What Is Product Information Management (PIM)?
PIM, or product information management, systems store and manage complex product information, making it an invaluable tool for retailers.
They bring all of your product data under one “digital roof.” This helps you keep your data accurate and up to date, even if you have multiple sales and marketing channels.
PIM software addresses common pain points relating to outdated product information, difficulty sharing information between departments, and keeping stock levels synchronized across multiple channels.
You can think of PIM as an evolution of the enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems of the 1990s. ERP systems held product data and attributes, but their features were too limited to manage complex taxonomies or track data in a multichannel environment. That’s why developers created the concept of PIM.
How PIM works
PIM software has four core functions:
- Collecting data
- Consolidating data
- Enriching data
- Disseminating data
The PIM system holds data arranged in catalogs, making it easy to explore and manage. The database can hold SKUs, metadata, and rich media, and you can easily share that data with other applications as required.
For example, marketing teams can access the database to gather information about products for seasonal promotions or feed into personalized emails for customers.
Shifting from legacy tools to a PIM system doesn’t have to be a complex task. Most PIM software supports importing product data via CSV or XLSX files. The system may also have ready-made connectors to extract data from existing ERP or PLM systems and keep your data up-to-date via product data feeds from your suppliers.
If you want to store images, videos, or other rich media relating to a product, you can achieve this by connecting your PIM to your digital asset management (DAM) solution, ensuring your marketing teams always have access to the latest information about your products.
WordPress VIP can seamlessly integrate with PIM systems, enabling users to pull updated product data and rich media directly into their WordPress-powered website. This ensures that all product information, including images and videos stored in your digital asset management system, is consistently and efficiently managed across all digital platforms.
Why PIM is important
Many retailers still use legacy systems created in an era when product catalogs were much smaller. These legacy systems can’t handle huge databases of products, multiple suppliers, and fast-moving inventory, especially in an omnichannel environment.
Retailers often struggle to train staff members on complex, error-prone ERP systems with confusing UIs. Modern PIM systems are far easier to use, making the training process less complicated. They also enable you to standardize the information used by your sales and marketing team, catalog designers, POS terminal developers, and other stakeholders.
The versatility of PIM software means it’s ideal for collecting and sharing a wide variety of data. An ERP system might hold information about a product’s SKU, name, and price. With PIM, you can add videos, images, long-form descriptions, and other rich information for your sales and marketing team.
You can also upload technical specifications, dimensions, ingredients, and other useful data for filtering in digital catalogs.
How WordPress VIP can help
PIM systems help retailers keep track of their stock more accurately, ensuring product data and descriptions are always up-to-date. They also facilitate information sharing between departments, offering an easy-to-use tool for designers, sales staff, and other interested parties to get the latest assets relating to the products you stock.
WordPress VIP integrates PIM systems seamlessly and optimizes your content delivery for peak performance and security. Simplify your online presence with the industry’s best solutions.