PIM and Shopify for Managing Storefronts

If you intend to sell through more than one eCommerce channel, whether it’s to support a brick-and-mortar store, reach international markets, or target specific audiences, Shopify Plus provides the ideal platform to manage multiple storefronts. However, using a product information management (PIM) system in hand with Shopify Plus creates a powerful combination to help streamline the process and achieve your goals. Here’s how it works.

1. Using Shopify Plus to manage multiple storefronts

Shopify Plus is an enterprise-level eCommerce platform designed with high-growth merchants in mind. If you are targeting high annual revenue levels, the platform enables you to build and manage your online stores with features like advanced analytics, customizable checkout, and multi-channel sales capabilities. However, when relying on Shopify Plus alone, you can run into several challenges, including:

  • Difficulty managing separate order streams and product allocation
  • Adding and updating catalog items across multiple channels
  • Managing price strategies across multiple stores
  • Complex inventory management across various warehouses
  • Complex systems integration with your ERP, POS, DAM, etc.

As a result, it helps to have a connector system that enables you to integrate functions and streamline processes. Therefore, using a PIM as your connector reduces time-consuming manual processes and maintains consistency across all channels.

2. How Shopify Plus works with a PIM

Using a PIM with Shopify Plus enables you to streamline your product management processes. By managing all your product data in one location, you ensure your product information is consistent across all your Shopify (and non-Shopify) storefronts.

Instead of worrying about different formats and structures, your PIM standardizes your digital assets and product descriptions, making it easy to create initial product information for each SKU. You can then keep data accurate and organized moving forward. You can standardize your content so it is always up-to-date across all storefronts.

With a central product data hub, you can keep track of information and ensure it is distributed according to your branding, targets, currencies, languages, product attributes, SEO strategy, and more.

You can also develop an effective strategy for the allocation of products to scale to meet the growing demand of storefront expansion. You maintain a high level of customer service by creating an efficient supply chain that remains scalable as you expand to more and more storefronts.

3. The benefits of using a PIM with Shopify plus to manage multiple storefronts

Managing multiple storefronts with a PIM and Shopify Plus offers many advantages, including:

Centralized product management:

One of your biggest challenges is tracking thousands of SKUs across multiple product data systems. With the right PIM, your team can confidently work knowing that all your product information is managed and stored in one place. With everyone accessing the same and most recent product data, you reduce errors, maintain consistency, and avoid making corrections and updates across multiple channels. In addition, everything is created and managed from your PIM, including product listings, updating prices and inventory, and managing product attributes like color, size, and style.

Consistent product information

The next challenge is consistency across your storefronts. With a PIM system, your centralized product data system ensures that your product information is consistent. As a result, you can maintain a strong brand image and avoid confusing customers with conflicting information. In addition, your product data is enriched to meet the needs of your different customer bases, further enhancing customer experience.

Improved efficiency

Another challenge of multiple storefronts is performing the same tasks for each storefront individually. As a result, product updates become a time-consuming nightmare for your team. Automating many of the product management processes using a PIM saves time and improves efficiency. As a result, your team frees up time to focus on the core functions of the business, like marketing and customer service. Through improved efficiency, your brand becomes more customer-centric, helping to raise brand awareness, build trust and enhance the lifetime value of your customers.

Enhanced customer experience

Product management challenges aside, the experience you offer your customers drives your sales. You want to create target-relevant customer experiences for each storefront while maintaining consistency with accurate product information across all your storefronts. A PIM is your guiding light, empowering your departments to work collaboratively to develop improved customer experiences through accurate, robust product descriptions, complementary marketing materials, and high-quality data assets such as images, video, and 3D renderings. This can lead to higher customer satisfaction, reduced returns, and increased sales.

Managing multiple storefronts with Shopify Plus and a PIM like Pimberly enables you to streamline your product launches and ongoing product updates. In addition, you can improve workflows with automation for time-consuming product management tasks without requiring individual actions for each storefront.