E-Commerce with PIM

Key Takeaways

• Mit einem PIM kannst du die Customer Journey verbessern, indem du konsistente und fehlerfreie Produktinformationen zu jedem Zeitpunkt bereitstellst.
• Ein PIM-System verkürzt die Time-to-Market, indem es den Prozess der Veröffentlichung neuer Produkte (teil-)automatisiert.
• Durch die Zentralisierung der Produktdaten schaffst du einen Single Point of Truth, der Inkonsistenzen vermeidet.
• Fehlerfreie Produktdaten reduzieren die Retourenquote in deinem Webshop.
• Die Verknüpfung zwischen PIM und deinen Vertriebskanälen unterstützt deine Go-to-Market Strategie in allen Kanälen des Omnichannel Marketings.
• Die Kombination aus mit DAM-Software optimiert die Verwaltung von Produktdaten und digitalen Inhalten für einen erfolgreichen E-Commerce-Auftritt.

Introduction

E-commerce is booming and companies need to become more efficient and agile in order to survive in the market. The key to this lies in the management of product information, which needs to be managed in large quantities and across numerous channels.

This is where the PIM (Product Information Management) system comes into play – an indispensable tool for companies that want to be successful in e-commerce.

In this article, we shed light on how a PIM system not only simplifies the management of your product data, but also improves the customer journey, shortens time-to-market and helps you master Omnichannel marketing. We also explain what the single point of truth is and how you can reduce your returns rate with error-free product information.

Why E-commerce is so important for companies

The rapid development of the e-commerce market

E-commerce has become increasingly important in recent years and has changed the way we shop. Companies must constantly adapt to the rapid developments in the market and ensure that their product information in e-commerce is always up-to-date and consistent.

A PIM system helps you to manage the growing demands on product data centrally and to keep track of large amounts of data.

Challenges and opportunities in online retail

One of the biggest challenges in e-commerce is the consistent provision of product information across different channels. Incorrect or incomplete information leads to a poor customer experience and can reduce sales.

A PIM system centralizes your product data and ensures that all information is error-free and consistent. This improvement in data quality often makes the difference between a successful webshop and one that loses customers.

PIM in E-commerce – the basis for successful product data

Product information management provides a central platform on which all relevant product information is collected and maintained. It ensures that your data is always consistent and synchronized across all sales channels. This not only saves time, but also reduces the error rate.

Centralization of product data with a single source of truth

A PIM system acts as a single point of truth – this means that all product data is stored and managed in a central location. This central data pool guarantees that every department, every system and every sales channel always works with the same, up-to-date information.

This avoids inconsistencies and misunderstandings that often arise from the use of different data sources. Centralizing data in a PIM system improves collaboration and creates transparency throughout the company.

Consistent product data in the web store for more conversions

How to provide error-free product data for the online store with PIM

Centralizing product data in a PIM system ensures that all information in your online store is consistent and up-to-date. From product descriptions to images – everything is managed at a central point and synchronized across all channels. This not only creates trust with customers, but also improves the customer experience.

Improving the customer experience in the customer journey

The customer journey is the path that a customer takes from the first contact with your product to the conclusion of the purchase. A PIM system ensures that the customer receives the right and consistent information at every stage of this journey – be it on your website, in your web store, on social media or in printed catalogs.

This in turn has a positive effect on the overall Product Experience.

Error-free, up-to-date and consistent product information increases customer confidence in your company and improves the shopping experience. This increases the chances of a purchase decision.

The role of PIM in E-commerce (B2C vs. B2B)

In the B2C sector, emotional product presentations and easy-to-understand product descriptions play a central role, while in the B2B sector the focus is on technical specifications and individual offers.

A PIM system supports companies with both orientations by helping you to prepare your product information specifically for the respective audience. This allows you to optimally manage both the number of products and their specific characteristics.

Shortening the Time-to-Market

In a highly competitive environment such as e-commerce, speed is of the essence. Appropriate product data management software helps you to shorten the time to market for your products by automating the process of creating and publishing product data.

As soon as a new product is added to the PIM system, the data is immediately available across all channels – this means you can get to market faster and add new products to your webshop straight away.

PIM and ERP – a strong duo

ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems are responsible for managing business processes such as stock levels and orders. PIM software, on the other hand, focuses on the management of product information.

When both systems are integrated, you can achieve seamless data management. Product information that is maintained in the PIM solution can be automatically transferred to the ERP system, which makes the entire workflow more efficient.

Reduce the returns rate with error-free product information in the store

Incorrect product descriptions, inaccurate size specifications or incorrect images are often the main causes of returns in e-commerce. Customers who feel that the product they have received is not what they saw in the online store tend to send it back.

With a PIM system, you can ensure that all information is correct and consistent, which drastically reduces the likelihood of incorrect purchases and therefore the return rate.

The use of PIM in E-commerce

How PIM systems reduce the maintenance effort in e-commerce

By centralizing all product data available in the company and integrating it into relevant third-party systems, the maintenance effort for your data is reduced many times over.

Specifically, this means that you can quickly and easily add new products to the online store without having to manually update the data in different systems each time. This ensures that your online store runs smoothly and saves you valuable time.

Serve different sales channels (omnichannel marketing & omnichannel commerce)

In today’s digital world, it’s not enough to sell through just one sales channel. Customers expect to find your products on different platforms – be it in your online store, on marketplaces like Amazon or on social media.

A PIM system enables you to serve different channels efficiently and implement a consistent Omnichannel commerce strategy. With a PIM system, you can ensure that your product data is correct and consistent everywhere, regardless of which channel it is displayed on.

The Distinction from Master Data Management

Although PIM and MDM (Master Data Management) pursue similar goals – namely the management of data – there are important differences. While PIM solutions focus on the management of product data, MDM encompasses all types of master data of a company, such as customer, supplier or location data.

PIM systems specialize in optimizing product information for sales, while MDM enables broader (but pure) data management.

The impact of the combination of DAM and PIM

Another powerful duo in e-commerce is the combination of a PIM system and DAM (Digital Asset Management). While the PIM system handles the management of product data, the DAM takes care of the management of digital content such as images, videos and documents.

Both systems together offer you the perfect solution for efficiently managing both product data and digital assets and using them on different channels. This way, you can ensure that your online store not only shines with accurate information, but also with appealing visual content.

Conclusion

A PIM system is the key to success in modern e-commerce. It not only helps you to manage your product data centrally, but also enables you to improve the customer journey, shorten time-to-market and implement a consistent omnichannel commerce strategy.

The combination of PIM with DAM ensures that your product information and visual content is presented at the highest level.