Who this is for
Purchasing or e-commerce operator whose stock, prices and images are keyed to supplier codes that no longer exist.
A supplier re-numbered its range and the new file no longer lines up with your catalogue.
The result
Each old code maps to one new product, or to an unsure list, with the attributes that justify the link. Exact barcode or part-number matches are counted apart from the rest. A held-back set of pairs you label tests the false-match rate on a small sample (0 wrong links in 15 look-alikes bounds it under 19%), and pack-size traps you plant must land on unsure.
What is included
- One old file and one new file of product data, up to 20,000 rows each
- Exact barcode or part-number matches, counted separately
- For the rest, matching on brand, size, pack, colour and description, with a model only for pairs left unclear
- A held-back test on 30 pairs you label, plus pack-size and variant traps that you plant
- A mapping file, an unsure list, the script, the stored decisions and the steps to run it
You receive
- The old-to-new mapping file
- The unsure list
- The exact-match count
- The justifying attributes for each link
- A results table on the held-back pairs
- The script and the stored decisions
What is not included
- Applying prices, stock or images in your store or database
- Inventing a barcode or a part number
- Deciding that a product is discontinued
- Products that cannot be told apart without inspection
- Personal data of any kind
What we need from you first
- The two files' column headings and row counts
- Which columns might hold brand, size, pack or colour
- No real records, personal data or credentials in the first enquiry
Never send passwords, keys, customer records or confidential code in the first enquiry. Secure handover is agreed after scoping.
How we check it is done
- Exact barcode or part-number matches are counted on their own line and need no model.
- Of the 15 look-alike pairs in the held-back 30, none is marked linked. Of the 15 true pairs, at least 12 are linked to the right new product; a pair marked unsure counts as a miss. 12 of 15 shows the true rate is at least 56% with 95% confidence, and 0 wrong links in 15 bounds the wrong-link rate under 19% with 95% confidence. This is a small test. A mapping that links nothing fails.
- Six traps (a 12-pack against a 6-pack, 500 ml against 1 litre, left against right hand, and similar), which you plant and we do not see beforehand, all land on unsure.
- No product is linked to two old codes unless listed, and every identifier in the output appears in the source files.
- Re-running the script reuses the stored model decisions and gives an identical mapping file; the stored decisions are handed over.
You inspect the mapping, the unsure list and the held-back results, and sign off in writing. Payment follows sign-off. You apply the mapping in your own systems.
When we would stop or decline
- Products cannot be told apart without seeing them
- Neither file carries two identifying attributes
- You want the mapping applied to a live store by us
- Two people on your side label the same 20 pairs and agree on fewer than 17
Questions
Will it update my store?
No. You get a mapping file. You or your developer apply it.
What if two products really are the same?
Two old codes can point to one new product only if the mapping lists them. Otherwise they go to the unsure list.
Does it make up barcodes?
Never. Every identifier in the output must appear in your files.
Price and terms
£245 · untested offer price. £245 after the agreed test passes on the held-back part and you sign off. No payment before sign-off.
This is a new service with no published client results. The price is a starting point we have not yet tested with buyers. Nothing is ordered or charged by the enquiry. The full specification is on the Synthetic Industry catalogue.