Stop drowning in product data. Make the most of it with Product Information Management

In the digital age, data is multiplying all the time, to the point where it's becoming difficult for the professionals who handle it to keep their heads above the tide.

This is all the more true for product information, which is on the increase, but so precious for satisfying an increasingly fussy consumer. Who hasn't complained about the lack of product information on their favourite marketplace?

Fortunately, Product Information Management (PIM) software exists to process and enhance this product information... and save e-commerce managers and marketing teams precious time.

Interesting, isn't it?

What are the features and promises of this magical PIM? We tell you all about it.

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What exactly is Product Information Management?

A brief definition of PIM

When we talk about Product Information Management, or PIM, we're referring to software dedicated to managing product data in its entirety.

🇫🇷 In France, the acronym GIP (Gestion de l'Information Produit) is also used.

In short, a PIM solution is responsible for :

• automatically collects information about your products, from your ERP for example;
• centralising it within a single interface;
• allowing you to modify and add to it;
• sending this information to all types of business, for distribution on :
  • your e-commerce sites
  • your marketplaces
  • your marketing channels (print catalogues, for example).

What types of data are managed?

We've been talking about product information all along. OK... but what kind of information exactly?

A PIM manages all the data used to characterise an item. For example :

• codes (EAN, GTIN, SKU, etc.),
• the name
• brand name
• descriptions
• photographs
• technical information
• advice on use,
• prices
• customer opinions and/or comments, etc.

PIM vs DAM

Be careful not to confuse PIM and DAM (Digital Asset Management), even though they are necessarily linked. In fact, some software packages incorporate both functions.

👉 While the PIM refers to product information, the DAM concerns the management of the company's digital media:

• photos
• videos
• audio files, etc.

Why use a PIM? Numerous challenges and benefits

The challenges of Product Information Management

In a business environment where data is constantly growing and coming from a variety of sources, having a tool that centralises and standardises information is fast becoming essential.

At the same time, the channels through which products are distributed are multiplying, each with its own specific characteristics. For example, each marketplace lays down its own rules for product descriptions (fields to be filled in, number of characters, etc.).

Added to these challenges are the constraints of communication and collaboration:

• with suppliers
• between teams within the same organisation, sometimes scattered across different sites.

In this context, Product Information Management offers a number of advantages.

Benefit no. 1: improve and harmonise product information

Despite a large number of references, some teams (marketing, purchasing, catalogue, etc.) still process information the "old-fashioned way", using an Excel file in particular.

But this can quickly turn into a gas factory, not to mention the risk of errors (typing errors, deleting lines, etc.) or duplication.

Thanks to Product Information Management :

• You benefit from a reliable solution. All the data is grouped and unified within the same platform to automate and facilitate processing.
  
  
• You'll be able to manage all possible scenarios without having to worry, and you'll be able to guarantee consumers an enhanced product experience . For example, the same product may come in different colours or sizes, each with its own EAN code, while the main descriptions remain the same. PIM manages these particularities!

💡 Good to know: the richer and more accurate the product information, the fewer items will be returned to you by customers because they don't match their expectations.

Advantage no. 2: save a LOT of time

All professionals are relentless in their pursuit of time... but the good news is that with Product Information Management, you save bandwidth!

Do your references need updating? Do you want to add a new range to your catalogue? Are you planning to enter a new market?

Updating information, creating new product data sheets... it's all much quicker with a PIM. For example, data can be imported directly from various sources (your ERP, a supplier file, etc.), and distributed in just a few clicks to all your distribution and communication channels.

Benefit no. 3: make your products more attractive

Whether you're selling in a physical store or online, the competition is tough. Product data is a good way to stand out from the crowd.

Since Product Information Management simplifies data qualification, you can generate attractive product sheets by adding fields and elements that meet new consumer requirements:

• origin of items and ingredients
• customer reviews
• labels and certifications (organic, vegan, fair trade, etc.).

🖼️ "A picture is worth a thousand words".

This well-known adage is all the more true in the world of commerce. But as most PIMs also incorporate DAM functions, add inspiring photographs or videos to your product information.

Benefit no. 4: conquer the world!

Like Cortex, you want to conquer the world... or at least sell your products outside France?

Every market has its own particularities, and Product Information Management software makes it easier to take them into account.

Here are a few examples:

• Choose to open or close a particular product category to a particular country;
• Adjust the fields and information required on product descriptions to comply with current regulations (product composition, traceability, etc.);
• Select the most appropriate distribution channels.

🌍 International sales mean translation. And it goes without saying that you can simplify the work of your translators if all the data is centralised in one place!

Advantage no. 5: develop sales strategies

"Offer the right product to the right person at the right time". That's the strategy that every good retailer or marketer needs to follow.

The PIM enables cross-selling and up-selling, by intelligently associating items based on pre-defined rules. In this way, you can encourage additional sales, move up the range, and therefore increase your turnover.

Benefit no. 5: increased visibility on the Internet...

On the e-commerce side

Product Information Management tools are designed to make your products appear higher up the Google search results.

Various fields and elements are provided to optimise your SEO: H1, H2, meta tags, photographs, etc.

Marketplaces

Do you want to sell on marketplaces such as Amazon or CDiscount?

Once the data has been centralised in your PIM, you can assign rules so that the format of the product sheets is adapted to the marketplace on which they will be displayed.

Advantage no. 6: ... and increase your visibility in the physical world

Product Information Management isn't just for the Internet!

With this type of software, you can easily generate print catalogues or sales brochures from a pre-defined template.

☝️ Product data also helps to enhance the customer experience at the point of sale. Why not, for example, provide visitors with touch-sensitive tablets to inform them about your products?

Benefit no. 7: facilitating collaboration

The PIM supports the implementation of workflows.

For example:

• The catalogue team enters the main data
• then the marketing department enriches it to make it more attractive,
• before the SEO experts add their stone to the edifice to ensure the positioning of product pages in search results.

All this is achieved by means of traceable processes and a history of all the changes made.

Product Information Management... for whom?

Product Information Management software is aimed primarily at retailers and e-tailers, to help them manage their product catalogues, which sometimes contain several thousand items.

Within companies themselves, various departments or entities are affected by the use of a PIM:

• e-commerce managers and their teams, responsible for working with product data and contextualising it according to the distribution channel, in order to optimise online sales;
• Marketing and communications departments, who need up-to-date data to run their various campaigns and operations;
• Information systems managers, who want to structure the information circulating internally;
• purchasing managers, who want to facilitate commercial relations with suppliers.

How does a PIM work?

General operation

The general operation of a product information management solution is based around 3 main activities.

Collecting product information

The PIM is responsible for collecting data from various sources, such as your ERP, but also Excel files sent by your suppliers.

💡 It is possible to proceed "from scratch" and generate a product sheet from A to Z by filling in the various fields by hand.

All this information is then brought together in the tool, within a single product repository.

Updating product information

The data is then reworked by the relevant departments.

The fields need to be completed to ensure that :

• the product page meets your quality requirements,
• all the required information is entered,
• the product sheet is perfectly adapted to a given distribution channel,
• translations are carried out, where necessary, for international trade.

Products are also classified and linked to the relevant catalogues.

☝️ As we have seen, the marketing and SEO teams can intervene at this point to optimise the data for marketing purposes.

Distributing product information

Finally, once the information has been fully qualified, the PIM is responsible for automating its distribution via the various :

• digital channels:
  • e-commerce platforms
  • marketplaces
  • mobile applications, etc,
• physical channels:
  • points of sale,
  • print documents, etc,
• departments concerned:
  • marketing
  • communication,
  • sales, etc.

Key functionalities

To support the uses described above, a PIM includes a large number of functions. While they vary from one solution to another, here are the main ones:

• Importing data from different sources,
• Exporting data to various channels,
• Management of product variations,
• Data segmentation,
• Translation management,
• Workflows and validations,
• Performance monitoring dashboards,
• Integration into the information system.

💡 Good to know: as a reminder, Product Information Management software can include DAM functionalities, an essential tool in a context where digital resources add a great deal of value to the presentation of your items.

Otherwise, a good PIM should at least have connectors for interfacing with a Digital Asset Management solution.

How do you choose and implement your future PIM?

Define your objectives precisely

First and foremost, ask yourself why you feel the need to equip yourself with a Product Information Management tool.

• To save time managing your product information?
• Improve data quality to boost your sales?
• Streamline processes between different departments?
• Going international? And so on.

In this way, you can identify the direction you need to take to launch your PIM project.

Specify your needs by asking yourself the right questions

What functionalities?

The functional coverage of PIMs varies from one software package to another.

We recommend that you list the features you absolutely need. After consultation, of course, with the business teams concerned, who are in the best position to identify the day-to-day problems and uses.

The nature and quantity of the data to be processed?

Product Information Management tools differ on this issue too.

So it's imperative that you choose a solution that's suited to :

• the average amount of product information processed in your company,
• the complexity of your product repository.

Scalability?

Your future needs will certainly not be the same as your current needs.

Ask yourself about the scalability of the PIMs you have selected, and choose the one that will perfectly match your growth ambitions:

• easily add new functionalities
• support a growing volume of data, etc.

Connecting with other tools?

By connecting your PIM with other tools, you can automate many of your processes and save precious time.

So make sure that your future software interfaces with :

• your ERP
• your e-commerce platform
• your marketplaces, etc.

SaaS or On Premise?

What type of hosting should you choose? SaaS or On Premise?

It's up to you to decide, based on your needs and the technical skills you have in-house.

☝️ Note, however, that SaaS is particularly suited to companies looking for a turnkey solution that can be deployed quickly. The cloud also has the advantage of providing better support for remote activities (all you need is an Internet connection). Practical if you have employees who work from home or who are scattered over different sites.

What level of support and assistance?

Is the publisher's customer service available and responsive? This can make a big difference in the event of a problem with your software.

You should also consider the level of support offered for setting up the PIM within the company, especially if you don't have in-house technical teams.

Finally, there is the question of skills transfer. Even if your Product Information Management tool turns out to be fairly intuitive, it's not something your teams just pick up! So it's best to opt for a publisher that offers a solid training programme tailored to the skill level of the users.

Select and test solutions

Once you have defined your needs, you can set about finding the ideal PIM. To start with, shortlist several platforms (three, for example) that match your criteria.

This will be followed by product demos and tests, so that the members of the company involved in the project can get an idea of the potential of each one, both in terms of the functions offered and the user-friendliness of the interface.

Example of an MIP

Armed with all this advice, you're no doubt wondering which solution to choose.

There is a lot of Product Information Management software on the market. Take Pimalion, for example. A PIM, DAM and ETL (Extract Transform Load) rolled into one, the platform is also equipped with numerous multi-channel publication connectors. As a result, you benefit from a truly all-in-one tool, with broad functional coverage for managing all your product information (even very large volumes): from the acquisition and qualitative enrichment of data ("sourcing") to dynamic multi-channel web, print and digital publication ("publishing").

See all software PIM and PXM

What can we learn from Product Information Management?

Product Information Management software is more than welcome in a context where product data is constantly increasing, particularly as a result of the development of online sales.

Having a PIM means :

• importing this data
• processing it to qualify it
• exporting it to all your sales and marketing channels.

This brings a host of benefits for organisations and departments (e-commerce managers, purchasing managers, marketing teams, etc.):

• better management, smoother collaboration and time savings in all product information-related activities,
• improved data quality, across all media... and even internationally!

All that's left for you to do is choose the right PIM software, one that will not only meet your current challenges, but also support your ambitions for growth!