[Case Study] Auditing Adobe Analytics data layers across 8 European markets: what I found

Why audit a data layer across markets?

If you work on analytics for a brand that operates across multiple countries, you know the challenge: each market was launched at a different time, by a different team, sometimes on a different platform version. Over the years, what was supposed to be a unified tracking setup becomes a patchwork of conventions.

The consequences are real:

Cross-market reporting breaks down when the same page concept gets classified differently
Migrations become risky if you don’t know which markets are on which architecture
Tag management rules built for one market silently fail on another
Onboarding new analysts takes longer because there is no single source of truth

I recently audited the Adobe Analytics data layer of a major European grocery retailer across 8 markets: Germany, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Poland, Spain, and Portugal. The goal was straightforward - document what exists on each page type and identify inconsistencies. What I found is instructive for anyone managing multi-market implementations.

Methodology

The audit covered 6 page types per market, across 8 markets:

Homepage
Offers/Promotions overview
Products overview (the main product catalogue)
Product category page
Product detail page (PDP)
Brochure/Leaflet page

On each page I extracted two objects from the data layer:

page.pageCategory - the page classification object
page.pageInfo - page-level metadata (name, country, language, currency)
product[0].productCategory - the first product’s category, when present

The first step was identifying which data layer variable exists. This is not guaranteed to be the same across markets.

// Check which data layer variable is available
const available = {};
if (window.digitalData) available.digitalData = true;
if (window.adobeDataLayer) available.adobeDataLayer = true;

// Extract from whichever exists
const dl = window.digitalData || window.adobeDataLayer?.getState?.() || null;

console.log(
  JSON.stringify(
    {
      url: window.location.href,
      pageCategory: dl?.page?.pageCategory,
      pageInfo: dl?.page?.pageInfo,
      firstProduct: dl?.product?.[0]?.productCategory,
    },
    null,
    2
  )
);

The key difference: digitalData is a plain object you can read directly. adobeDataLayer is Adobe’s Client Data Layer (ACDL), which requires calling .getState() to retrieve the computed state.

Finding #1: two architectures under one brand

The most significant finding is that not all markets use the same data layer variable.

Market	Data Layer Variable	Access Method
DE	`window.adobeDataLayer`	`.getState()`
FR	`window.adobeDataLayer`	`.getState()`
NL	`window.adobeDataLayer`	`.getState()`
BE	`window.digitalData`	Direct object
LU	`window.digitalData`	Direct object
PL	`window.digitalData`	Direct object
ES	`window.digitalData`	Direct object
PT	`window.digitalData`	Direct object

This split reveals a platform migration in progress. The digitalData markets use the older W3C-style Customer Experience Digital Data Layer pattern - a static JavaScript object populated at page load. The adobeDataLayer markets use Adobe’s newer Client Data Layer (ACDL), which is event-driven and designed for AEM (Adobe Experience Manager) Core Components.

Why this matters

If you’re building a unified tag management setup across markets, you need to account for both access patterns. A GTM or Launch rule that reads digitalData.page.pageCategory.pageType will work in PL but return undefined in FR. You need a normalisation layer:

function getDataLayer() {
  if (window.digitalData) return window.digitalData;
  if (window.adobeDataLayer?.getState) return window.adobeDataLayer.getState();
  return null;
}

This also tells you something about the organisation: DE, FR and NL are likely on a newer AEM version with ACDL integration, while the other markets haven’t migrated yet. If you’re planning cross-market standardisation, knowing this split is your starting point.

Finding #2: page type taxonomy diverges

Both architectures populate the same page.pageCategory object with the same keys (pageType, primaryCategory, subCategory1-3). But the values follow different naming conventions.

Homepage

Market	pageType
PL, ES, PT, BE, LU	`Consumer Homepage`
DE, FR, NL	`Homepage:Website`

Offers/promotions overview

Market	pageType
PL, ES, BE, LU	`Promotion Week Overview Page`
DE, FR, NL	`Products:Offer Page:Website`

Products overview

Market	pageType
PL, PT	`Editorial Overview Page`
BE, LU	`Enhanced Product Page`
DE, FR, NL	`Products:Product Overview Page`

Product detail page

Market	pageType
PL, ES, PT, BE, LU	`Product Detail Page`
DE, FR, NL	`Products:PDP:Website`

Brochure / leaflet

Market	pageType
PL, LU	`Editorial Page`
ES	`Editorial Overview Page`
PT	`Editorial Page`
BE	`iPaper Page`
DE, FR, NL	`Leaflet:Leaflet Overview`

The pattern

The ACDL markets (DE, FR, NL) use a colon-delimited hierarchy in pageType: {Section}:{SubType}:{Platform}. This is more structured and lends itself to grouping in reports - you can split on : to create rollup dimensions.

The legacy markets use flat, human-readable strings. These are easier to read but harder to aggregate programmatically. And they’re not fully consistent either: the same brochure concept maps to Editorial Page, Editorial Overview Page, or iPaper Page depending on the market.

If you’re building cross-market dashboards, you’ll need a mapping table to normalise these values. Something like:

const PAGE_TYPE_MAP = {
  'Consumer Homepage': 'homepage',
  'Homepage:Website': 'homepage',
  'Promotion Week Overview Page': 'offers',
  'Products:Offer Page:Website': 'offers',
  'Product Detail Page': 'pdp',
  'Products:PDP:Website': 'pdp',
  'Editorial Page': 'content',
  'Editorial Overview Page': 'content',
  'Leaflet:Leaflet Overview': 'leaflet',
  'iPaper Page': 'leaflet',
  // ...
};

Finding #3: `siteName` reveals the platform split

A subtle but reliable indicator of which platform group a market belongs to is the pageInfo.siteName field:

Group	siteName value
Legacy (`digitalData`)	`"n/a"`
ACDL (`adobeDataLayer`)	`"AN {CC} Website"` (e.g. `"AN FR Website"`)

The AN prefix likely stands for the retailer’s regional division name. This field is useful for programmatic detection: if siteName is "n/a", you know you’re on a legacy market and should adjust your extraction logic accordingly.

Finding #4: product data population is inconsistent

One of the more surprising findings is where the product[0].productCategory object gets populated.

On PDP pages (expected)

All markets populate product data on PDP pages, but with different approaches:

Legacy markets use the actual product taxonomy:

{
  "primaryCategory": "Frescos",
  "subCategory1": "Fruta",
  "subCategory2": "Fruta de temporada"
}

ACDL markets use a generic classification:

{
  "primaryCategory": "Product Detail",
  "subCategory1": "42-fruits-et-legumes-frais",
  "subCategory2": "n/a"
}

Note the difference: legacy markets use human-readable, localised category names. ACDL markets use the string "Product Detail" as primaryCategory (which is really a page type, not a product category) and slug-based identifiers for the actual category.

On non-PDP pages (unexpected)

Several markets populate the product array even on pages where you wouldn’t expect it:

Page	DE	FR	NL	BE	LU	PL	ES	PT
Homepage	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Offers overview	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	-
Products overview	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No

On the homepage, markets like ES populate product[0] with the first visible offer product. This is likely driven by a component that auto-pushes the first rendered product into the data layer - useful for “first product seen” reporting, but potentially misleading if you’re counting product impressions.

Finding #5: URL patterns are completely different

PDP URLs follow no shared convention across markets:

Market	PDP URL pattern	Example
DE	`/produkt/{slug}-{SKU}`	`/produkt/erdbeeren-6311.html`
FR	`/fiches-produits/{slug}-{SKU}`	`/fiches-produits/patates-douces-5580.html`
NL	`/product/{slug}-{SKU}`	`/product/goudse-kaas-48-stuk-jong-belegen-1207429.html`
BE	`/nl/p/{slug}-{SKU}.article.html`	`/nl/p/spekken-3003000-1-0.article.html`
LU	`/fr/produits/{cat}/{slug}-{SKU}.article.html`	`/fr/produits/assortiment-de-paques/guimauves-3003000-1-0.article.html`
PL	`/oferty/{week}/{slug}-{SKU}.article.html`	`/oferty/poniedzialek-sobota-2-7-03/pomidory-malinowe-3791-1-0.article.html`
ES	`/ofertas/{week}/{slug}-{SKU}.article.html`	`/ofertas/desde-2-marzo/fresas-9850-0-0.article.html`
PT	`/produtos/{cat}/{subcat}/{slug}-{SKU}.article.html`	`/produtos/frescos-e-prontos/pizzas-e-refeicoes-prontas/risotto-...-7013098-1-0.article.html`

This matters if you’re building page type detection rules based on URL patterns (common in tag management). A regex like /\/product\// would only match NL. You’d need market-specific rules or rely entirely on the data layer’s pageType value - which, as we’ve seen, also varies.

The pageName field in pageInfo is more consistent: all markets follow the pattern Product Detail:{SKU}:{ProductName} on PDP pages. This is your most reliable cross-market identifier for product pages.

Finding #6: some page types don’t exist everywhere

Not every market has all page types:

DE uses a completely different domain (a regional subdomain) rather than the shared brand.de pattern, which is important for cross-domain tracking and URL-based rules.
ES has no dedicated products overview page (/productos.html returns a 404). Products are only accessible through the weekly offers.
PT has no separate offers overview - weekly promotions are surfaced through the homepage and brochures.
BE and LU use aanbiedingen-volgende-week / offres-de-la-semaine-prochaine (next week’s offers) instead of current week offers. No current-week overview page exists.

If you’re building a cross-market content mapping or a site taxonomy, you can’t assume page type parity across markets. The data layer will reflect what exists - a 404 Error Page data layer entry is a valid signal that a page type simply doesn’t exist in that market.

Practical takeaways

If you’re auditing a multi-market data layer implementation, here’s a checklist:

1. Identify the data layer variable first

Don’t assume digitalData or adobeDataLayer. Check what exists:

const dlVar = window.digitalData ? 'digitalData' : window.adobeDataLayer ? 'adobeDataLayer' : 'unknown';

2. Build a normalisation layer

Map market-specific pageType values to a canonical set. Document this mapping and version-control it.

3. Don’t trust `primaryCategory` on product objects

In some implementations, primaryCategory contains the page type ("Product Detail"), not the actual product category. Always validate what each field actually contains.

4. Check for product data on non-PDP pages

If product[0] is populated on the homepage, it might represent the first rendered offer - not a deliberate page-level classification. Understand the population logic before building segments on it.

5. Use `pageName` for cross-market matching

The Product Detail:{SKU}:{Name} pattern is the most consistent identifier across all markets. Use it as your anchor for cross-market product page reporting.

6. Document missing page types

A 404 in the data layer is data. If a market doesn’t have a certain page type, document it explicitly rather than leaving a gap in your reports.

The full dataset

Below is the complete extraction, grouped by market and page type. You can use this as a template for your own multi-market audits.

DE - Germany (adobeDataLayer)

Homepage - pageType: "Homepage:Website"

{
  "pageCategory": {
    "pageType": "Homepage:Website",
    "primaryCategory": "Home"
  },
  "pageInfo": {
    "pageName": "ConsumerHome",
    "country": "DE",
    "language": "de",
    "currency": "EUR",
    "siteName": "AN DE Website"
  }
}

Offers overview - pageType: "Products:Offer Page:Website"

{
  "pageCategory": {
    "pageType": "Products:Offer Page:Website",
    "primaryCategory": "angebote"
  },
  "firstProduct": {
    "primaryCategory": "Offers",
    "subCategory1": "Angebote"
  }
}

Products overview - pageType: "Products:Product Overview Page"

{
  "pageCategory": {
    "pageType": "Products:Product Overview Page",
    "primaryCategory": "sortiment"
  }
}

Product category (Obst & Gemuese) - pageType: "Products:Product Category Page:Assortment"

{
  "pageCategory": {
    "pageType": "Products:Product Category Page:Assortment",
    "primaryCategory": "sortiment",
    "subCategory1": "obst-gemuese"
  }
}

PDP (Erdbeeren) - pageType: "Products:PDP:Website"

{
  "pageCategory": {
    "pageType": "Products:PDP:Website",
    "primaryCategory": "Produkte",
    "subCategory1": "Angebote",
    "subCategory2": "frisches-obst-gemuese"
  },
  "pageInfo": {
    "pageName": "Product Detail:6311:Erdbeeren"
  },
  "firstProduct": {
    "primaryCategory": "Product Detail",
    "subCategory1": "Angebote",
    "subCategory2": "frisches-obst-gemuese"
  }
}

Brochure - pageType: "Leaflet:Leaflet Overview"

{
  "pageCategory": {
    "pageType": "Leaflet:Leaflet Overview",
    "primaryCategory": "prospekte"
  }
}

PL - Poland (digitalData)

Homepage

{
  "pageCategory": {
    "pageType": "Consumer Homepage",
    "primaryCategory": "Home",
    "subCategory1": "n/a",
    "subCategory2": "n/a",
    "subCategory3": "n/a"
  },
  "pageInfo": {
    "pageName": "ConsumerHome",
    "country": "PL",
    "language": "PL",
    "currency": "ZLT",
    "environment": "Production",
    "siteName": "n/a"
  }
}

Offers overview - pageType: "Promotion Week Overview Page"

{
  "pageCategory": {
    "pageType": "Promotion Week Overview Page",
    "primaryCategory": "Oferty",
    "subCategory1": "n/a"
  },
  "pageInfo": {
    "pageName": "Oferty",
    "country": "PL",
    "currency": "ZLT"
  }
}

Products overview - pageType: "Editorial Overview Page"

{
  "pageCategory": {
    "pageType": "Editorial Overview Page",
    "primaryCategory": "Produkty"
  },
  "pageInfo": {
    "pageName": "Produkty"
  }
}

Product category (Pieczywo/Bread) - pageType: "Editorial Overview Page"

{
  "pageCategory": {
    "pageType": "Editorial Overview Page",
    "primaryCategory": "Produkty",
    "subCategory1": "Pieczywo"
  },
  "pageInfo": {
    "pageName": "Pieczywo"
  }
}

PDP - pageType: "Product Detail Page"

{
  "pageCategory": {
    "pageType": "Product Detail Page",
    "primaryCategory": "Oferty",
    "subCategory1": "PONIEDZIAŁEK-SOBOTA 2-7.03",
    "subCategory2": "3791"
  },
  "pageInfo": {
    "pageName": "Product Detail:3791:Pomidory malinowe"
  }
}

Brochure - pageType: "Editorial Page"

{
  "pageCategory": {
    "pageType": "Editorial Page",
    "primaryCategory": "Gazetki"
  },
  "pageInfo": {
    "pageName": "Gazetki"
  }
}

FR - France (adobeDataLayer)

Homepage - pageType: "Homepage:Website"

{
  "pageCategory": {
    "pageType": "Homepage:Website",
    "primaryCategory": "Home"
  },
  "pageInfo": {
    "pageName": "ConsumerHome",
    "country": "FR",
    "language": "fr",
    "currency": "EUR",
    "siteName": "AN FR Website"
  }
}

Offers overview - pageType: "Products:Offer Page:Website"

{
  "pageCategory": {
    "pageType": "Products:Offer Page:Website",
    "primaryCategory": "offres-et-bons-plans"
  },
  "firstProduct": {
    "primaryCategory": "Offers",
    "subCategory1": "114-asia-green-garden-r",
    "subCategory2": "71-plats-prepares-en-conserve"
  }
}

Products overview - pageType: "Products:Product Overview Page"

{
  "pageCategory": {
    "pageType": "Products:Product Overview Page",
    "primaryCategory": "categories-des-produits"
  }
}

Product category (Viande & Poisson) - pageType: "Products:Product Overview Page"

{
  "pageCategory": {
    "pageType": "Products:Product Overview Page",
    "primaryCategory": "categories-des-produits",
    "subCategory1": "viande-poisson"
  }
}

PDP (Patates douces) - pageType: "Products:PDP:Website"

{
  "pageCategory": {
    "pageType": "Products:PDP:Website",
    "primaryCategory": "Categories Des Produits",
    "subCategory1": "42-fruits-et-legumes-frais"
  },
  "pageInfo": {
    "pageName": "Product Detail:5580:Patates douces"
  },
  "firstProduct": {
    "primaryCategory": "Product Detail",
    "subCategory1": "42-fruits-et-legumes-frais"
  }
}

Brochure - pageType: "Leaflet:Leaflet Overview"

{
  "pageCategory": {
    "pageType": "Leaflet:Leaflet Overview",
    "primaryCategory": "catalogue"
  }
}

NL - Netherlands (adobeDataLayer)

Homepage - pageType: "Homepage:Website"

{
  "pageInfo": {
    "pageName": "ConsumerHome",
    "country": "NL",
    "language": "nl",
    "currency": "EUR",
    "siteName": "AN NL Website"
  }
}

Offers overview - pageType: "Products:Offer Page:Website"

{
  "pageCategory": {
    "pageType": "Products:Offer Page:Website",
    "primaryCategory": "aanbiedingen"
  },
  "firstProduct": {
    "primaryCategory": "Offers",
    "subCategory1": "vega",
    "subCategory2": "myvay"
  }
}

Products overview - pageType: "Products:Product Overview Page"

{
  "pageCategory": {
    "pageType": "Products:Product Overview Page",
    "primaryCategory": "producten"
  }
}

Product category (Paasassortiment) - pageType: "Products:Product Category Page:Assortment"

{
  "pageCategory": {
    "pageType": "Products:Product Category Page:Assortment",
    "primaryCategory": "producten",
    "subCategory1": "paasassortiment"
  }
}

PDP (Goudse kaas) - pageType: "Products:PDP:Website"

{
  "pageCategory": {
    "pageType": "Products:PDP:Website",
    "primaryCategory": "Producten",
    "subCategory1": "kaas",
    "subCategory2": "molenland"
  },
  "pageInfo": {
    "pageName": "Product Detail:1207429:Goudse kaas 48+ stuk jong belegen"
  },
  "firstProduct": {
    "primaryCategory": "Product Detail",
    "subCategory1": "kaas",
    "subCategory2": "molenland"
  }
}

Brochure - pageType: "Leaflet:Leaflet Overview"

{
  "pageCategory": {
    "pageType": "Leaflet:Leaflet Overview",
    "primaryCategory": "folders"
  }
}

ES - Spain (digitalData)

Homepage - pageType: "Consumer Homepage"

{
  "pageInfo": {
    "pageName": "ConsumerHome",
    "country": "ES",
    "language": "ES",
    "currency": "EUR"
  },
  "firstProduct": {
    "primaryCategory": "Frescos",
    "subCategory1": "Fruta",
    "subCategory2": "Fruta de temporada"
  }
}

Offers overview - pageType: "Promotion Week Overview Page"

{
  "pageCategory": {
    "pageType": "Promotion Week Overview Page",
    "primaryCategory": "Ofertas"
  },
  "firstProduct": {
    "primaryCategory": "Frescos",
    "subCategory1": "Fruta",
    "subCategory2": "Fruta de temporada"
  }
}

Products overview - No dedicated page exists (returns 404).

PDP (Fresas) - pageType: "Product Detail Page"

{
  "pageCategory": {
    "pageType": "Product Detail Page",
    "primaryCategory": "Ofertas",
    "subCategory1": "Desde el 2 de marzo: Ofertas semanales",
    "subCategory2": "9850"
  },
  "pageInfo": {
    "pageName": "Product Detail:9850:Fresas"
  },
  "firstProduct": {
    "primaryCategory": "Frescos",
    "subCategory1": "Fruta",
    "subCategory2": "Fruta de temporada"
  }
}

Brochure - pageType: "Editorial Overview Page"

{
  "pageCategory": {
    "pageType": "Editorial Overview Page",
    "primaryCategory": "Folleto de supermercado"
  }
}

PT - Portugal (digitalData)

Homepage - pageType: "Consumer Homepage"

{
  "pageInfo": {
    "pageName": "ConsumerHome",
    "country": "PT",
    "language": "PT",
    "currency": "EUR"
  },
  "firstProduct": {
    "primaryCategory": "sem10"
  }
}

Products overview - pageType: "Editorial Overview Page"

{
  "pageCategory": {
    "pageType": "Editorial Overview Page",
    "primaryCategory": "Produtos"
  }
}

Product category (Laticínios) - pageType: "Editorial Overview Page"

{
  "pageCategory": {
    "pageType": "Editorial Overview Page",
    "primaryCategory": "Produtos",
    "subCategory1": "Laticínios"
  }
}

PDP (Risotto com Cogumelos) - pageType: "Product Detail Page"

{
  "pageCategory": {
    "pageType": "Product Detail Page",
    "primaryCategory": "Produtos",
    "subCategory1": "Frescos e Prontos",
    "subCategory2": "Pizzas e Refeições prontas",
    "subCategory3": "7013098"
  },
  "pageInfo": {
    "pageName": "Product Detail:7013098:Risotto com Cogumelos/ Pesto"
  },
  "firstProduct": {
    "primaryCategory": "pizzas-e-refeicoes-prontas"
  }
}

Brochure - pageType: "Editorial Page"

{
  "pageCategory": {
    "pageType": "Editorial Page",
    "primaryCategory": "Folhetos"
  }
}

BE - Belgium (digitalData)

Homepage - pageType: "Consumer Homepage"

{
  "pageInfo": {
    "pageName": "ConsumerHome",
    "country": "BE",
    "language": "NL",
    "currency": "EUR"
  },
  "firstProduct": {
    "primaryCategory": "Paassnoep"
  }
}

Offers overview - pageType: "Promotion Week Overview Page"

{
  "pageCategory": {
    "pageType": "Promotion Week Overview Page",
    "primaryCategory": "Aanbiedingen van volgende week"
  },
  "firstProduct": {
    "primaryCategory": "AGF-Fruit"
  }
}

Products overview - pageType: "Enhanced Product Page"

{
  "pageCategory": {
    "pageType": "Enhanced Product Page",
    "primaryCategory": "Producten"
  }
}

Product category (Verse producten) - pageType: "Editorial Overview Page"

{
  "pageCategory": {
    "pageType": "Editorial Overview Page",
    "primaryCategory": "Producten",
    "subCategory1": "Verse producten, lage prijzen? Check."
  }
}

PDP (Spekken) - pageType: "Product Detail Page"

{
  "pageCategory": {
    "pageType": "Product Detail Page",
    "primaryCategory": "P",
    "subCategory1": "3003000"
  },
  "pageInfo": {
    "pageName": "Product Detail:3003000:Spekken"
  },
  "firstProduct": {
    "primaryCategory": "Paassnoep"
  }
}

Brochure - pageType: "iPaper Page"

{
  "pageCategory": {
    "pageType": "iPaper Page",
    "primaryCategory": "Onze folders",
    "subCategory1": "Folder van deze week"
  }
}

LU - Luxembourg (digitalData)

Homepage - pageType: "Consumer Homepage"

{
  "pageInfo": {
    "pageName": "ConsumerHome",
    "country": "LU",
    "language": "FR",
    "currency": "EUR"
  },
  "firstProduct": {
    "primaryCategory": "Paassnoep"
  }
}

Offers overview - pageType: "Promotion Week Overview Page"

{
  "pageCategory": {
    "pageType": "Promotion Week Overview Page",
    "primaryCategory": "Offres de la semaine prochaine"
  }
}

Products overview - pageType: "Enhanced Product Page"

{
  "pageCategory": {
    "pageType": "Enhanced Product Page",
    "primaryCategory": "Produits"
  }
}

Product category (Produits frais) - pageType: "Editorial Overview Page"

{
  "pageCategory": {
    "pageType": "Editorial Overview Page",
    "primaryCategory": "Produits",
    "subCategory1": "Produits frais, prix bas ? Check."
  }
}

PDP (Guimauves) - pageType: "Product Detail Page"

{
  "pageCategory": {
    "pageType": "Product Detail Page",
    "primaryCategory": "Produits",
    "subCategory1": "Assortiment de Pâques",
    "subCategory2": "3003000"
  },
  "pageInfo": {
    "pageName": "Product Detail:3003000:Guimauves"
  },
  "firstProduct": {
    "primaryCategory": "Paassnoep"
  }
}

Brochure - pageType: "Editorial Page"

{
  "pageCategory": {
    "pageType": "Editorial Page",
    "primaryCategory": "Nos dépliants"
  }
}

Conclusion

A multi-market data layer audit isn’t glamorous work, but it reveals truths that no documentation will tell you. In this case, the audit surfaced a platform split (legacy vs. ACDL), taxonomy inconsistencies, unexpected product data on non-product pages, and missing page types - all of which would cause problems in a cross-market reporting setup.

The data layer is the foundation of your analytics stack. If the foundation is inconsistent, everything built on top of it - reports, segments, attribution models - inherits that inconsistency. An audit like this takes a few hours and saves you from months of misattributed data.

If you’re managing a similar multi-market setup, start with the checklist above. And if your pageType values don’t match across markets, at least now you know you’re not alone.

Why audit a data layer across markets?

Methodology

Finding #1: two architectures under one brand

Why this matters

Finding #2: page type taxonomy diverges

Homepage

Offers/promotions overview

Products overview

Product detail page

Brochure / leaflet

The pattern

Finding #3: siteName reveals the platform split

Finding #4: product data population is inconsistent

On PDP pages (expected)

On non-PDP pages (unexpected)

Finding #5: URL patterns are completely different

Finding #6: some page types don’t exist everywhere

Practical takeaways

1. Identify the data layer variable first

2. Build a normalisation layer

3. Don’t trust primaryCategory on product objects

4. Check for product data on non-PDP pages

5. Use pageName for cross-market matching

6. Document missing page types

The full dataset

Conclusion

Finding #3: `siteName` reveals the platform split

3. Don’t trust `primaryCategory` on product objects

5. Use `pageName` for cross-market matching