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.
A PIM solution collates consistent product information from multiple internal and external data sources such as an ERP, PLM, or supplier feeds.
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 (e.g dimensions and materials) to commercial and marketing information (e.g pricing information). PIM also easily manages data hierarchy and relationships.
From the right PIM, this data can be easily published across channels, such as resellers or eCommerce sites. This makes it easy for customers and colleagues alike to access all the information they need.
Products quickly become complicated to manage; with multiple product hierarchies, relationships, and variants. Especially when businesses scale up operations to facilitate business growth.
As such, any business selling products online very likely need a PIM solution.
Here are some key signs that you could benefit from a software like Pimberly:
Pimberly holds all the information and media assets relating to a product.
In essence – everything you need to create amazing online experiences:
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, simplifying and streamlining data management processes is hugely beneficial.
Manufacturers are typically the original source of product information. Increasingly, they’re catering to different audiences and selling across multiple channels, such as resellers and online storefronts.
It’s essential to have consistent, reliable product data and high-quality digital assets. This will guarantee the best possible product experience for your end customers.
And with D2C becoming increasingly popular, manufacturers now need to serve high-quality product data in the format consumers expect. All of this can be easily managed with a modern, open-source PIM system.
Slick onboarding processes are vital when receiving large volumes of product data from suppliers in varied formats. Especially when deploying omnichannel strategies across multiple channels.
Consistency is key to creating amazing customer experiences. And it’s much easier to be consistent with automation around your product data. Brands are also increasingly selling to consumers cross-continent, with international expansion made easier than ever with Third-Party Logistics. PIM handles translations and localized data to make this super simple.
Ultimately, PIM software has an array of features and functionalities that enable brands to create consistent and high-quality product experiences to remain competitive.
Distributors deal with both downstream and upstream data feeds. They can process a huge amount of varied product catalogs, images and videos. So they need to have rapid and robust processes in place.
Creating website-ready product information is an essential requirement for modern distributors. Increasingly, manufacturers expect their products (and product information) to be displayed in a high-quality and uniform data feed. So it’s key for distributors 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 storefronts and Marketplaces are key sales routes. This means having a truly global and omnichannel strategy is the path to growth for retailers.
It’s vital to have personalized, optimized product data to keep customers converting and coming back for more.
Modern PIM technology provides a central space to manage channel-specific data requirements. Campaign management is made easy for key dates in the calendar with powerful automation, ensuring increased revenues and optimum margins.
A PIM solution presents significant business benefits that will lead to much-improved productivity and increased revenues. Let’s break it down:
A PIM solution presents significant business benefits that will lead to much-improved productivity and increased revenues. Let’s break it down:
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, storefronts, 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.
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.
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.
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 various channels.
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. Set up validations to ensure all product content is accurate and complete. As well as immediately notify relevant team members when there is missing information to ensure you comply with SEO standards and criteria.
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.
Dictate 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. Stay agile by reacting to live stock data to make sure you’re always in control.
Keep teams informed by providing them with accurate and up-to-date product information needed to effectively market and sell products. Automate campaign planning 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 products, ensure no missing products are published to guarantee the best possible customer experience.
Empower business functions to build 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 the risk of mission-critical data and processes being managed on spreadsheets. As well as being safe in the knowledge that all data will be backed up. With PIM software, you can 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.
Regardless of what you manufacture, distribute or sell, consumers are researching, finding, and buying products online. So a digital presence has never been more crucial in enabling growth. This is why quality product data and digital assets are so important. 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. Meaning you will massively boost employee well-being. PIM guarantees a smooth user experience that enables team members to work efficiently and smoothly.
MDM is capable of managing product data, it’s not designed to focus specifically on enrichment.
A product information management system helps to centralize all disparate data into a single location, working with an ERP to funnel everything into one source.
They are two sides of the same coin – to create truly great PXM for consumers, having a great product information management tool is a must.
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:
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.
Who uses PIM systems?
A PIM system is used by many teams throughout a business including:
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.
