How do you feel about the quality of your data?
If you're not sure how to answer that — you're not alone. Here's some questions to consider:
Do you recycle or delete SKU codes?
Do you consistently record cost prices?
Are your purchase orders (POs) placed through a system?
If you're nodding yes or unsure — it’s worth reviewing your master data practices. Poor data quality impacts reporting, forecasting, and how actionable your insights really are.
🧾 Why Master Data Matters
Your SKU codes, product hierarchies, cost prices, and PO records form the foundation of every insight Style Arcade delivers. If this foundational data is inaccurate or inconsistent, it can:
Corrupt historical trend analysis
Mislead your markdown or forecasting decisions
Break year-on-year reporting continuity
Lead to stock duplication, fragmentation, or ghost stock
Cause delays in product launches or allocation
⚠️ Common Risky Practices (to avoid)
Here are a few common habits that can derail your data integrity:
Risky Practice | Why It’s a Problem |
Recycling SKU codes | Reusing codes for different products breaks reporting history and skews performance analysis. |
Deleting SKU codes or Products | Erases historical data, impacting replenishment analysis, size curve logic, and trend identification. |
Deleting Purchase Orders not cancelling them | Deleting stops the status from moving your other systems including Style Arcade! |
Changing barcodes post-launch | Breaks the link between systems and prevents seamless sell-through analysis. |
Not recording cost prices | Limits visibility on margin, profitability, and accurate Open-to-Buy (OTB) planning. |
Not capturing POs in a system | Makes tracking committed units, delivery timelines, and cost validation near-impossible. |
✅ Master Data Best Practice Checklist
To ensure your data is reliable and scalable, use the following checklist:
Product creation is at Style Colour level
SKU codes are structured logically and predictably
Suggested format: Style Code-Colour-Size
Not suggested: Style Code-Size-Colour
Every SKU code is unique and never reused
SKUs and barcodes are never deleted
Cost prices are recorded and updated consistently
Each style is tagged to the correct category, subclass, and hierarchy
POs are placed through a centralised system (not email or spreadsheets)
Your master product file has consistent formatting for every field
Colour and size codes are standardised
🧩 Final Tip
Good master data practices unlock the full potential of Style Arcade. Better inputs mean smarter insights, faster decisions, and better results.