Back to Blog
Cyril Dorogan Gepard PIM E-Commerce Consultant
Written by
Cyril Dorogan
CCO at Gepard
CONTENTS
PIM PIM software product information management

Product Information Management eCommerce 101

8 min read
Published: June 17, 2021
Updated: March 15, 2023
For businesses that implemented successful product information management, the eCommerce world opens new horizons. In this 101, you will find all you want to know about PIM: from product information management definition to the main reasons why companies need to integrate a PIM tool into their business ecosystem.

What Is a PIM System

Product information management (PIM) system is a multi-functional tool that serves as a unique repository to store a company’s product data and offers a range of instruments to enrich, organize, and deliver product content across numerous sales platforms and marketing channels.

PIM Solution: What Will My Company Gain While Using It?

eCommerce leaders implement PIM systems to improve data-related processes within an organization, enhance the company’s performance and deliver an outstanding customer experience. If your company has not chosen a PIM product yet, here are some solid reasons why you should do it ASAP.

  • Become aligned with all distribution channels

The product information management tool adjusts your product content in line with the retailer’s needs and allows you to distribute product data faster and speed up time to market. PIM ensures that your data is delivered to the various marketplaces in the right format and required template.

  • Set up automated content delivery to retailers

A well-developed PIM system usually has an advanced in-built product content syndication module that allows you to seamlessly adjust your product content to retailers’ data model and automatically push it to external sales channels. Actually, it works the same in the reverse order. 😉Retailers can also optimize their collaboration with suppliers and automatically adjust the external data structure to their own requirements.

  • Obtain error-free product content

With the help of advanced data validation tools, it is possible now to automatically identify product content inconsistencies, improve the data gaps, and control the content quality which is published on various sales channels.

  • Get the enhanced customer experience

In eCommerce, the PIM solution helps you organize your product content understandably and efficiently. It increases the chances of delivering the right product data to the right person at the right time, which facilitates product search and keeps customers satisfied. The solution also serves you when creating compelling rich product content to attract more buyers. Constantly updated and accurate product data creates an excellent customer experience and helps you to build brand loyalty and trust.

  • Keep your team informed

Having a PIM system as a single point of truth keeps your team members well-informed and prevents data-related misunderstandings in a company. PIM keeps the chances of data errors to a minimum and enables everyone in the company to use the same data for work, which makes the process of making business decisions more effective.

A PIM solution is the backbone of successful eCommerce operations. eCommerce store owners can optimize their workflows, reduce errors, and ensure data accuracy across multiple channels by providing a single source of truth for product data. This not only enhances customer experience but also drives revenue growth, making PIM solutions an essential investment for any eCommerce business.
Sergey Shvets
Sergii Shvets
Founder & CEO at Gepard

Product Information Management eCommerce Benefits 

eCommerce businesses make the most of using the PIM product: it benefits operations efficiency, sales and improves the experience of both team members and customers.

1. Expand sales channels easily

For eСommerce businesses that want to operate on multiple sales channels, PIM solution helps to seamlessly deliver product data to different marketplaces and locales and handle multi-channel marketing, which increases the chances of making a purchase. It also gives the benefit of improved collaboration with the suppliers: you have a full outline of product locations, supplies, delivery information, inventories, and write-offs. What is more important, is that with Gepard PIM you can easily connect to new sales partners in a single week.

2. Boost productivity

Product information management systems automate many data-related processes, eliminate human errors as well as improve data quality. You get a wide range of tools to edit, enrich and deliver product information automatically and save your team members from monotonous manual tasks. Increase employees’ productivity by 75%, as the team members can focus on strategic tasks that add more innovations and value to your business.

3. Increase ROI

PIM can scale up your company’s ROI as it significantly speeds up product launches, delivers your product information adjusted to a variety of marketplaces, and results in sales growth. The accurate and quality product content reduces the percentage of product returns and builds loyalty and trust, which means more repeat sales for your business and an increase in ROI.

How PIM Improves Customer Experience

PIM system, DAM or MDM: What to Choose 

The market offers businesses a lot of software solutions for managing product information. They are tailored for businesses of different kinds and scales.

PIM vs DAM

DAM (Digital Assets Management) products handle a wide range of digital information, owned by a company. DAM suits organizations that operate a big number of digital assets that are frequently created, edited, and shared between company members with different workflows. Meanwhile, PIM systems fit well for businesses with complex and constantly updated product portfolios, dynamic product ranges, and multi-channel marketing.

PIM And DAM Comparison

PIM vs MDM

MDM (Master Data Management) system holds all the company’s data, while PIM is designed to take care of product information and serves as a powerful sales & marketing tool for businesses. MDM works great for businesses that want to organize all the applicable back-end information and improve data control. PIM offers more opportunities for selling on multiple channels, improving product content, expanding business, and boosting its performance.

PIM And MDM Comparison

You can find out more about these systems in Gepard’s detailed solutions comparison.

How to Choose the Right Product Information Management Solution

The variety of PIM products on the market is constantly growing, which sometimes leads to confusion and difficulties in choosing the right solution.

Required PIM Features

Here are some crucial characteristics of an efficient PIM product:

  • Simple integration. Look for a PIM tool that seamlessly integrates with the existing software ecosystem, which helps you optimize product information management processes. The software should have a user-friendly interface, to comfortably onboard even non-technical users.
  • Automated product taxonomy mapping. PIM should be able to adjust all the required product content to your business needs. For this purpose, choose the system with intelligent data mapping algorithms.
  • Localization possibilities. One of the important PIM features that allow you to expand your business to different locales by offering product information in the local language of your potential customers.
  • Product data syndication. Check if the system can automatically deliver product content synchronized across multiple sales platforms while meeting the data requirements of the respective marketplaces.
  • Customization (multi-tenancy) opportunities. Search for a PIM with multi-tenant system architecture. It allows all team members to use the core system while at the same time, it can be customized to make the most out of it.

You can also be interested in

What Is Gepard PIM System
7 min read
Maryna Tarasenko
Product Information Management

Gepard PIM: What’s Hidden Inside?

How Gepard PIM is different from other solutions? Dive deeper into the Gepard product information management architecture and more.

PIM PIM software product information management

PIM Implementation Flexibility

Choosing the proper delivery model is a part of product information management system implementation. Here are the most common types:

  • On-premises. You, as the customer, are responsible for the technical infrastructure and the platform, including product information management tools.
  • SaaS (Software as a Service). The entire stack is the full responsibility of a third party. In the case of SaaS there’s no coding required from your side, which makes it one of the most popular decisions among PIM customers.
  • PaaS (Platform as a service). You, as a customer, are in charge of the application layer, while the third party takes care of infrastructure and platform management.

The choice of system deployment type should be based on business needs, and meet the following requirements:

  • The system should be flexible enough for frequent customizations.
  • There should be an opportunity to onboard tailor-made connections, beyond the available options.
  • Strong support of vendors and suppliers.
  • Software costs within your company’s budget.

How GS1 Launched the PIM System for Dutch Fashion Suppliers

PIM Integration Opportunities With Other Systems

When choosing a PIM system, it’s important to consider its data integration options with other systems. Here are some common integration options you should review. In this table, we outline the potential impacts of integrating PIM with various other systems and list some of the best providers in each category.

System Type Potential Impact Best Providers
eCommerce Platforms Streamlined product catalog management, more efficient payment gateway integration, improved order management, better customer data management Shopify
Magento
BigCommerce WooCommerce
Inventory Management Improved inventory tracking, reduced stockouts, increased order fulfillment accuracy, better product availability Zoho Inventory
TradeGecko
Skubana
Orderhive
Order Management Streamlined order processing, improved order accuracy, reduced fulfillment times Cin7
Skubana
Brightpearl
Orderhive
Customer Relationship Improved customer engagement, increased customer loyalty, better customer segmentation, more effective product recommendations, streamlined marketing automation Salesforce
Zoho CRM
HubSpot
SharpSpring
Marketing Automation More efficient marketing campaigns, personalized content delivery, increased customer engagement, and improved customer segmentation Marketo
HubSpot
Pardot
ActiveCampaign
ERP Systems Streamlined financial management, integrated supply chain management, more accurate inventory management, improved order processing SAP
Oracle NetSuite
Microsoft Dynamics
Sage

PIM System Support

While choosing your future PIM provider it’s essential to consider the level of support and resources provided by them. Here are some things you should pay attention to when assessing the level of support and resources provided by the PIM vendor:

  • Customer Support. The PIM vendor should provide reliable customer support, including a helpdesk, email, and phone support. It’s crucial to check the vendor’s response time and the quality of the support they provide. Make sure that the vendor has a well-documented process for handling customer issues and that their support team is knowledgeable and experienced.
  • Training and Onboarding. The vendor should offer training and onboarding sessions to help you get started with the PIM system. This training should cover all aspects of the system, including data entry, product categorization, and data management. You should also ensure that the vendor offers ongoing training and support as needed.
  • Documentation. The PIM vendor should provide comprehensive documentation, including user manuals, tutorials, and other resources. This documentation should be easy to access, navigate and understand.
  • Integration and Customization Support. The vendor should provide support for integrating the PIM system with other systems such as eCommerce platforms, ERPs, and CRMs. The vendor should also offer customization services to meet your specific business requirements.

When assessing the level of support and resources provided by a PIM company it’s crucial to consider the vendor’s responsiveness, expertise, and the quality of the resources they provide. By doing so, you can make an informed decision and choose a PIM provider that can help you achieve your business goals.

How to Convince My Company Stakeholders to Integrate PIM?

Before investing in PIM software, the stakeholders should consider how the system can benefit different business processes and learn how it can deliver measurable results.

Download this informative PIM guide for brands to uncover the possibilities of product information management for your business or get the free Ebook that can help you make the reasoned choice of PIM software.

Product Information Management FAQs

How are PIM and headless commerce related?

Headless commerce and PIM can be integrated to provide a seamless flow of accurate and consistent product information across multiple channels and devices. The PIM system centralizes and manages product data, while the headless commerce platform delivers custom eCommerce experiences. By pulling product data from the PIM system, the headless commerce platform ensures that customers have access to up-to-date product information, improving the customer experience and reducing errors. This integration allows for greater flexibility and scalability in creating and delivering custom eCommerce experiences.

What are some key features that I should look for in PIM software for digital commerce?

When looking for PIM software for digital commerce, you should consider that solution should have features including the ability to manage multiple product catalogs for different channels, customization of product data for each channel, integration with other eCommerce platforms and systems, and automation of certain tasks related to product data management. Additionally, businesses should look for PIM software that can scale with their needs and provide analytics and insights to help improve their product offerings and increase sales.

What types of businesses can benefit from using a PIM system?

Product Information Management (PIM) systems can benefit businesses that have large product catalogs and sell across multiple channels, including e-commerce, marketplaces, and physical stores. This includes industries such as retail, manufacturing, distribution, and wholesale. PIM systems help businesses maintain consistent, accurate, and up-to-date product information, improve time-to-market, and enhance customer experience.

What’s Next? 

If you are searching for a solution that combines all the essential PIM features, including content syndication, smart interface, and intelligent data mapping, look no further than Gepard.

Make the most out of your PIM data – Book Free Personalized Demo now.

Benefits Of PIM Software For Business

 

 

Cyril Dorogan Gepard PIM E-Commerce Consultant
Written by Cyril Dorogan
CCO at Gepard
Dedicated professional with more than 15 years of professional background in the eCommerce domain. Helping companies with Product Data syndication and eCommerce solutions, striving for success, and focusing on dedicated customer service. Cyril has implemented a range of eCommerce solutions for a variety of companies as Amazon, GS1, HP, Dell, Rakuten, Elkjop, Lazada. He is passionate about making business processes streamlined and growing the companies' operational efficiency by fulfilling eCommerce automation.

View Other Articles

PIM Solutions for Healthcare Manufacturers
5 min read
Blog

The Future Of Healthcare eCommerce: PIM Strategies for Success

The future of healthcare is online. Discover how PIM empowers businesses to succeed in the dynamic world of healthcare eCommerce.

Read more
Gepard Features Hub: Product Data Validation For eCommerce

Gepard Features Hub: Mastering Data Validation Techniques For eCommerce Success

Boost Sales & Customer Satisfaction! Learn powerful data validation techniques for accurate product information in your eCommerce store.

Read more
PIM Solutions for Healthcare Manufacturers
3 min read
Blog

PIM Solutions for Healthcare Manufacturers

Today we will talk about PIM in healthcare, why it is useful for everyone, not just large players and how Gepard PIM can help.

Read more
Cloud Product Information Management

Cloud Product Information Management: How to Choose the Right Platform?

In this piece, we will discover what is cloud based product information management and how to choose the right platform for your business.

Read more
Automotive Product Information Management
5 min read
Blog

Automotive Product Information Management [Full Guide 2024]

Explore the benefits of Automotive Product Information Management system in streamlining supply chains and enhancing customer service.

Read more
PIM Free Trial vs Freemium PIM vs Open Source PIM

PIM Free Trial vs Freemium PIM vs Open Source PIM

Explore the differences between free trial PIM systems, open source PIM, and freemium PIM solutionsm, their pros & cons.

Read more
PIM for Marketing: Full Guide [2024]

PIM for Marketing: Full Guide [2024]

PIM for marketing: unlock marketing success with PIM. Learn how to centralize product data for consistency and engagement.

Read more
EPREL Case Studies

Product Data Export To EPREL Database: 3 Success Stories

Product data entry to EPREL database: explore real cases and learn how Gepard helped comply with energy labeling regulations.

Read more
Gepard Features Hub: Digital Shelf Analytics For eCommerce

4 Key Performance Indicators in Digital Shelf Analytics Software

Explore essential digital shelf analytics KPIs such as search rankings, conversion rates, content quality, and pricing competitiveness.

Read more
EPREL Data Entry Service Providers

EPREL Data Entry Service Providers: What to Look For

EPREL data entry provider play a pivotal role in ensuring compliance, alleviating the burden of data management

Read more

Let’s Get In Touch

Need to contact us? Just use this form

Gepard Privacy Policy
Success