MDM is crucial in Retail & CPG, but even with powerful tools like Reltio, common pitfalls such as poor data quality at ingestion, blind spots in data lineage, and limited visibility inside Reltio can derail success. Implementing data observability early to prevent errors, tracking data lineage end-to-end to verify accuracy and ensure compliance, and boosting visibility with smart observability can sidestep these challenges and improve MDM confidence. By doing so, retailers and CPG brands can reduce errors, improve data trust across teams, and eliminate the need for constant cleanup, ultimately transforming their MDM strategy.