Omnichannel retail and large brick-and-mortar retailers recognize the importance of product information management (PIM). PIM software helps streamline product management, improves the quality and validity of your product data, and addresses common challenges with interdepartmental communication. 

Product information management systems

A product information management (PIM) system helps retailers and manufacturers manage the information they use to sell products across various distribution channels. 

In the past, many retailers entered basic information into a stock system connected to their in-store point-of-sale terminals. Retailers today have more complex needs. For example, a retailer may need to display images on self-checkout systems and provide detailed product information online. 

Retailers also need to provide their marketing teams with access to information about various products for personalized marketing. PIM systems make it easy to collect, organize and share product data across the organization and vendors, as well as update information such as packaging and sizes. 

Who should use product information management?

Many businesses and job roles can benefit from PIM tools, including:

Ecommerce managers

A PIM system can help ecommerce managers by centralizing product data, ensuring consistency across multiple sales channels, streamlining product launches, and automating workflows for faster time-to-market. PIMs also send updated information to ecommerce marketplaces such as Amazon, giving them access to the most up-to-date version of your product database.

Creators

Photographers or videographers can keep information about their products, services and pricing up-to-date and consistent across all of their marketing and sales channels.

Suppliers

Suppliers can help retailers keep their listings up-to-date by providing updated descriptions, MSRPs, and other information as part of product feeds.

Benefits of PIM

More than half of businesses face data quality challenges with product information. If your organization has difficulty managing its product catalog, switching to a PIM could make your job easier. PIM applications have many potential benefits, including:

1. Improved product management

Better product information organization streamlines data handling, allowing for quicker updates and more accurate listings. This allows for businesses to manage large or complex product catalogs, reduce operational costs, and scale offerings, which ultimately boosts profitability.

2. Improved customer experience

Accurate and consistent product descriptions, images, and details significantly improve the overall customer experience, leading to higher customer satisfaction and increased sales.

3. Better marketing performance

Integrating a PIM with Digital Asset Management (DAM) software can enhance marketing performance by centralizing both product information and digital assets (like images, videos, and documents) in one system. This ensures that marketing teams can easily access the most accurate product data along with the right media assets, streamlining content creation and campaigns. 

With built-in analytics, teams can also track which assets and product information are performing best, optimizing future marketing strategies and driving more sales without the need for constant manual updates.

4. Better demographic targeting

With PIM software, you can adjust your marketing content to provide custom messaging and product promotions for different demographics.

5. Reduce buyer’s remorse

Offering better product information helps reduce the risk of customers buying a product that isn’t what they want.

6. Shorter time-to-market

Quickly distribute product information to creatives and sales teams, helping them produce marketing materials for product launches.

7. Higher conversion rates

Deliver clearer product messaging with more accurate information, increasing consumer confidence and sales.

8. Easier localization

The sophisticated product catalog features of PIM software enable easier localization of product titles and descriptions.

9. Reduced complexity

Legacy product databases can be overly complex, leading to errors in product listings. PIM systems reduce complexity by centralizing and streamlining product data management, allowing for easier updates, and integrating well with other systems, which helps to prevent errors and maintain consistent product information.

10. Improved SEO

Extract keyword information from listings, create short descriptions and meta tags, and use tags or category information in the PIM to suggest related products.

Keep in mind that these are just a few potential benefits. Depending on your industry and the size of your organization, you might find additional advantages.

Disadvantages of PIM

Like any technical solution, PIM software has some potential disadvantages, including:

Implementation challenges

Retailers who rely on legacy software may find migrating to a PIM solution challenging.

Training requirements

PIM software works best when everyone knows how to use it. If new users aren’t properly onboarded, you risk missing out on benefits.

Media support may vary

The level of rich media support available varies massively between applications.

How to select the right PIM for you

Choosing a PIM isn’t a decision to make lightly. Factors to consider include your budget, your existing toolchain, and how much time you’re willing to invest in training stakeholders to use it.

PIM solutions vary in their flexibility, complexity, and price. For example, if you already use the Salsify suite of products, Salsify ProductXM is an ideal option because of its ability to integrate into your existing workflows and the familiar UI. Before deciding which PIM to use, consider how long you have to get the system up and running and factor ongoing support costs into your budget.

Examples of PIM

Retailers can choose from a variety of PIM systems, depending on their specific requirements. Some popular PIM applications include:

Agility PIM: As a modular application with strong role management capabilities and powerful SEO features, Agility PIM is ideal for large organizations and online retailers.

Contentserv Product Experience Platform: This tool offers a variety of data management technologies to facilitate the collection of product information. It also includes features for generating personalized content for consumers.

Akeneo PIM: Aimed at omnichannel organizations, this solution features more than 150 API integrations for everything from DAM to analytics.

Aprimo: Specializing in DAM and content operations, this platform empowers businesses to centralize, manage, and optimize content and digital assets. Aprimo is also a leading WordPress VIP technology partner, delivering seamless integrations and enabling teams to quickly access and distribute assets within WordPress environments.

BetterCommerce PIM: A popular choice among omnichannel retailers, this system has APIs for inventory management, shipping, subscriptions, and customer relationship management.

Precisely EnterWorks: The automation options and integrations provided by EnterWorks make it easier for organizations to manage complex B2B2C relationships and provide a single source of truth for product data.

Informatica MDM Product 360: With a built-in DAM system and integration with Salesforce and Hybris, this PIM solution combines power and flexibility.

Sales Layer: The AI and machine learning features of Sales Layer and its cloud-native design make for a powerful and flexible application. Sales Layer caters to medium-sized retailers and manufacturers.

Salsify ProductXM: Aimed at ecommerce retailers, this application integrates with other Salsify products but is also suitable for deployment as a standalone application. It includes data modeling and synchronization and has robust data validation tools.

Syndigo: Established retailers may be aware of the Syndigo brand, which has existed since the 1970s. The company’s dedicated PIM offerings are somewhat newer, but the brand’s experience in distribution and product management shines through in the quality of the offering.

How WordPress VIP can help

PIM systems are diverse, as are the businesses they serve. You can implement PIM software in a variety of ways to facilitate better omnichannel retail experiences, improve localization for international markets, or tame an ever-growing product catalog. 

At WordPress VIP, we have extensive experience helping organizations integrate PIM software and other tools into their existing workflows. Ecommerce companies looking to grow and scale their businesses with better software and tools can speak to our skilled team of commerce experts to get started.

To learn more about how WordPress VIP can support you with your PIM integrations and determine whether our robust CMS solutions are right for your business, explore our ecommerce platform or contact us today to book a demo and no-obligation consultation with one of our experts.