Why this is the pilot route
Catalogue data audit is the first route Proofoak supports end to end, for three reasons. The deliverable is objectively checkable — a defect is either found or missed, an ID is either unchanged or changed — so quality can be measured before anyone sells it. It needs skills many people already have: careful spreadsheet work and clear written English. And it can be tested cheaply: synthetic practice files cost nothing, and a free 20-row check is an easy first step for a real shop.
It is a route to test, not proven demand. The pilot exists to find out whether shops pay for it and whether the workflow beats a plain chatbot plus spreadsheet.
What the work actually involves
A small online shop exports its product catalogue — usually a CSV from its shop platform — and shares it with permission. You check it against a fixed set of rules and return a report. The core checks are:
| Check | What you look for | Correct action |
|---|---|---|
| Exact duplicates | Identical rows | Propose removal; don't delete |
| Near duplicates | Same product under a different ID or reworded title | Flag for the client to merge |
| Missing required fields | Empty title, brand or category | Flag and ask — never invent |
| Missing optional facts | Empty colour or weight | Mark "unknown" |
| Inconsistent units | "KG", "grams", "0.75kg" in the weight field | Normalise when safe; flag otherwise |
| Malformed identifiers | IDs that break the shop's format | Flag only — IDs are protected |
| Invalid barcodes | GTIN length or checksum errors | Flag only |
| Price formatting | "12,99", "€12.99" | Flag only — prices are protected |
| Category problems | Categories outside the list, or that don't fit the product | Propose the closest valid category |
Two rules never bend: IDs and prices are never changed, and missing facts are never guessed. They protect the client and they are what make the audit trustworthy.
What the client receives
- A defect report listing every issue by row, field and rule, with the proposed action.
- A corrected copy with only safe fixes applied, such as normalised units and "unknown" for missing colours.
- A change log showing what changed and why.
- A list of open questions for anything that needs the client's knowledge.
The readiness check
Before you use the route commercially, Proofoak asks you to practise on a synthetic 200-row file with seeded defects and a hidden answer key. The check scores defects found, false alarms, protected fields unchanged and the reasoning behind each fix. Passing is valid for this route and rubric — it is not a professional certificate — and if you don't pass yet, you get feedback and another try.
A realistic first month
| Week | Work | Output |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Profile, practice file, readiness check | Passed sample |
| 2 | Offer and labelled sample | One-page offer |
| 3 | Ten sourced shops, approved messages | Test running |
| 4 | Replies, calls, first free checks | Evidence and a decision |
Pricing the service
The price you charge a shop is set from your buyer conversations and is separate from your Proofoak subscription. As a starting hypothesis, a 200-row audit that takes 1.5–3 hours including review is often priced as a fixed fee. Use the service price and margin calculator to check what a job really earns after your time, tools and fees.
Data protection basics
Catalogue files can contain personal data — supplier contacts, staff names, sometimes customer details. Before you accept a file, agree with the client what's in it, how you'll store it and when you'll delete it, or ask for a version without personal data. The client onboarding checklist includes these steps.
When this route isn't right for you
- You don't enjoy detailed, careful work.
- You can't work in English with clients.
- Your buyers' platforms already fix these issues automatically — test this early in conversations.
If any of these apply, Proofoak's fit result will say so and suggest another direction or a preparation step.