Please enjoy this sponsored content, courtesy of Plytix.
At its heart, ecommerce is all about content. Content isn’t limited to one channel, of course. Juggling multichannel, omnichannel, AI integrations and the different requirements for content manually can be migraine-inducing, which is why plenty of retailers now rely on specialized content management systems to curate content. One such tool you might have heard of is a Product Information Manager (PIM).
But what exactly is PIM? In a nutshell, it’s software which lets you create, enrich and distribute product content efficiently. Imagine this: you’re about to launch a new fashion line that has 50 different items, each with 100 unique data points, specifications and descriptions, plus 10 images each. All of this adds up. You’ll end up with a total of 5500 pieces of information that need to be organised and sent to different sales channels. And if this wasn’t enough to make you need to take a brief lie-down to recover, those sales channels probably also need different formats and data points.
Thankfully, PIM exists. Here’s just 4 reasons you need a PIM in your life.
PIM means you have all the information you need in one place
Having one place where everyone can get reliable, up-to-date, product information can be a game changer for an organisation. Imagine not having to juggle multiple spreadsheets, dig through endless folders for files and materials, or asking Beth down in marketing where the latest product copy is.
PIM means you’re able to group together all of that info in one place, link all of the images and documents to the suits, ties and shoes (and everything else that’s in your fashion line) and then let you customize and automate your data feeds without increasing the information load. Whole teams can access and collaborate on product information effortlessly when everything is in one place. This means a much quicker product content development and distribution processes, so you can go back to doing whatever you do best, whether that’s designing the little black dress of the century, writing witty tweets or keeping customers happy.
PIM is a key content marketing tool
PIM is a content marketing must-have, whether you’re dealing with 500 SKUs or 500,000. Multichannel and omnichannel ecommerce is only going to become more of a priority over the years ahead. What this means for your business? That the amount of content necessary for product lines will only increase.
PIM gives brands and retailers a place to manage descriptions and other copy, while also keeping track of images, documents, and specifications for products. They can optimize content for their different channels without worrying about losing texts in the chaos, or using outdated, or incorrect, versions.
The main takeaway: syndication automation means content only needs updating in one place. Syndicating content from a PIM is life-changing for retailers that manage shedloads of information across multiple channels. They only need to format their output data once, and then everything is automatically taken care of. Mind. Blown.
Increasing data quality, decreasing costly errors
Using a PIM puts retailers on the path to new levels of data governance. This single database for product information will naturally lead to better, more consistent information. This is because they can sanitize and enrich information as it comes into the PIM, whether provided by a supplier, or created by their team.
With a PIM in place, you’ll begin to create processes around data quality that will ensure everything is formatted correctly based on your brand standards, industry guidelines, and regulatory compliance.
There’s a PIM option for every budget
Contrary to popular belief, PIM is not an expensive software that takes several hundred years to deploy. In fact, there are a whole range of options for retailers, regardless of the size of the company. So do your research: your team will thank you later. Especially since many of the current PIM options offered don’t require intense amounts of training — the demand for the software that e-commerce has created has led to companies creating software that’s effortless to use, so weeks won’t be wasted on watching educational videos.
Convinced? Intrigued? Got more questions? Find out more about PIM here or swing by Savant eCommerce Stockholm (18-19 September) to watch Plytix’s CEO and founder Morten Hellesøe Poulsen taking part in the retailer panel “What do democracy and omnichannel have in common? …Both drive you to become what the people want you to be!” Buy tickets here.
