IMPORTANT FUNCTIONS WHEN CHOOSING A PIM SYSTEM PIM A PIM system is the single source of truth for product information when selling and marketing a product and should feed all the channels used with the relevant product data. It is important to look at what PIM is needed for and what functionality is needed for your needs today, but also keep in mind what the future might bring. When choosing a PIM system for your business, there are a few points that are good to think about to get the best system for the particular needs of your business.

Multi-channel support With the PIM system it is possible to sell and market your product in a number of different sales channels using the relevant product data in all channels knowing the information comes from a single source of truth and is always up to date. The outputs can be packaging artwork files, marketing material, e-commerce platform where the product is shown as an online product catalogue that allows the consumer to place an order, social media channels where you want to market your product or even sell it through a web shop. One of the great advantages of a PIM system is that all...

Flexible marketing model The marketing model describes how the information around the products is organised and what meta data is connected to the different levels of the structure. One ground rule in this model is to have products that keep general product information text for the articles included in that product range. This is an important feature and without a clear structure the system will not be as efficient. When the number of channels where the products are marketed is growing there needs to be scalability for the different information needed in different channels. The marketing model...

Open connectivity platform Today the information in a system must be available to other systems and this can be done by connectivity modules. Don’t pick a system where it is not possible to import data by an API of any format. It is also important to evaluate the needs and possibilities to connect to your business system since the connection between a PIM and a business system is very important. To have one single source of the master data is crucial and by importing from other systems this can easily be managed if setup in the right way. Without the possibility to connect to the business system,...

Customised functionality All systems don’t suit everyone. We all have different businesses, needs and visions and it is important to look at your particular business and make sure that the functionalities that you need can be delivered by the system. If the desired functionalities are not there to start with, it should be possible to add them when the need arises. The system should be flexible and scalable to the growingneed of your business. This can be done by adding a code or a plugin that will solve the problem when they are executed in the system.

Efficient search function To work efficiently, it is of great importance to find the relevant products for the task you set out to do. All types of objects in the marketing model must be searchable, it is not enough to only be able to search on an article number or text. It is possible to build your search engine as you would for a relationship-based data base. It is important to build the questions so they also take in to consideration relationships and all meta data available in the marketing model you are working with.

is important to be able to easily work with the result presented after a search. It should be possible to update one meta data field for serval products in one single action and not have to enter each product and make the change, rather select the products for a certain category and add the updated information simultaneously to all selected products. It is crucial to have a seamless way of collaborating on enhancing information in the PIM, no need for different files being sent by e-mail not knowing where the latest version is. If this function is set up in a smart way, it enables teams to work...

The system should be able to handle multiple languages. Make sure that the system you choose supports several languages since your needs might change as your business changes. With a translation service a product catalogue can be ready for a new market within a few weeks. It is often a marketing advantage to be able to offer product information in a local language to a market instead of relying on English only but at the same time add English at the beginning when setting up the system. This saves a lot of time when you may have a requirement to work with a new market as the product information...