'100% cotton' on the page, 'cotton blend' on the label
A customer emails to say the label in her shirt says 95% cotton, 5% elastane, but your product page says 100% cotton. She has an allergy to synthetic fibres and wants to know which is right. You check the tech pack: the label is right. The product description was copied from last season's shirt, which was 100% cotton, and nobody changed it.
Across the catalogue, the same information is written in several ways: 'Machine wash 30', 'Wash at 30 degrees', 'Cool wash'. Some pages have care details, some do not. The marketplace listing has a different composition because it was filled in separately.
Why this data drifts
- Composition and care live in tech packs and label orders, not in the product system.
- Product copy is written as free text, so details get copied from similar styles.
- Marketplaces and wholesale portals each want the same data in their own format.
- Changes to fabric between production runs are not carried through to the page.
None of this is anyone being careless. It is the same fact typed by different people into different places at different times.
What wrong details cost
| Mismatch | Consequence |
|---|---|
| Composition on page wrong | Returns and complaints, and possibly regulatory questions |
| Care details missing | Garments ruined in the wash and blamed on quality |
| Marketplace rejects listing | Products not live where they should be |
| Inconsistent wording | Filters and search cannot find 'linen' or 'organic cotton' |
Textile labelling rules exist in the UK and EU, and whether your pages meet them is a matter for you and your advisers. Having one source of truth makes that easier to check.
How we put composition and care in one place
- Each style gets structured fields: fibre composition with percentages (outer, lining, trims where relevant), care instructions from a controlled list and country of origin if you record it.
- The data is filled from your tech packs or label orders, with each entry checked that percentages add up.
- The product page shows a 'Composition and care' section generated from those fields, so wording is consistent and correct.
- Fibres become filters, so shoppers can find all linen or all recycled polyester without relying on product titles.
- The same data feeds care label files for your label supplier and the attribute fields marketplaces want.
- A weekly check flags any product whose description text mentions a fibre that is not in its composition, catching copy left over from an older style.
After it is set up
The shirt gets its composition from the tech pack: 95% cotton, 5% elastane. The page, the label file and the marketplace listing all say the same thing. When next season's version switches to organic cotton, the product team updates one field and every channel follows. Customer service stops getting 'the label says something different' emails.
Handling the awkward cases
Garments with several parts, such as a jacket with a body, a lining and faux fur trim, need composition for each part. The fields allow that and the page shows it clearly. Sets and multi-packs can link to each item's composition. Where claims like 'organic' or 'recycled' are used, the tool can hold a reference to the certificate you have, and flag products where a claim is made without one, so your team can check.
Translations are another place the drift shows up. If you sell into Europe with translated product pages, composition and care are usually the parts translated last and checked least. Because the fields are structured, each fibre name and care instruction is translated once, from a fixed list, and every product in that language uses the same approved wording. A new style in a new market arrives with its composition already in the right language.
Signs your fabric data needs this
- Composition is written in the product description by hand.
- Care wording differs from product to product.
- Customers have spotted differences between the label and the page.
- Marketplaces reject listings for missing attributes.
- You cannot filter your store by fabric.