Best Product Catalog Management Software 2024

The goal of today’s electronic catalogs, driven by large e-commerce platforms, is to provide information as dynamically as possible in real time. How did we get here, though? It was not reached in a short span. So, keep reading if you want to know how product metadata management works and how the best product catalog management software can help you.

 

Jess Edwards

Jess Edwards

Customer Marketing Manager

AI-Powered Catalog Management

Artificial intelligence (AI) supports inventory tracking and management. It guarantees product information precision, availability, accuracy of stock levels, and synchronization across channels. AI is proven to be a companion for inventory management with no manual involvement and high inventory visibility. In turn, you can increase effectiveness and proactive optimization.  AI also allows brands to constantly analyze historical data and forecasting with ease when managing a product catalog.

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The customer experience (CX) has evolved because of helpful product catalog management tools. AI-powered technologies like machine learning and natural language processing (NLP) have played a large role in this evolution. Customized shopping experiences, purchase histories, preferences, and tailored product recommendations have all existed in the past. But, thanks to AI’s accuracy, the likelihood of conversion and repeat business has increased significantly.

What Is Product Catalog Management?

It has long been recognized that product catalogs draw readers into the narrative of a business and everything it has to offer. They provide an upfront experience and feel of a product.  Though, if you dig a little deeper, you’ll discover that product catalog management definition goes far beyond simply organizing and arranging product details.

Rather, the process of creating online product catalogs involves assembling numerous unique components. It makes products, services, and offerings accessible to sales teams, corporate partners, and end users. Thus, it is about comparing and viewing product data in an easy-to-understand manner.

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For selling, upkeep, or partnership-based selling, catalog management refers to the establishment and administration of hierarchies of particular items. These include products or services under different groups and categories.

Categories combine a variety of attributes, specifications, and product descriptions that characterize those particular items. Catalogs make it simple to compare and browse items in the same category in an easy-to-understand way. Correct product catalog management helps your customers get the real and up close perception of how similar products might differ.

Catalog Management Process

The process of developing and managing your physical or online product catalog management system for eCommerce is known as product catalog management. As a subset of marketing project management, this kind of digital asset management makes sure that all of your clients—B2B and B2C alike—have access to your most recent product data information and images to increase sales through all of your intended sales channels.

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The number of items you provide can affect how complicated your online product catalog management system is. So can the markets you service, the size of your company, and the amount of information you wish to add. It will need a lot of assets and cross-functional cooperation.

If you need to create physical or online product catalogs, you ought to employ an online product catalog management system. It will notably simplify and streamline the product data processes as much as possible. The marketing and design departments of most companies are extremely overworked and have to meet deadlines almost every day. With the right automation in place, creating product catalogs is no longer a tedious process.

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Importance of Using an Information Management PIM System

Product catalog management software can be effectively substituted with a product information management (PIM) system, which is a potent instrument to create product catalogs. It offers great efficiency and higher production yield to receive best results.

Here, are a few explanations to explain why using an information management PIM system can help you create the perfect product catalogs:

  • PIM offers better value for your money than other catalogs of product management software because it is less expensive.
  • Having a single database for all of your product information through a PIM system allows you to manage data from a single platform. Before PIM, brands needed to manually update several systems. Centralized data allows brands to provide a great omnichannel experience for customers and management alike.
  • Product and eCommerce managers may rapidly, effectively, and generate, edit, and distribute product attributes  across all channels as well as platforms including marketplaces to showcase your products, with the help of an efficient PIM system.

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Digital Asset Management (DAM)

Every company requires a centralized DAM, Digital Asset Management system, to manage and aggregate product SKUs, keep them translated into more languages, and distribute them throughout more nations worldwide. The DAM system is meant to serve as a single source of truth. Before DAM, product data was mostly transmitted via emails and stored in a variety of systems, including SAP and Microsoft Excel. Consequently, product data is also spread across many platforms and is in the possession of several people. Manual sharing was also done for digital materials.

You can get centralized, governed, and managed product data and digital assets through the implementation of a strong DAM platform. Digital assets are centralized and customized mechanisms to distribute data in several different languages.

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How a Catalog Management System Helps Organizations

The maintenance of an online product catalog content is much more detailed than just managing your product. You must possess a comprehensive list of all forthcoming products, determine which ones to feature in your online product catalog, in which product category, and make certain that all other product details are current and in the best order.

This calls for cooperation among several departments. The design department that is either inside or outside the organization. copywriters handle the creation process, and marketing managers often handle the arranging and distribution stages. A good product catalog system will help you expedite the installation process but also make it easier for you to design, manage, and distribute your catalog. Attract your potential clientele while also increasing your brand reach.

Furthermore, since you cannot send a finished catalog with wrong product information or pricing, errors will result in significant costs if you use physical catalogs. Consequently, with the help of top-notch online product catalog software, you may reduce failure rates and increase consistency, productivity, sales and business profit altogether. Product catalog software makes it possible for you to create catalogs with captivating product descriptions and eye-catching photographs, which boosts your business’s bottom line and skyrocket your sales and production.

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Importance of eCommerce Product Catalog Management

Businesses can obtain a competitive edge, reach new markets, increase inventory levels and quickly adjust to shifting market trends with the help of effective online catalog management. Businesses can improve customer trust, maximize operational efficiency, and take advantage of targeted marketing techniques by offering precise and current product information.

As a result of social media’s introduction, companies have started creating online catalogs that are customized based on the interests and previous actions of their customers, highlighting how buying has evolved into a “social shopping experience.” The fact that each social media platform has a user base that is specifically defined by demographics only benefits marketers.

Additionally, automated catalogs have shifted the tide in favor of businesses due to the digital disruption brought about by AI and NLP technologies. This is because these technologies enable businesses to take advantage of features like a reduced workload, controlled inventory levels, a lower chance of human error, personalized recommendations via algorithms, flawless user experiences, and quick customizations.

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How to Perform Centralized Catalog Management?

To cut down on discrepancies and save administration, consolidate all of your data into a single, current product database. In contrast to depending on dispersed and frequently antiquated spreadsheets for data, a centralized system guarantees increased precision and effectiveness while also elevating user experience. Make a list of all the information you currently have. List any product listing of data you wish to centralize, even if it’s already dispersed across multiple spreadsheets.

Choose a solution or service for data management that can efficiently integrate and arrange all of your data. To keep things secure and organized after setup, establish distinct responsibilities for maintaining and viewing the content.

Multi-channel integration guarantees that product details in the product listing are accurate and uniform across the board. Overcoming technological obstacles is another necessity for implementing such integration. It needs a strong backend system, such as PIM, that can synchronize updates in real time and connect many platforms with ease. In addition, multichannel integration provides a consolidated perspective of consumer preferences and interactions for a satisfactory user experience.

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Reasons You Need Product Data Management

Here are some important reasons why you need a product data management system:

Business Flexibility

Your company can react swiftly to changes in the market if all of your product content is contained in a single eCommerce catalog. Faster product upgrades and launches will help you stay competitive.

Better Customer Experience

Finding products is made easier with a well-organized catalog. Customers are happier as a result, and brand identification and loyalty are increased. Consumers are more likely to make a purchase when they enjoy an improved product experience (PX) as a result of properly managed product details in data. Moreover, it keeps them returning.

Improved SEO

Websites with current, pertinent, and well-organized product attributes are given preference by search engines. Your site’s SEO is improved by a well-managed product catalog, which increases the ease with which potential buyers may find your offerings.

Streamlined Business Operations

Reducing mistakes and discrepancies in order processing, management of inventory, and customer support can be achieved by centralizing all of your product details into a single catalog. As a result, it results in more efficient internal processes. With a consolidated digital database, your product data is constantly of the highest caliber. There should be less expensive mistakes made and a decreased likelihood of product returns from customers.

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Why Is Product Database So Important?

How clients view and engage with your goods is greatly impacted by the caliber of the product data in your online product catalog. Indeed, according to a recent poll, 70% of online shoppers will abandon a product website if it doesn’t provide enough information. Using the right amount of relevant product data greatly impacts your cart abandonment ratio.

Although its time consuming, make certain that your descriptions are understandable and contain important details. These may include product specifications, advantages, and features. If you’re selling industrial goods, include helpful information to assist B2B clients in making decisions. Use items such as interactive graphs and endurance estimates.

Additionally, crisp photos and videos have a significant impact on your inventory management system. Photos and videos also enhance the buying experience for customers by making your things easier to see. This experience can be enhanced by adding 3D views plus AR/VR capabilities, especially for more sophisticated or expensive products. Through more engaging means, these interactive aspects let shoppers take a more comprehensive look at the merchandise. They help the buyer make a firm decision that they would not regret afterwards.

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How Crucial Is Catalog Version Control

The listing methods and standards will vary for each of your sales and marketing channels. Thus, in reality, your automated product catalog consists of multiple separate web catalogs. It is more challenging to standardize and update every listing when there is an absence of consistency and uniformity.

Beyond that, the main difficulty here is that several of these channels are out of your control. However, buyers will feel duped if they see your products for less at other online sites. You will lose out on sales if price disparities work in their favor, negatively impacting your revenue. This is especially true if you are unable to ensure uniform pricing across all of them.

Being able to communicate with fulfillment facilities, retail locations, and channel sales partners is an aspect of catalog management and version control. That isn’t feasible without a centralized product database. Therefore, one needs to cater and prioritize using effective catalog version control to ensure uniformity across all channels and provide dynamic catalog updates.

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Best Product Catalog Content Management Software

The following are some of the best product catalog management software to use:

Pimberly

If you’re looking for an automated solution for quickly and easily creating, publishing, and editing your catalogs, Pimberly Catalog could be the perfect fit. Our platform saves your teams time and money by managing either part or all of the catalog production process. Having a centralized platform means changes to product data are automatically updated within the catalog. In other words, you can have total confidence about the accuracy and quality of the product data you share with your customers.

Plytix

Product information management is made possible by the platform, which enables eCommerce companies to locate, modify, and enhance product facts. It may manage a variety of components, including marketing data, channel-specific information, and technical specs. When selling through various channels, Plytix can assist you in creating branded product sheets to submit to marketplaces and merchants.

Sales Layer

A cloud-based program called Sales Layer assists any size online retailer in managing and arranging product data. Your data will be automatically updated and synchronized by the platform. Also, the platform will assess its quality and distribute it across various platforms and sales channels. Additionally, it assigns the appropriate groupings, categories, and attributes to each product field.

Pimcore

Since Pimcore is open-source software, any eCommerce company can use it to manage and upgrade its data quality management at no cost. Because of Pimcore’s flexibility, you can show data from a central repository on every sales channel, even if you run eCommerce businesses in numerous markets or have multiple domains. Even when handling the most complex data, the platform allows you to control millions of SKUs with several thousand variables.

Jasper PIM

For online retailers using the Big 4 eCommerce platforms, Jasper PIM, a top SaaS solution, offers reliable product information management solutions. The platform allows you to publish and personalize custom product attributes to new markets like Google Merchant Center and Amazon. It optimizes your product marketing and sales strategy when branching out into new sales channels and integrates your whole technology stack.

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Catalog Management Software

Software for product catalogs is essential for companies that use eCommerce. For sales reps, a centralized system greatly simplifies the process of managing offers and assets. It makes it easier for you to use various sales channels more successfully and to maintain current inventory. In one way or another, all of this adds up to more money. Another benefit that saves even more time and money is automating the movement of data between environments.

Furthermore, creating product catalog management software isn’t all that difficult if you keep in mind a few basic guidelines and efficient catalog publishing tools. You may also always ask anyone knowledgeable about these kinds of systems for assistance if you need it.

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Crucial Role of Inventory Management in an Organization

A system for managing inventories and your online catalog must be integrated for accurate stock levels in real time. This implies that your catalog will update instantly to reflect any changes in stock levels or runouts of an item, giving clients the most recent information. By ensuring that what your consumers see online corresponds exactly to your actual inventory, this intelligent connection significantly lowers the possibility of overselling or stock-outs.

Because it eliminates situations when customers make purchases for things that are truly out of stock, this level of precision is essential. Such a system consistently maintains customer pleasure and confidence. Additionally, it helps spot patterns in product popularity, which helps adjust inventory levels to match real demand to affirm perfect product data syndication.

By examining past data, one can gain an understanding of seasonal patterns and improve readiness during busy periods. Efficient product data syndication offers great possibilities to increase sales and business profit.

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The Need For An Omnichannel Catalog Management

These days, going omnichannel is more than simply a fad. Because of its many advantages over multichannel, it might be among the greatest methods to run a retail corporation. Keeping the omnichannel experience consistent is every retailer’s top priority. You can guarantee that the product database is accurate and consistent by incorporating a supportive catalog integration system.

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Bottom line

Efficient product catalog management software helps an organization put the right brand image in front of customers. All the while, you have robust data management behind it. Employing effective data management is the key to success for any business looking to optimize its product catalog management. You can contact us at Pimberly if you are in search of the best management tools in town.