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Guide to eCommerce SEO

Quick Guide to eCommerce SEO

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Getting your product enrichment right will do wonders for your search engine optimization (SEO) efforts. If you’re searching for a product, you don’t want to scroll through countless product listings to find what you want. The reality of online shopping in the current climate is that customers want to find products quickly and easily.  

So, what does product enrichment have to do with this? Generate more demand by making sure your products rank well and stand out from the competition. Give your customers top-quality product descriptions with stand-out images and videos to optimize your conversion rates.

Dig a little deeper into how rich product content contributes to your SEO strategy

>>> I’d like to do some digging

guide-ecommerce-seo-product-enrichment

Get your products found

Your products are unique and amazing, right? Let your customers know that by making your product descriptions original and unique. If there’s a feature, benefit, or material that makes your product stand out, this needs to be clearly communicated to your customers.  

Let’s say you’re selling a shirt made from ethically sourced organic cotton. These important product details need to be included in the product title and description to narrow down search results. In doing this, it’ll be easy to target longtail keywords as often, the longer the search term, the higher the buyer intent will be. The customer knows exactly what they’re looking for, and you’re giving them the details they need to make an informed buying decision.  

 If you’re sourcing product information from suppliers or manufacturers, Don’t take the easy route by copying the product description you’re provided with. First off, the way search engines work means they don’t like duplicate content. Secondly, this gives you a chance to apply your brand tone of voice and personality to your product descriptions. 

When it comes to your keywords, make sure they’re placed where they need to be. For example:  

  •   In your title tag  
  •   One in the product title  
  •   Once or twice in the product description  
  •   One in the image alt tag  
  •   Once in the meta description  

Give your customers confidence

Your product descriptions need to instill confidence in your customers. To do this, you need to include rich, accurate, and quality product data coupled with keyword research. With speed and ease being so important, customers should instantly be able to know what they’re going to get from the product. This is where you should focus on the features and benefits.  

Outline what the key features are, and how the customer will benefit from the products you’re offering. Again, if we’re looking at the ethically sourced organic cotton shirt, the description might be as follows:    

“This ethically sourced organic cotton shirt is lightweight and will keep you cool in the hot summer months. The quality organic cotton is machine washable and fast-drying, so it’s an ideal holiday accessory.” 

From the get-go, the description outlines the product features and what that ultimately means if they buy it.  

You should always include images or videos on product pages because they play such an important role in the buyer’s journey. They need to be top-quality so your customers can zoom in and see products from all angles with 360 views. Videos encourage visitors to spend more time on your product page. This is another important ranking factor, so consider having a video as the first digital asset to instantly engage them.   

Here’s some further reading on the importance of digital assets in the buyer journey

>>> I’ll have a read

Very high-resolution images can sometimes have a negative impact on your page load time. Because this is an important ranking factor, make sure your PIM or DAM has an auto-resizing functionality built-in as standard. Failing that, you should use re-sizing apps. This means you won’t compromise the quality of your pictures, and you’ll be able to conserve precious bandwidth.  

Product enrichment for the buying stages

Different stages of the buyer journey will require different levels of detail. For instance, customers with a lower awareness are going to need more information. To cater to the needs of your different audiences, let your customers choose how much product detail they see.  

 This essentially means you’ll need to write two product descriptions, ensuring you include your short and long-tail keywords. For the best results, stick to a limit of 300 – 400 words. Provide the top-level details in the first few lines for your high-awareness customers. You then need to do a deep dive to give low-awareness customers that extra layer of detail.    

What you’re selling should also determine the extent of your product enrichment. Everyone knows what a shirt is and how it should be worn and washed. This won’t be the case if you’ve got very technical or niche products. You need to provide details on how it should be used, maintained, or installed.  

Think about where your customers are interacting with your products. With mobile and social media on the rise, customers will be interacting with your products in a completely different way. Your product page should be mobile-friendly so your customers can browse your products wherever they are.  

Top tips and tricks for product page super SEO

Structured data

Search engines love structured data, so you need to make sure your product categories and attributes are on point. This will help your customers find what they’re looking for quickly and easily. It’s also a great opportunity to create cross-sell and upsell opportunities with kits, bundles, and intelligent product recommendations. 

Find out how you can leverage your product data to create cross-sell and upsell opportunities

>>> Find out more 

Your site’s structure should be clearly reflected in your URL slugs (the exact address of a page on your site) and it needs to be something your customers will understand, i.e., not just random symbols. Defining unique URL slugs for your product pages also gives you scope to include your target keywords, which will improve your SEO ranking.  

Page structure

Trustworthiness and familiarity will be something else your customers (and search engines) will be on the lookout for. Customers expect to see a familiar product page layout when they land on your site. Here’s a great example from our customer, FurnitureBox: 

furniture-box-product-page

Everything the customer needs to know can be found in one place. From price, shipping, and delivery information, to reviews and product recommendations with a clear call to action. If your product page has a familiar feel to it, you’re less likely to get bounce rates. Importantly, the fewer bounce rates you have, the more authority your site will have from the search engine’s perspective.    

Meta titles & descriptions

These are going to be the first bits of information your customers will see. They need to be clear and concise, so customers know exactly what to expect when they click through on your product page. Use your keywords in the meta title and longtail keywords in the description to guarantee a higher click-through rate.   

Stick to a 160-character limit so your meta description isn’t truncated. Higher click-through rates mean better site authority and better SEO rankings. 

User-generated content

This is actually another one of Goggle’s ranking factors. Get your customers to leave reviews as it’s super beneficial from a ranking perspective, and also a sales perspective. Customer reviews give your customers a true representation of the product and will improve the user experience. In addition to this, it also means your customers build a more personable relationship with your brand and products.     

 The benefits of super SEO

Product information management platforms like Pimberly enable you to easily create and manage enriched product content. Because all product information and digital assets are stored in one place, your SEO teams have a central hub to work from. 

Make SEO work for you and enrich your product data to achieve:   

  •   Better product discovery   
  •   Improved conversion rate optimization   
  •   Increased click-through rates 
  •   Lower bounce rates 
  •   Amazing customer experience   

CTA-SEO-white-paper

PIM Best Practice for eCommerce Success: Turn browsers into buyers

PIM Best Practice for eCommerce Success

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To achieve eCommerce success, you need to follow PIM best practice. Increasing numbers of organizations are looking to use a PIM system to manage product data and streamline processes. At a time when online shopping is booming, it’s vital for eCommerce businesses to harness their product data to gain a competitive edge.

Streamlining how you manage your product data and digital assets is essential. Developing an eCommerce marketing strategy that will really set you apart from the competition is also crucial. Ultimately, you want to turn browsers into buyers. To do that, you need to give your customers engaging product content like imagery, video, and fully enriched product information.

Implementing a PIM solution is essential if you’re looking to achieve eCommerce success. In this blog, we’re going to outline the key areas of PIM best practice you should consider before starting your PIM journey.

pim-best-practice-for-ecommerce-success

The golden record & source of truth

Maintaining the golden record can sometimes feel like finding the holy grail of product data. With PIM, this doesn’t have to be the case. Regardless of whether you’re importing data from 10 data sources or 1000, you can ensure there are standardized formats your product data and digital assets will follow.

With Pimberly’s lifecycle stages and workflows, you always have full visibility of the completeness and accuracy of your product data. Housing all product information in PIM creates a holistic approach to tracking and understanding what is required to get products to market.

This added visibility gives you an understanding of what products are for sale on a certain market, and it allows you to then ask why not? Lifecycles also ensure you’ll never release a product live with missing information ever again.

Different sales channels will have different requirements for the format of your product content and digital assets. PIM best practice involves setting different criteria with scoping capabilities. Scoping enables you to optimize your product content for a specific audience or market.

This makes sure you’re always distributing the best possible quality across all your online outlets. Furthermore, this will help to differentiate content from your competitors and provide SEO benefits as a result

Create confident shoppers with your unified product data. When they see consistency across your channels, they’ll know that what they’re seeing is what they’ll get. You can also make it easier for your customers to find your products by adding as many product attributes as you like.

Making improvements to product structure and providing rich attribution will go a long way in boosting your SEO rankings. Search engines LOVE well-structured sites, and so do your customers!

Creating a collaborative way of working

Different departments, such as product managers, design and marketing teams, often need to work in tandem and require access to shared product data and digital assets. To make sure your eCommerce marketing strategy runs smoothly, collaboration is key.

Effective eCommerce marketing strategies also rely on incoming information from manufacturers, suppliers, designers, and other internal and external sources. Again, you need to make sure your team can get their hands on what they need. Accuracy and quality will also be key here – if you’re running a campaign, your product data and digital assets have to be on point!

We’re fully aware of this. That’s why we’ve designed Pimberly with simple, intuitive UI that gives you full access and permission controls for different users. Ensure PIM best practice by determining the requirements for each department. Make sure they have the correct access and permissions, and you can control what they view, edit, or publish.

Creating a collaborative way of working will not only save you time, it also means your teams can drive the eCommerce marketing strategy forward. You’ll have total reassurance that only the relevant people are accessing product data and digital assets throughout the product lifecycle.

Minimizing the risk of human error and time spent duplicating content will have you well on the way to PIM best practice!

Amazing customer experiences

With 2.14 billion digital buyers worldwide in 2021, it’s no surprise that competition is rife in the land of eCommerce. Setting yourself apart from the competition is absolutely non-negotiable. A good starting point is looking at how to improve the customer experience and high quality, consistent product data will form the foundations.

Really getting to know your customers, their interests, and their previous browsing history opens up cross-sell and up-sell opportunities. Make your customers feel special with personalized product recommendations you know they’ll love. With PIM, you can gather and store unlimited amounts of data, which can then be used to craft tailored online experiences. In doing so, you’ll be a step ahead in terms of creating state-of-the-art product detail pages, too.

You can easily create product relationships with PIM and offer kits or bundles of related products. In doing so, you’ll likely see improved conversion rates and increased AOV. It’s important to remember the role of digital assets in the buyer journey, particularly when selling kits or bundles to help customers envisage the product.

You can’t physically interact with products online, so it’s important to have rich assets like images and videos. This gives your customers the confidence they need to make an informed purchasing decision that won’t get returned. On average, online customers have an attention span of about 8 seconds. That means you’ve got 8 seconds to captivate their attention. For PIM best practice, always include a variety of high-quality images and video.

Easily manage all media files with an integrated digital asset management (DAM) solution. Any powerful DAM will offer unlimited storage, and you can even auto-link digital assets to your products in Pimberly. This will save you huge amounts of time and will massively improve the customer experience.

Say goodbye to manual processes

The more products you have, the more data you’ll have. When you’re operating across multiple channels and geographies, the data needed for each product is multiplied. Having one centralized hub where you can store everything will massively boost your productivity, and this is where PIM comes in. Bring in data from anywhere, in any format and standardize it to create your single source of truth.

Make the most of unlimited storage. Everything from translated product data, prices in different currencies, different sizing guidelines and unlimited digital assets. Say goodbye to the days of spending hours dealing with loads of different spreadsheets. PIM offers amazing capabilities in terms of powerful automation, meaning you can reduce manual tasks by up to 80%.

Because everything is stored in your PIM, you have clear visibility of all your products and their lifecycle stages. You can have full control over how and when your product information is distributed. Use lifecycle stages and workflows within your PIM to move your products from enrichment to distribution. This way, you can ensure product information meets defined criteria before it’s published live.

Starting your PIM journey

When starting your PIM journey, it’s important to think about what the PIM implementation is going to look like. There are different options when it comes to PIM, be that a SaaS PIM or open-source. The two are very different and will have different repercussions on your internal teams. Open-source PIM often requires quite a hands-on approach, and you’ll need to make sure you have a strong IT team that can maintain it with the resources available to maintain it.

You also have the option of on-premise or cloud PIM. Again, the two are very different and will require different resource allocations. The Pimberly platform is a cloud-based SaaS PIM. This comes with loads of advantages and is a less onerous solution when it comes to maintenance and hardware.

Because we’re a SaaS business, we’re with you every step of the way. From planning to implementation and delivery – we’ll take care of everything. We also have a dedicated team of in-house PIM experts who are always on hand to make sure you’re making the most of PIM best practice to get the best results from the platform.

You can access everything on a cloud-based PIM system from anywhere, at any time provided you have an internet connection. It also means you benefit from unlimited storage and scalable, elastic resourcing. So, if you’re looking to expand your product range and reach new markets – cloud-based PIM is ideal.

Final words

A powerful PIM is integral to a successful eCommerce marketing strategy. When PIM best practices are used, you can achieve:

  • Improved online conversions
  • Reduced product returns
  • Reduced cart abandonment
  • Better customer loyalty

Harness your product data to produce better eCommerce results and show your customers some love!

If you’re thinking about starting your PIM journey, take a look at some more info on PIM implementation  

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What is PIM?


Product Information Management (PIM) software handles the process of managing data required for the marketing and sale of products.

PIM software manages complex product data and digital assets in a central platform. This enables brands, manufacturers, distributors, and retailers to work from a single source of truth.



Jump ahead to find out more:

Pimberly Screen Digital Asset Management View

What does a PIM system do?

Collect & Centralize

A PIM system collates product information from multiple internal and external data sources such as an ERP, PLM, or supplier feeds.

Update & Enrich

In a PIM platform you can cleanse, enrich, and optimize all the data and assets you hold for your products (SKUs). This could be anything from technical specifications such as dimensions and materials, to the commercial and marketing information such as great product descriptions and pricing information. You can also manage data structure and product relationships.

Publish & Connect

From a PIM, this data can be easily published across sales channels, such as marketplaces, resellers, social media platforms, eCommerce sites. Customers and colleagues alike can access all the information they need.

PIM eCommerce Tech Stack Diagram

Why do you need a PIM?

As product range and data complexity increase, you need a system specifically built to perform and facilitate growth. As such, any business selling online will benefit from a Product Information Management solution. 

Product Information Management software is especially vital for businesses that: 

  • Import data & assets from multiple disparate systems in varied formats
  • Often identify discrepancies, errors or contradictions in product data & documents
  • Frequently need to make changes to product data
  • Deal with complex product relationships
  • Sell to marketplaces with specific data requirements/formats 
  • Need to provide customers, partners, and internal teams with different layers of product data detail
  • Distribute product information to multiple sales channels and/or geographies
  • Need to maintain data consistency for regulatory purposes

What kind of data is in a PIM?

A Product Information Management system holds all the information and media assets relating to a product.

In essence – everything you need to create amazing online experiences:

BASIC INFORMATION

  • SKUs
  • Product codes and names
  • Stock data

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

  • Weight, dimensions, materials, colors for products and packaging
  • Key features, certifications, available parts and accessories
  • Shipping information

TAXONOMIES & RELATIONSHIPS

  • Product relationships
  • Product types, tags and categories
  • Product kits and bundles

MARKETING DATA

  • Enriched product descriptions for various channels and buyer personas
  • Customer reviews
  • SEO information

DIGITAL ASSETS & MEDIA

  • High quality images, product videos, 360 and 3D views
  • PDF documents such as manuals, sizing charts,
  • Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) functionalities, design files such as CAD

LOCALIZED DATA

  • Translated descriptions
  • International pricing/currencies
  • International shipping information

What businesses need a PIM?

Any business that manufactures, distributes and retails products that get sold online will benefit from using PIM. Whether this is D2C via web stores and marketplaces, B2C, or B2B, PIM is crucial in driving online sales.

When dealing with complex product information and assets, being able to simplify and streamline data management processes will be hugely beneficial.

Manufacturing Graphic

Manufacturers

Manufacturers are  typically the original source of product information. Increasingly, they’re catering to different audiences and selling across multiple sales channels such as resellers and marketplaces.

It’s essential to have eCommerce-ready product data and high-quality digital assets to ensure products are showcased in the best possible light to guarantee the best possible product experience for customers.

Sales and distribution channels are becoming ever more complex. Third-party logistics and international next-day shipping are making global commerce operations more accessible than ever.

Manufacturers need to serve high-quality product data to many channels and locations and in specific formats. All of this can be easily managed with PIM.

Brand graphic

Brands

Slick onboarding processes are vital when receiving large volumes of product data from suppliers in varied formats.

Many brands will be deploying omnichannel strategies across multiple sales channels such as apps, web stores, marketplaces, and brick & mortar stores.

Consistency is key to creating amazing customer experiences. Brands must create and deliver high-quality digital assets that showcase their brand image. International expansion is easier than ever with Third-Party Logistics (3PL ) etc, so brands need to maintain and distribute data in multiple languages.

PIM software has an array of features and functionalities that enable you to create consistent and high-quality product experiences, regardless of the customers’ device or location .

Distribution Graphic

Distributors

Dealing with data feeds from many different brands and manufacturers, varied product catalogs, and thousands of images and videos requires rapid and robust processes.

Creating eCommerce-ready product information is an essential requirement  for modern value-added distributors. They often manage the online presence and/or eCommerce function for their brands and manufacturers who expect their products and product information to be displayed in a high-quality and uniform data feed. This is why it’s key to have the capabilities to efficiently manage large volumes of product data across multiple sales channels.

PIM streamlines the management and distribution of product data across multiple channels in multiple languages. So distributors have total confidence in the quality of the product data being published.

Online Retailing Graphic

Retailers and Marketplaces

Nearly 50% of non-food products are expected to be sold online within three years,  mostly via marketplaces. This means having a truly global and omnichannel strategy is the path to growth for retailers. 

To guarantee the best possible experience, it’s vital to have translated data for all geographies. 

A PIM system provides a central space to manage channel-specific data requirements. Campaign management is made easy for key dates in the eCommerce calendar with powerful automation, ensuring increased revenues and optimum margins.

What are the benefits of a PIM system?

A PIM solution presents significant business benefits that will lead to much-improved productivity and increased revenues. Let’s break it down:

Increase revenues

Slick data onboarding and powerful automation will speed your time to market, meaning you can gain vital extra selling days and a competitive edge.

Streamlined processes make it easy to create  new product categories, marketplaces, and territories. Overall, this will mean you can quickly react to the latest trends and drive more demand with super relevant search terms to boost your SEO performance. You can also tap into new opportunities such as dropshipping or long tailing to further boost revenues.

Personalizing the experience will improve conversion rates and boost Average Order Values (AOV) with “shop the look” options and intelligent product recommendations.

You can give customers total confidence in their buying decisions with rich, accurate, and up-to-date product information that will deliver better conversion rates. In doing this, you will also increase Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) with returning shoppers being more likely to leave positive product reviews, recommend your products, and eventually become your brand advocate.

Increase Margins

Reduce product return rates by up to 40% with detailed, accurate product data, including SKU-specific sizing charts.

Further reduce product returns by giving customers a true representation of your products with lifestyle shots that show your product in action. Use targeted and automated campaigns and personalization to offer smart discounts so you always sell products at optimal prices.

Cut operational costs and remove the need to take on additional employees by automating large parts of product data management processes. In other words, you can continue to grow your business with the same headcount.

Improve efficiencies

Get your products to market faster by centralizing product onboarding and distribution processes.

Having a single repository for all types of product content gives your teams a single location to work and collaborate from.

Ensure smooth integrations with other solutions in your tech stack to provide the best possible user experience.

Improve staff wellbeing by replacing manual tasks that can lead to omissions or work duplications. This reduces frustration for employees who want to be adding value.

Reduce risk

Gain visibility of product data in one central hub and create a single source of truth.

PIM provides full control over how product data is presented across all sales channels, so you can always ensure it’s totally accurate.

Ensure data meets regulatory compliance standards, with the correct terminology, health and safety notices, with the required compliance certificates before it’s published. Systemize processes and harness automation to reduce reliance on individuals who compile data to feed into channels and marketplaces.

What are the benefits of a PIM system?

A PIM solution presents significant business benefits that will lead to much-improved productivity and increased revenues. Let’s break it down:

Increase revenues

Slick data onboarding and powerful automation will speed your time to market, meaning you can gain vital extra selling days and a competitive edge. Streamlined processes make it easy to create  new product categories, marketplaces, and territories. Overall, this will mean you can quickly react to the latest trends and drive more demand with super relevant search terms to boost your SEO performance. You can also tap into new opportunities such as dropshipping or long tailing to further boost revenues.

Personalizing the experience will improve conversion rates and boost Average Order Values (AOV) with “shop the look” options and intelligent product recommendations. You can give customers total confidence in their buying decisions with rich, accurate, and up-to-date product information that will deliver better conversion rates. In doing this, you will also increase Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) with returning shoppers being more likely to leave positive product reviews, recommend your products, and eventually become your brand advocate.

Increase margins

Reduce product return rates by up to 40% with detailed, accurate product data, including SKU-specific sizing charts. Further reduce product returns by giving customers a true representation of your products with lifestyle shots that show your product in action. Use targeted and automated campaigns and personalization to offer smart discounts so you always sell products at optimal prices.

Cut operational costs and remove the need to take on additional employees by automating large parts of product data management processes. In other words, you can continue to grow your business with the same headcount.

Improve efficiencies

Get your products to market faster by centralizing product onboarding and distribution processes. Having a single repository for all types of product content gives your teams a single location to work and collaborate from.

Ensure smooth integrations with other solutions in your tech stack to provide the best possible user experience.

Improve staff wellbeing by replacing manual tasks that can lead to omissions or work duplications. This reduces frustration for employees who want to be adding value.

Reduce risk

Gain visibility of product data in one central hub and create a single source of truth. PIM provides full control over how product data is presented across all sales channels, so you can always ensure it’s totally accurate.

Ensure data meets regulatory compliance standards, with the correct terminology, health and safety notices, with the required compliance certificates before it’s published. Systemize processes and harness automation to reduce reliance on individuals who compile data to feed into channels and marketplaces.

Who uses a PIM system?

Select your role below to learn more (pages will open in a new window).

eCommerce

eCommerce

Say goodbye to working on spreadsheets and say hello to rapid product onboarding that enables you to significantly increase SKU counts. Automate up to 80% of manual product data management processes and nail your omnichannel strategy.

Easily set up new sales channels and tailor your product data and digital assets to meet the different requirements. You can set up validations to ensure all product content is accurate and complete. Immediately notify relevant team members when there is missing information to ensure you comply with SEO standards and criteria.

Product management

Product and Category Managers / Product Merchandisers

Gain full visibility of products as they move through the development lifecycle so you always know which teams are working on them. Segment product data so you only see the products that are relevant to your role or the campaign you’re running.

Automate how your campaigns run by determining rules for when overstocked SKUs should be pushed out to clearance sales channels. You can also automatically apply discounts when stock levels reach a certain level. Quickly react to potential stockouts by shutting down other sales channels when stock levels are low.

Sales & Marketing

Sales & Marketing

Keep teams informed by providing them with totally accurate and up-to-date product information needed to effectively market and sell products. Automate campaign planning and management processes to ensure you sell the maximum amount of discounted products at the optimal price.

Create rich product descriptions that search engines will love and get your products in front of the right customers. With full visibility over all your product ensure missing products are published to guarantee the best possible customer experience.

IT team

IT Teams

Empower business functions to automate their own workflows via no-code automation engines. You’ll have more time to help your business grow rather than performing low-value admin tasks. Open API architecture allows integration across the entire tech stack. Employees can securely access everything they need at any time and from anywhere with an internet connection.

Mitigate against the inherent risk of mission-critical data and processes being managed on spreadsheets. You can also be safe in the knowledge that all data will be backed up. With PIM software, you can also set permissions and define user access at field and attribute levels. PIM solutions also provide you with a full audit trail of any updates made.

C-Suite

C-Suite

Regardless of what you manufacture, distribute or sell, consumers are researching, finding, and buying products online. Therefore, digital representation of a product has never been more crucial in enabling growth. This is why quality product data and digital assets are so important. You need to mirror the in-store experience and have the ability to quickly get your products onto the most relevant sales channels.

Having a PIM solution enables your team members to work to their full potential. So you can massively boost employee wellbeing. PIM guarantees a smooth user experience that enables team members to collect, manage and distribute everything from one central hub.

See the Pimberly PIM in action!



Creating a product in Pimberly Screenshot

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PIM vs MDM: Get the right system for your business


PIM vs MDM

MDM is capable of managing product data, it’s not designed to focus specifically on enrichment.

read more…

PIM-vs-ERP: Product information management vs enterprise resource planning


PIM vs ERP

A product information management system helps to centralise all disparate data into a single location, working with an ERP to funnel everything into one source.

read more…

Understanding the connection between PIM and PXM: Offer seamless & personalised experiences


PIM vs PXM

They are two sides of the same coin – to create truly great PXM for consumers, having a great product information management system is a must.

read more…

FAQs – Learn more about Product Information Management

What does PIM stand for?

PIM stands for Product Information Management. Not to be confused with Privileged Identity Management which is a service in the Azure Active Directory (Azure AD). Product Information Management (PIM) solutions enable B2B, B2C, and D2C businesses selling online, or providing products to other businesses selling online, to gather, store, enrich, and distribute product data across various sales channels. A PIM platform like Pimberly has the capabilities to collect product data from any number of internal and external systems.

What is the meaning of PIM?

The meaning of PIM is Product Information Management. PIM is a software that enables businesses supplying products that are being sold online to collect data required for the effective marketing and sale of products across various different sales channels. Product Information Management is not to be confused with Privileged Identity Management as the two solutions have completely different functions. Product Information Management relates to product data, while Privileged Identity Management relates to the management and control of access to important organizational resources.

What is PIM and why is it important?

Product Information Management is a system that enables any business selling products online, or supplying products that are being sold online, to efficiently manage all the data required to effectively market and sell products across a range of sales channels. This includes but isn’t limited to product details, supporting digital assets such as images, videos, PDFs, Documents, audio files, sizing charts, and much more. Overall, it streamlines the management of complex product information and enables brands, manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and resellers to have a digital representation of their products.

PIM is becoming increasingly important as online sales are predicted to make up around a quarter of all global retail sales by 2025. PIM systems hold essential data and enable businesses to create a single source of truth. As more people shop online, expectations of the digital experience are growing. Consumers want in-depth, detailed product information around things like sustainability credentials, proof of the originality of materials and components, not to mention high-quality digital assets. 

Third-party logistics and international next-day delivery mean cross-border commerce will continue to grow. As such, more businesses will have to manage and distribute product details in multiple languages. All these factors massively impact the volume of product data businesses need to compile and validate. Spreadsheets are no longer fit-for-purpose and eCommerce businesses need to have robust solutions in place, like PIM.

What is an example of PIM?

An example of PIM is an eCommerce business needing to collect, manage, enrich, and distribute product content to sales and eCommerce channels with speed and efficiency. As well as managing product data, there is also the need to manage and distribute digital assets and various media files. A leading PIM tool like Pimberly has an integrated Digital Asset Management (DAM) functionality.

Pimberly’s SaaS PIM is designed to help businesses grow revenues by delivering amazing customer experiences with high-quality product information and digital assets. Overall, this leads to improved customer confidence, increased conversion rates, and reduced product return rates all whilst automating large parts of product data management processes.

What does it mean to have PIM?

A PIM solution sits in the eCommerce tech stack and interfaces between different systems such as ERPs and PLMs, as well as data feeds from suppliers or manufacturers. The process of managing all this data and creating eCommerce-ready product information is massively streamlined. It also facilitates better data governance with dashboards that give users full visibility of the accuracy and completeness of product information. This can then be distributed to consumers, internal teams, and suppliers.

Powerful automation in the form of workflows and lifecycles will identify missing details or digital assets. Relevant team members are then notified to ensure any gaps are filled. As such, it’s super quick and easy for businesses to distribute data across different sales channels. Furthermore, it’s also super quick and easy to create new products to react to changes in customer expectations and market trends.

Is a PIM a database?

PIM is a non-relational database designed to store all the product data needed to effectively market and sell products online. A great PIM system will also facilitate the enrichment, and distribution to different sales channels. PIMs use non-relational database models as they have the ability to store unstructured data, unlike relational databases.

A relational database collects data with pre-defined relationships which is then stored in tables with columns and rows. On the other hand, non-relational databases do not use a tabular format of rows and columns, so there are no restrictions in terms of data structures. As a result, non-relational databases offer much more flexibility and businesses can configure the PIM to suit their specific business requirements and product types.

Non-relational databases have numerous inbuilt functions to ensure the retrieval of data is as swift and efficient as possible. Furthermore, they often perform faster than relational databases as there aren’t multiple tables that need to be viewed before delivering the answer to the query. Overall, non-relational databases offer a vast array of benefits including:

  • Speed and scalability and can organize huge amounts of varied formats of information
  • Flexibility in terms of new data being collected, regardless of whether it fits in with existing datasets
  • Often hosted on the cloud which offers unlimited storage capabilities and unlimited access from anywhere at any time, provided there’s a secure internet connection

What data can you store in a PIM?

PIM platforms have massive storage capabilities and can host a wide variety of data sets. This includes structured and non-structured data.

Structured data:

  • Key product details like product names, titles, descriptions
  • Translates product data, including descriptions, currencies, and sizing information
  • Additional information around packaging, delivery, and returns
  • Sustainability credentials, and supplier information

Non-structured data:

  • Images and videos, 3D and 360 views
  • Audio files
  • PDF documents such as manuals and sizing charts
  • Microsoft documents
  • Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) functionalities, design files such as CAD
  • POS information – product catalogs for instance

Who uses PIM systems?

A PIM system is used by many teams throughout a business including:

  • eCommerce Team to drive demand generation and online revenues
  • IT Team to streamline internal systems and mitigate downtimes
  • Product/Category Manager to track products as they move through the product development lifecycle
  • Product/Master Data Managers to ensure data consistency and compliance across all channels
  • Merchandisers to create immersive customer experiences with consistently high-quality data
  • Sales & Marketing to create effective campaigns that deliver real results
  • C-Suite to boost productivity by streamlining processes and achieving scalability by reaching new sales channels and geographies

In addition to these teams using PIM, other internal and external departments will also benefit from a PIM being in place. For instance, accurate product information can be shared with the sales and customer service teams so they can effectively inform and assist customers.

Moreover, a business may be working with an outsourced agency to create campaign assets that can then be stored in PIM platforms. In terms of digital assets, the studio and design team will require access to upload and edit for example. Essentially, a PIM system ensures there is a quality loop of data going in and out of the business.

What is the best information management system?

Every business has different requirements and resources, which consequently means they will need different systems to reach their specific business goals. For instance, an on-premise PIM is housed, stored, and managed on-site. This requires a certain amount of investment, not to mention physical space for servers and a good IT department on-hand to maintain it.

A cloud-based PIM system does what it says on the tin –  is hosted in the cloud. A massive advantage of this is employees being able to gain secure access whenever they need it, from wherever they are, provided they have a stable internet connection.

There is also open-source PIM whereby you can configure the platform to suit specific business needs. This does however require a lot of time and investment into a strong IT team with good technical capabilities who need to create the code and maintain it, which can be very time-consuming.

With a SaaS PIM like Pimberly, the platform is totally user-friendly, and you have a technical team on-hand to support you every step of the way. We’re with you from implementation to going live and everyday use. The distinct difference between Pimberly and other PIM providers is the inherent scalability of our solution. Pimberly offers businesses selling online the ability to manage millions of SKUs. Moreover, you have unlimited inputs and outputs that come at no extra cost.

No-code workflows and validation/assignment rules that can be configured to suit your specific business requirements. This powerful automation will reduce manual tasks relating to product data management by up to 80%.

Pimberly is headless enabling businesses to create unique eCommerce experiences in the front-end of web stores and sales channels. This is a totally future-proof solution as it means you can change and adapt front-end design as and when you want, as well as being able to add as many additional sales channels as desired.

Overall, a cloud-based SaaS PIM presents an array of business benefits, less investment, more flexibility, and a lot more support than other platforms.

What is the difference between MDM and PIM?

A Master Data Management (MDM) solution is different from a PIM system in the way that it manages all the data within an organization. Typically, MDM solutions are used by larger organizations holding more than one version of data. This data includes; employee information, customer information, HR, and financial data. Inevitably, this leads to mistakes, inconsistencies, and errors which is where MDM comes in. It brings people, processes, and technologies together to ensure data is always consistent.

This isn’t dissimilar to the role PIM plays, however, PIM systems are designed specifically to handle data relating to the marketing and sale of products online. Like an MDM solution, it enables businesses handling large volumes of complex data to create a single source of truth. In addition, PIM also has the capabilities to enrich data for SEO purposes whilst also managing digital assets which are essential for effective digital representation online.

What is the difference between PIM and CMS?

Content Management System (CMS) is used to manage and amend content on a website. A CMS will often remove the need for teams to have strong technical abilities when content on their websites needs to be changed or updated. CMS systems are very different from PIM platforms in that they cannot manage the complexities often associated with selling products online. In addition, they don’t offer the capability to store essential dynamic data relating to the marketing and sale of products online such as product data, pricing information, and stock level information (held only as referenceable data).

Whilst you can store huge volumes of data and media files within a CMS, you cannot define product relationships for instance and it doesn’t facilitate collaboration across different departments. PIM has much more powerful capabilities when it comes to integrating with other systems to collect and distribute data. It makes the process of distributing new data to multiple sales channels very straightforward as it can be done in a few simple clicks with powerful rules and automation.

To sum up, these are two very different systems. A CMS focuses on delivering the relevant marketing images and banners to eCommerce platforms, such as web stores and digital POS/signage. Conversely, PIMs are designed to manage all the data and information needed to effectively market and sell products online.