Choosing a product information management (PIM) system can be overwhelming. You’re aware of the benefits a PIM system will provide for you, but how do you know what functionalities your business needs to prioritise with PIM?
Here are some questions you should ask to help you find the best solution.
Firstly, let’s address some of the benefits a PIM system can offer. Maintaining excellent customer service combined with managing products or services data can be a challenge, leading to one of the many benefits of a PIM system – its ability to centralise product data. Here are some more key benefits:
Read about the above benefits in more depth here.
To get the most out of your PIM system, you must develop some key performance indicators (KPIs) as these can help you to keep your system integration on track. Consider some KPIs like these:
By taking time to plan, you’re going to get the most out of your PIM system as you know exactly what you want it to do for you.
Two main types of PIM systems are:
Delve deeper into the on-premise vs cloud SaaS debate in our blog post here.
You don’t want to invest in more features than you need. Here are a few key features your PIM system should include:
We mentioned it briefly in the section above, but it really is that important. It’s vital that your new PIM solution slots seamlessly in with your existing ERP system.
Firstly, you need to consider how closely you want your PIM and ERP systems to integrate. We suggest asking yourself these questions:
The answer to each of these questions will vary depending on your business, meaning you need to have a think about these factors before you commit to installing your PIM system.
If your company uses unique naming conventions, it might be a better idea to look for a PIM system that offers customisable exports. This type of export allows your PIM to adapt your data naming and formatting while still exporting it to different channels.
If you want data and images linked to the right product, choose a PIM system that comes with asset management. You also need to make sure your PIM solution is easy for your whole team to use, especially if you’re handling multiple apps, catalogues, emails etc.
The more channels, formats and languages you use to publish your product/service information, the more important it is that your team can still easily access and use this data. You don’t want your employees to spend more time on these tasks than they should be, so pick a PIM system with good, easy-to-use asset management capabilities.
As above, you need to consider where your data will be coming from. This will make sure your PIM system can handle these sources, which will save your team time from doing it all manually. This boosts productivity, efficiency and lowers the chance of inaccurate or missing information.
Plus, consider how complex your data is. The more complex your product information is, the more carefully you should think about choosing a system that helps you manage it effectively.
This is particularly important if you’re a global corporation or you’re planning on global expansion one day. The right PIM should be able to post across many channels, be versatile in formats and publish in a variety of languages.
The right PIM system might be easy to use but that doesn’t mean it’ll work flawlessly 24/7. And implementation projects are notoriously complex and full of potential pitfalls to avoid.
So, when you’re choosing your PIM system, you should also consider the vendor you’re buying it from. Will they provide you the level of support you need throughout the setup in addition to ongoing maintenance of the system? This is particularly important if you’re new to PIM systems, but with the right vendor, you should be able to integrate your new solution effortlessly.
A PIM system is one of the best ways for your business to save time and money. However, it’s just one tactic in increasing your overall basket revenue. There are other systems you can invest in too, such as a sophisticated CMS or a modern CRM system with sales force automation capabilities.
Download our guide on how to increase your basket revenue below to learn more about other tactics and how PIM systems play a role too.
This blog was originally published in August 2020. It has been updated for 2021.