Product and data management play an integral part in your ability to sell effectively. A robust and clean data set can do wonders for your ecommerce store, third party platform integrations and inventory management.
A Product Information Management (PIM) system can help provide this, allowing a more comprehensive and agile management of your digital product information and improving your online capabilities. Getting the timing right, and knowing what to expect, when considering a migration to a PIM, will make the whole process less daunting. Unified are delighted to partner with Akeneo as our PIM of choice.
When is it time for a PIM?
While a PIM is a good option for any business that plans on scaling, in essence a merchant should consider implementing a PIM system when:
The product catalogue becomes too large or complex to manage efficiently.
Multiple sales channels are being used (e.g., e-commerce, marketplaces, brick-and-mortar stores).
You expand your product range to include other suppliers
Product information inconsistencies start appearing across channels.
Manual data entry and management becomes time-consuming and error-prone.
The business is expanding into new markets or languages.
Your data spreadsheet scrolls for days.
As businesses grow, through an increased product range (and a litany of additional SKUs), integration with third party platforms (e.g. marketplaces) or expansion into new territories, they can struggle. When the requirements grow, so do the variety of formats, CSV headers and specific information requested. You don’t want to manually process this data as it’s time-consuming, and at risk of human error; lacking a single source of truth can complicate the process.
A PIM solves these issues by offering a centralised location for all the data, offering a chance to enter, store, edit and immediately have data available in the correct format for whatever requirements are asked of it.
The Best Time to Implement a PIM?
Implementing a PIM takes time, planning and forethought. It involves a financial and manpower investment from the business to ensure it goes smoothly. Often, this means a PIM is implemented reactively, rather than proactively.
It makes the most sense to plan a PIM integration at the same time as a move to a new website or ERP. If these aren’t on the immediate horizon, it might be worth planning it in ahead of time to help future growth.The process should take a minimum of 6 months. The exact length will depend upon the unique circumstances of the business.
Key Aspects of a PIM Implementation
The PIM implementation itself consists of three stages, each designed to ensure effective integration and ongoing usage.
Stage 1 - Discovery Stage
In this stage, the existing data landscape is reviewed. This covers:
All systems that have product data in them
Who uses them (i.e. the team and processes)
Current Workflows
Spreadsheets
End Channels (e.g. Ecom, Franchises, Warehouse)
It ensures there is a full end-to-end picture of where the product data is used, how it gets from place to place in the business and to the end points. Once this is mapped out and understood, we can move to the…
Stage 2 - Design & architecture
In this stage we plan the data architecture. The foundations are laid for how the data will look once in the PIM. It also identifies how the information will pass between different systems (e.g. to logistics partners), identifying integrations required, and putting in place the workflows needed for the users.
Stage 3 - Migration
This process differs depending upon the business and their requirements. An agency (such as our team at Unified!) can lead this and put everything in place, before training the relevant team members. Alternatively, if the merchant has their own integration team, they may wish to integrate it in-house.
Common Integration Challenges
Any project of this scale may run into challenges. Some of the more common ones that a PIM implementation may encounter are:
Relevant Team Engagement
Input from each area of the business that has access or needs to use the data is key to the ongoing success of the project. Running the discovery stage without key stakeholders can prolong the overall project, costing additional time and money as they’re brought up to speed. Involving everyone from the start can improve the integration process and increase user buy in.
User Buy In
A PIM is designed to improve processes and reduce friction. In a company that has several people in data-facing / owning roles, integration of a PIM could cause concern for their jobs. Companies should use the integration as an opportunity to manage expectations and increase engagement, involving all relevant parties in onboarding and training.
Data Cleansing
If the existing data is in poor condition, which can happen if a company has grown quickly or not focused on data management, cleaning it up and/or rewriting it ahead of importing it into the PIM will take additional time.
Measuring Success
Bringing a PIM into your workflow will make a significant difference to your future success. The main benefits from implementation include:
Single Source of Data Truth
Faster Time To Market
Easier to Expand into New Markets
You can measure this by tracking the usage of resource and time taken pre- / post-implementation (such as number of products processed by the team, or time taken on manual data entry).
Our client, Fixfast, have a vast catalogue of products, with a range of variations and complex data sets that, crucially, needs to be correct and up-to-date. A PIM was an obvious solution to improve their data management and speed to market. They are now able to quickly and efficiently manage and update product details such as spec, size and price from one single source of truth. This has greatly reduced their time to market when launching new products and also allows them to ensure accuracy of their product information.
fixfast.com, 2024
Conclusion
The key to a successful PIM implementation lies in thorough planning, stakeholder engagement, and a clear understanding of the company's data landscape. By following a structured approach that includes discovery, design, and rollout phases, businesses can minimise challenges and maximise the value derived from their PIM investment.
While the implementation process may present some challenges, such as ensuring team buy-in and data cleansing, the long-term benefits of a PIM system far outweigh these initial hurdles. As businesses continue to grow and adapt to an increasingly digital marketplace, a robust PIM solution will prove to be an invaluable asset in managing product information efficiently and effectively across all channels.
Ultimately, the right PIM solution, implemented at the right time, can be a game-changer for businesses looking to scale their operations, improve data quality, and stay competitive in today's fast-paced eCommerce landscape.
