July 7, 2010 – With the rise of online retailing, what used to be warehouse data has turned into a valuable marketing tool.

Publishers Weekly highlighted this point in their article, “Accurate Metadata Sells Books”.  The growth of the importance of metadata, according to Laura Dawson, CEO of LJNDawson.com, a consultant specializing in digital publishing services, led to the creation of ONIX, or Online Information Exchange, an XML-based standardized format for transmitting information electronically. Reliable metadata is critical to keep up with the demand of online retail sales, especially in markets such as book publishing. This technical challenge should be addressed with comprehensive indexing by a valued and respectable software provider. Accurate metadata is an important marketing tool, worthy shopping guide, and ultimately a requirement for successful retailers.

Melody K. Smith

Sponsored by Data Harmony, a unit of Access Innovations, the world leader in indexing and making content findable.