Salsify and IDEA Partner to Give Thousands of Electrical Distributors and Manufacturers Direct Access to Accurate, Always-Current Product Data
New connection automates the flow of product data from Salsify PIM into IDEA Connector, replacing manual file transfers
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BOSTON and ARLINGTON, Va., Sept. 16, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Salsify, a Product Information Management (PIM) provider empowering manufacturers, retailers, and distributors to win on the digital and agentic shelves, and the Industry Data Exchange Association (IDEA), the electrical industry’s trusted provider of data infrastructure, technology, and standards connecting manufacturers and distributors today announced a new integration that lets Salsify customers publish product data directly into IDEA Connector, where subscribed electrical distributors can access standardized supplier content. This accelerated, largely automated process allows suppliers to provide IDEA with the latest product content without the manual exports, reformatting, and one-off builds the process has required until now. The integration adds IDEA Connector to Salsify’s growing commerce network, creating a direct connection between manufacturers using Salsify and the electrical distributors relying on IDEA Connector for standardized product information.
For electrical manufacturers, product data increasingly decides whether they make the shortlist or win the sale, sometimes before a salesperson ever picks up the phone. Buyers now research and shortlist suppliers using AI-powered tools, and distributors are raising the bar on what standards product data has to meet before they will list it at all. When that data is incomplete or inconsistent, manufacturers do not rank lower; they may disappear from consideration.
The stakes are already visible in the numbers. A Distribution Strategy Group 2025 survey of 896 North American manufacturers and distributors found that electrical sector product data was 55.8% complete on average which, while higher than some other sectors, still leaves a significant amount of progress to be made. IDEA’s data standards are designed to ensure distributors receive consistent, high-quality product information. Meeting those standards, however, can require manufacturers to validate formatting and attributes before data is published, creating additional work and potentially slowing time to market.
For manufacturers using Salsify, publishing product information to IDEA Connector has historically required additional steps. Manufacturers either reformatted exports to meet IDEA requirements or worked with Salsify Support to build and maintain a custom channel as IDEA’s standards evolved. The new connection replaces that with two pre-built channels: one for core product data and one for category-specific attributes, that publish directly from the Salsify PIM into IDEA Connector. Manufacturers map their data into the existing structure once. From there, pre-validated updates can flow directly into IDEA Connector, making standardized product information available to subscribed distributors without requiring a custom Salsify support process.
For manufacturers, that means increased efficiency: one system for managing and syndicating product data instead of a different process for every channel. For distributors, it means access to more accurate and comprehensive product information to power their own websites, ERP systems, and quoting tools, sourced through the trusted product data platform the industry already relies on.
“Using this connection is a significant improvement to our internal workflow. With Salsify’s direct connection to IDEA Connector, products that meet applicable requirements can be delivered while our team reviews and addresses any remaining data issues. The Salsify channel also helps us keep our product attributes aligned with the latest IDEA Connector requirements,” said Seth Gilbert, Senior Digital Marketing Manager at Atkore.
“Product data used to be the paperwork nobody wanted to deal with. Now it’s the first thing an AI agent or a distributor’s system evaluates before your product even gets near a customer,” said Mandy Earle, head of industrial markets at Salsify. “This connection means manufacturers can keep their product information aligned with IDEA’s evolving standards while reducing the manual work required to get high-quality data in front of distributors.”
“IDEA exists to make it easier for manufacturers and distributors to exchange trusted information and do business together,” said Michael Wentz, vice president of sales and marketing at IDEA. “This connection with Salsify removes friction for manufacturers while maintaining the data standards distributors rely on. The result is better product information moving through the industry faster and with less manual work.”
The connection is available now to Salsify customers through an Early Access program, and will be demonstrated at IDEA’s eBiz 2026 from Sept 29 – Oct. 1 at Salsify booth #15.
About IDEA
IDEA helps manufacturers and distributors turn data into a strategic business asset. Trusted by the electrical industry to solve industry challenges, IDEA provides the data infrastructure, technology, standards, and expertise that connects trading partners and makes digital business easier.
Through product data syndication, EDI and transaction automation, data standards, professional data services, and actionable sales intelligence, IDEA helps companies improve data quality, reduce manual processes and operating costs, accelerate speed to market, strengthen trading partner relationships, and uncover new opportunities for profitable growth.
At its core, IDEA helps manufacturers and distributors work better together by creating a more connected, efficient, and data-driven supply chain.
About Salsify
Salsify helps thousands of brand manufacturers, distributors, and retailers in over 140 countries win on the digital and agentic shelves. The company’s Product Experience Management (PXM) platform enables organizations to centralize all of their product content, connect to the commerce ecosystem, and automate business processes to deliver the best possible product experiences across every selling destination and agentic commerce opportunity.
For more information, please visit: www.salsify.com.
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