the same product data. I’ve seen the missed opportunities when inventory isn’t synced in real-time.
What we’ve created with Global Product Access is our contribution to a more transparent and efficient industry. It’s about giving vendors and retailers a direct, predictable, and secure way to manage information while maintaining full ownership of their data.
Todd Gould, Founder & CEO, Loren Data