Discover how a PIM system can revolutionize the way you manage product data.
With a central system for collecting, updating and distributing your product information, you can streamline workflows, reduce errors and create better customer experiences. In this guide, you will gain insight into how PIM can support your growth and help free up time for more value-adding tasks.
Smarter your product data management with PIM
(Streamline workflows and create better results)
Is your product data spread across different systems, departments, and formats? Is it a challenge to get them distributed to webshops, catalogues or partners? If so, it’s time to gather this data into a Product Information Management (PIM) system so that you can create a more efficient and profitable business. This guide will give you an understanding of what PIM is, how it works, and what you should consider when investing in a PIM system
What is a PIM system?
A PIM system is a tool that helps you centralize and organize all your product data in one place. PIM stands for Product Information Management, and it allows you to update product information in one place while distributing it across all your channels. This creates what is called a “single source of truth” – a common source where all relevant employees can find the latest and most accurate data about your products. This minimizes the risk of errors and ensures that everyone in the organization is working with the same information.
With a PIM system, you can easily enrich your products with data such as descriptions, images, technical specifications and prices – all in one place. When you update data in PIM, the changes are automatically implemented on all the platforms you use, such as webshops, ERP systems and catalogues. This saves you time, reduces workload and ensures that all your channels are up to date.
Why is PIM necessary to be effective?
When faced with collecting and sharing product data, you have two options:
- Hire more employees to handle data manually as growth picks up. However, this leads to higher costs and can lead to inefficient processes.
- Invest in a PIM system that enables you to work smarter with the resources you already have in the company.
While both options can be functional, only the PIM system allows you to keep costs down while ensuring faster, more accurate updates around the clock. With a PIM system, you can leverage your existing resources while growing and improving your company’s efficiency.
How a PIM system works
The PIM system acts as a hub where all your product data is gathered. It collects data from a variety of sources – including your ERP system, databases, website, and other systems – and distributes it efficiently to the right channels. The PIM system thus acts as a link between these systems and helps you share consistent data across the organization.
As a business grows, product information requirements can become more complex. For example, there may be a need for several variants of product descriptions, images, technical specifications and prices. In such cases, it becomes difficult to keep track of all the data, and manual handling of Excel sheets becomes inefficient and risky. A PIM system solves this very challenge by offering a structured and automated workflow for updating and distributing data.
PIM and other systems: How are they connected?
When working with PIM, it’s important to understand how it interacts with other systems in your organization. For example, how PIM works with your enterprise resource planning (ERP) system and your content management system (CMS).
The PIM system sends data from ERP or databases to your CMS system, so you can easily display product information on your webshop. The interaction between these systems is crucial because you need to ensure that product data is both accurate and easily accessible to customers. For example, if you sell via a webshop like Shopify or WooCommerce, the PIM system will make sure that your product descriptions and images are automatically updated on these platforms, so you don’t have to do it manually.
PIM acts as a central system that both retrieves data from your internal systems and distributes it to the right channels, creating an integrated and efficient workflow.
The three main elements of the PIM project
A PIM project can be divided into three basic elements:
- Sources – The systems and databases that provide product data to PIM. It can be your ERP system, webshop systems, or even external databases.
- Processes – The workflows that need to be streamlined with PIM. It can be updating product descriptions, exchanging data between departments, or automating marketing materials.
- Channels – The places where the data will be used, such as online stores, catalogs, sales platforms, or internal reports.
Understanding how these elements fit together is an important part of implementing a PIM system that works effectively and delivers value across the organization.
Three good reasons to invest in PIM
PIM can be a game-changer for many companies. Here are three key benefits of investing in a PIM system:
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Improved customer experience
Today, it is the customers who control the buying process. They search for products online and expect quick access to accurate and up-to-date product data. With a PIM system, you ensure that your customers and dealers always have the latest product descriptions, images and specifications available online. This creates a more efficient and positive buying experience, which can ultimately lead to higher sales. -
Increased efficiency
Do you have a lot of products that require continuous updates? Without a PIM system, this can quickly become a time-consuming process. A PIM system helps you organize and structure data so that it becomes easy to find, update and share information. This means that you can reduce the time spent on manual work and instead focus on more value-adding tasks. -
Easier data exchange
Your product data is only useful if it can be shared effectively. A PIM system makes it possible to export and share product data quickly and accurately with internal and external parties, such as dealers and distributors. This makes collaboration easier and ensures that your products are always presented correctly in marketing materials and on sales channels.
OpenDIMS PIM – Work with a single source of truth
With OpenDIMS PIM, you can easily update product data and ensure that your information is always correct and up-to-date. Whether you’re launching new products, running seasonal promotions, or distributing data to sales channels, OpenDIMS makes it fast and efficient.
OpenDIMS is a Danish-developed solution that offers local support in Danish, and you can get started completely free of charge.
Create your free account on https://opendims.com/
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