Poor matching distorts everything: a competitor appears cheaper when it is actually selling a different bundle or another model. To prevent these errors, product matching must be structured from the outset.
1. Check identifiers such as EAN, SKU and MPN
Unique identifiers are the most reliable foundation. If they are missing or inconsistent, plan to match products by attribute.
2. Check variants
Size, colour, capacity, software version and other variants can turn one product into another. Make sure the key attributes match.
3. Avoid bundles and multipacks
A pack of two or three units is not comparable to a single unit. Label bundles clearly and exclude them from direct comparisons.
4. Include costs and conditions
Free delivery, in-store collection and after-sales service affect price perception. They must be considered in your analysis.
5. Check quality regularly
Matching is not static. Product pages evolve, titles change and categories move. Plan a monthly audit on a sample.
Product-matching checklist
- A valid unique identifier or complete attributes.
- Identical variants such as size, colour and version.
- Different bundles and packs excluded.
- Comparable delivery conditions.
Once matching is reliable, your indices and alerts become much more dependable. It is the foundation of genuinely actionable monitoring.