Why Product Data is a Distributor’s Biggest Problem with Jason Hein of B2B eCommerce Association

Jason: Why is he, and why is he here? Exactly. Why have you let me into your virtual home to sit across from each other with our coffee mugs in hand, talking about the joy that is B2B eCommerce? Cheers, my friend.

So, Jason Hein—I’ve been running loose in the world of B2B eCommerce in one way, shape, or form for coming up on 23 years. I got my start working for an industrial distributor, McMaster-Carr, as a practitioner straight out of the gate. That’s where I learned about merchandising—how to describe a product in a way that is compelling to the customer.

McMaster does this in a very unique way. They don’t rely on brand names or high-quality images. They strip out all the marketing fluff and focus purely on what the product does for you. It was fascinating to grow up in that environment, learning how to distill technical information into something usable for the buyer.

After about 12 years, I left McMaster and went to Amazon, where I was part of the team that helped build Amazon Business. A big part of my job was onboarding vendors and managing vendors, but also dealing with product data challenges. Amazon’s systems weren’t built to sell industrial pumps, carbide end mills, or highly technical B2B products. We had to create new attributes, update the taxonomy, and make fundamental changes to the data model to make those products searchable and usable for buyers. That was my first deep dive into product data at scale, and I found it so interesting that I made it my focus.

When I left Amazon, I continued working in product data and content strategy, consulting for different companies. I teamed up with some ex-McMaster colleagues and worked with various boutique consulting firms, helping companies establish their digital foundation. This was 2014—B2B eCommerce was just getting started. Many distributors and manufacturers were thinking, “Amazon is moving fast. We need to figure this out before we fall behind.” My role was to help them understand what they needed to do, how to prioritize investments, and which technologies to consider.

After several years of consulting, I joined Bloomreach, a search and merchandising SaaS company, to help them expand into B2B markets. Their customer base was primarily B2C, but they wanted to bring their capabilities into B2B search and discovery. I worked on go-to-market strategy and customer engagement there for a few years.

Since leaving Bloomreach, I’ve been working on a solo project, helping companies solve the product data problem at its core. Because here’s the truth—after 23 years, most distributors and manufacturers are still waiting for a miracle to fix their product data. They’re hoping some new platform, PIM, or AI tool will magically clean up their messy product data. But that’s not how it works. The companies that get ahead take control of their product data strategy rather than waiting for a silver bullet.

The Role of Merchandising in B2B

Aaron: We could talk about a lot of things, but I want to get into merchandising in B2B. Why do so many distributors panic when they hear that word? You talk to a distributor about merchandising, and their eyes just glaze over. They’re unsure if it even applies to them.

Jason: Because they’ve never thought about what merchandising means for them. At McMaster-Carr, merchandising wasn’t about branding or fancy images—it was about making product information useful. It was about structuring data so that a customer could make a decision quickly and confidently.

Most distributors don’t see themselves as merchandisers, but they absolutely are. The problem is, they don’t realize that product content is their responsibility. They assume their supplier data is good enough, but supplier data isn’t designed to help the customer buy—it’s designed to meet the supplier’s internal needs.

Aaron: That’s a great point. I was actually looking at McMaster-Carr’s catalog before this episode, and it’s a masterclass in product descriptions. They don’t just list specs—they provide context. For example, instead of saying, "This screw has a tensile strength of 170,000 PSI," they write, "These alloy steel screws are stronger than grade 8 steel screws. Length is measured from under the head." That’s not coming from the supplier. McMaster had to build that description themselves.

Jason: Exactly. And that’s where most distributors fail. They assume that the supplier data feed is all they need. But supplier data is usually:

- Incomplete – Missing key attributes that customers actually use to choose products.
- Inconsistent – Some fields are written one way, others another, creating confusion.
- Not customer-friendly – Full of internal technical terms instead of clear, actionable language.

If a distributor just uploads supplier data as-is, the website becomes hard to search and difficult to navigate. That’s why buyers struggle to find the right products.

Aaron: And let’s be real—distributors say their value is knowing their customers better than manufacturers do. That’s why customers buy from them instead of going direct. But that knowledge has to be reflected in how they present their products online.

Jason: 100%. If a welder on an oil rig and a nurse in a hospital both need gloves, they need very different gloves. But if a distributor just uploads supplier data, that nuance is lost. Merchandising in B2B is about bridging that gap—structuring and presenting product data in a way that aligns with how customers actually shop.

The Challenges of Digital Transformation for Distributors

Aaron: Let’s talk about the session you led in Germany last month. You were talking about accelerators for B2B distribution. What were the key takeaways?

Jason: The biggest theme was that a lot of mid-size and smaller distributors haven’t even started their digital transformation yet. And that’s scary, because when they look at companies that are further ahead, it feels like an impossible gap to close.

They think, “If we make one mistake, we’ll fall even further behind. We don’t just need to start running—we need to run faster than everyone else.” That fear leads to paralysis. And the biggest hurdle? Product data. Most distributors try to sidestep the product content problem because it feels too big. They assume that fixing product data means fixing everything at once, and that’s overwhelming. In the past, consulting firms made this worse. They’d come in and say, “You have a million SKUs? It’ll cost $8 per SKU to clean it up. That’s $8 million.” Some companies paid it. Most didn’t. Either way, it didn’t solve the real problem.

Aaron: That’s a huge number. And also kind of ridiculous.

Jason: Right? But here’s the reality—not all products are equally important. Just because you have a SKU on your website doesn’t mean it matters to your customers. Companies need to stop thinking, “We have to fix all our product data.” Instead, they should ask, “Which product data do we need to fix first?”

How Distributors Should Prioritize Product Data Fixes

Aaron: That’s a great point. Let’s get specific. Say I’m a distributor with 1.6 million SKUs. I know my data is a mess, but I can’t fix everything at once. Where do I start?

Jason: This is where eCommerce actually helps you prioritize. If you set up your analytics correctly, you can see:

1. Which categories are getting the most traffic
2. Where customers are struggling to find what they need
3. Which gaps in product data are hurting conversions

That lets you focus your efforts on high-impact areas first instead of trying to fix everything at once. You can also ask your sales team what categories drive the most revenue. But digital data gives you a real-time view. If you have two categories that are both missing key attributes, but one gets 10,000 hits a week and the other gets 10, where do you invest first?

Aaron: The one that’s actually driving traffic and revenue.

Jason: Exactly. And once you see results, you have proof to take to leadership: “We spent $25,000 improving attribute data in this high-traffic category, and the number of customers using filters jumped by 800%. That increased add-to-cart rates, order value, and total revenue.” That’s how you prove the ROI of fixing product data.

Distributors and the Marketplace Question

Aaron: Let’s switch gears. A few years ago, everyone wanted to start a marketplace. Every distributor was saying, “We want to be the Amazon of our industry.” But what’s the reality? Should distributors be launching marketplaces?

Jason: Most distributors are already drop shipping products they don’t stock. The question is, when does drop shipping turn into a full-fledged marketplace? Adding more SKUs doesn’t automatically create value. If you just keep adding products without improving product discovery and search, all you’re doing is making it harder for customers to find what they need. The real challenge is that companies go all-in on expanding selection but don’t invest in helping customers navigate that selection. Even Amazon struggles with this.

Aaron: That’s a great point. On Amazon, if you’re a seller, the only way customers find you now is if you pay for ads.

Jason: Right. That’s because Amazon’s product catalog has grown faster than its ability to help customers search for products effectively. That’s a problem for any marketplace model.

For distributors, the question should be:

1. How are we helping customers find the right product?
2. Are we structuring product data in a way that makes sense for them?
If you don’t invest in product discovery, more SKUs just mean more clutter, not more value.

When Should a Distributor Consider a Marketplace?

Aaron: So if a distributor is considering launching a marketplace, where should they start?

Jason: The first step is to set a baseline for product data before scaling up.

- Define your categories – What do you sell? How do categories relate to each other?
- Establish data standards – What attributes do customers need to make a decision?
- Make sure your site can handle discovery – If customers can’t filter, compare, or search effectively, adding more SKUs won’t help.

The biggest mistake distributors make is assuming they can fix product data later.

Aaron: That’s what you said earlier—companies think they’ll fix product data eventually, but they never do.

Jason: Right. I had a VP at Amazon tell me, “If you don’t fix it now, you never will.” And he was right. Once the floodgates open and you start adding thousands of products, going back and cleaning everything up later is nearly impossible.

The B2B eCommerce Association and Industry Education

Aaron: This ties back to what you’re doing with the B2B eCommerce Association. What’s your focus there?

Jason: I’m the Global Director for Product Content, Search, and Discovery. Right now, I’m working on a training program specifically for product data in B2B eCommerce. Justin King is leading a go-to-market messaging training—helping technology vendors understand how to speak to distributors and manufacturers. Because let’s be honest, a lot of vendors are terrible at this.

Aaron: I agree. A lot of software vendors try to sell to a distributor the same way they sell to a B2C brand—and it just doesn’t work.

Jason: Exactly. If you’re selling to a manufacturer of industrial hardware, and you start talking about your work with a perfume company, they’ll immediately think, “You don’t understand my business.” Even the metrics are different. A 750-million-dollar German industrial distributor doesn’t think in terms of conversion rates and average order values—they think in terms of channel complexity, ERP integrations, and customer contracts. If you don’t understand that, you’re already losing their trust.

B2B eCommerce Association Events and Training

Aaron: Beyond training, what else is the B2B eCommerce Association working on?

Jason: We’re organizing three major events this year under the B2B eCommerce World banner:

UK – March (Birmingham)
Australia – August (Melbourne)
US – November

Each of these events will have talk tracks dedicated to B2B eCommerce, with speakers who actually know the space. One thing we’re doing differently is making sure speakers have real-world experience solving B2B challenges; and vendor presentations aren’t just disguised sales pitches.

Aaron: I love that. I’ve been to way too many conferences where every session is just a thinly veiled product demo.

Jason: Exactly. We want these events to be practical, educational, and honest. We’re also working on coaching programs for practitioners—helping people who’ve worked in B2B eCommerce at major distributors transition into consulting roles to support companies making this shift. There’s so much demand for experienced B2B leaders who can help distributors and manufacturers navigate eCommerce.

Aaron: Before we wrap up, I have one last question. What’s one book, show, or podcast you’ve consumed recently that stood out to you?

Jason: My wife and I just finished Ted Lasso. It’s basically a masterclass in change management. Ted walks into a hostile environment where no one trusts him, and he slowly wins people over—not by forcing change, but by building relationships. That’s exactly what a B2B eCommerce leader has to do inside a traditional distributor or manufacturer.

Aaron: Great answer. Was the show entertaining?

Jason: Absolutely. And as a metaphor for leadership in B2B digital transformation, it’s spot on.

Aaron: Where can people find you if they want to connect?

Jason: The best way is email: [email protected]. Or find me on LinkedIn—I’m on there every day.

Aaron: Awesome. We’ll include links in the show notes. Jason, thanks for joining!

And to everyone listening—if you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating. Five stars is best, four stars is acceptable, and anything less… well, maybe keep that opinion to yourself.

Thanks for listening!