Productsup and Barilla Netherlands cook up global commerce success

About

If you’ve ever picked up a jar of Pesto Genovese or a box of Spaghetti from the grocery store, chances are it was Barilla. What started as a small Italian bakery in 1877 has evolved into a globally renowned brand whose pasta and tomato sauces are a staple for kitchen pantries in more than 100 countries.

How did this family-run shop become a go-to label for Italian home cooking? Much of the brand’s sustained success over the last century can be attributed to their commitment to innovation. Barilla was one of the early adopters of online grocery, using both in-store and online promotions to expand their global reach and adapt to local markets. They have invested heavily in pushing the boundaries of ecommerce for the entire consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry through a dedicated ecommerce research team in London. This office supports Barilla's companies worldwide by providing market intel and addressing specific challenges based on retailer data and proprietary insights.

Challenges before Productsup

However, no growth story is scathe-free. As Barilla’s product catalog and customer base multiplied in both size and range over the years, the brand faced several challenges:

• Complex GS1 data management: Managing GS1 data certification manually was time-consuming and error-prone. Barilla’s previous data management vendor required them to send shipments of their physical products to take pictures of the labels for data uploads, adding to the complexity and cost.
• Limited team resources: Like many of the world’s biggest manufacturers, most teams responsible for managing product content for specific markets are quite small. For instance, Barilla’s team in the Netherlands consists of four people, making it nearly impossible to keep up with the detailed data entry and management required for GS1 compliance.
• Keeping up with retailer requirements: Most retailers have specific times throughout the year where brands are allowed to launch new products. If Barilla failed to get GS1 approval within those windows, they’d have to delay their product launches entirely-leading to potential revenue loss.

These challenges not only strained Barilla's resources but also risked their market competitiveness.

Barilla Netherlands with Productsup: Goals of the partnership

In 2022, Barilla Netherlands decided to introduce the Productsup product-to-consumer (P2C) platform into their operations. Motivated to improve their efficiency, Barilla articulated clear goals for the partnership:

• Efficient data management: Reduce manual data entry and streamline GS1 compliance.
• Quick adjustments: Enable rapid updates to product information to meet changing regulations.
• Timely product launches: Ensure product launches are on schedule by meeting GS1 approval windows.

Barilla Netherlands with Productsup: Implementation of key features

The Productsup platform has become an integral part of Barilla’s tech stack, as the pasta company now relies on several capabilities to bring their products to market. Barilla leverages Productsup solutions that are strongly catered to the consumer packaged goods industry, like Retail PX, for the following capabilities:

• Simplified compliance: Speaking the “GS1 language” and understanding the nuances of the standard is rare amongst teams. Productsup has a strong connection to GS1 and deep expertise of their data certification process as an official partner. If Barilla gets a cryptic message from GS1 about standardization changes or issues with their data, they can decipher the message in simple terms all within the Productsup platform. This allows Barilla to update their product information quickly to maintain compliance.
• Digital data capture: Replacing costly physical product shipments, Productsup can process digital labels, further streamlining the data sourcing process. The platform is powered by a unique AI tool that can capture product data, such as text, logos, and other visual elements, from labels and categorize it automatically.
• Automated data sharing: Once Barilla’s data is extracted from labels, Productsup ensures the data is compliant with brand guidelines and mandatory regulations. Within 48 hours, Barilla can share high-quality product information with any global retailer, marketplace, or GS1 data pool.

Barilla Netherlands with Productsup: Business impact

Since partnering with Productsup, Barilla has experienced significant improvements across their operations, bringing real impact to their bottomline:

• Operational efficiency: A significant reduction in time spent on data entry and management enables Barilla’s teams to focus on more big-picture projects.
• Time savings: Barilla has reduced the time required to upload data to GS1 from two weeks to two working days. The streamlined data management process allows their small team to focus on higher-priority tasks, improving productivity.
• Compliance: The ability to make quick updates ensures compliance with new regulations. For instance, Dutch packaging laws for single-use plastics underwent changes recently where consumers now have to pay a higher price upfront for products with plastic packaging (which can be refunded if they return it once used). The law enforces stricter GS1 requirements, which Barilla is able to meet with ease.
• Accelerated time-to-market: Meeting critical GS1 approval windows ensures timely product launches to maintain competitiveness and revenue opportunities.
• Cost savings: Eliminating the need for physical product shipments and reducing the time spent on data management saves Barilla considerable operational costs.

Barilla Netherlands with Productsup: Looking ahead

As the partnership progresses, Barilla plans to explore additional features and services from Productsup to further streamline their product content journeys and improve overall efficiency.