PIM up your business!

If you want to ensure that none of your customers’ questions go unanswered during the purchasing process, precise and well-controlled product information is essential. But what exactly does product information management involve? What opportunities could it hold for your company - and what do you need to think about? To answer these questions for you, we spoke with PIM expert and Unit Director Product Data Solutions Philipp Kruse from Germany's leading agency for connected commerce, hmmh, about the potential of PIM systems for the interior design industry.

“So, technically speaking, a PIM system is the central location where the company keeps its product information. We see it as more than that though. PIM – or product information management – is the basis for winning customers over with an outstanding product experience, both online and offline. And therein lies the reason it is relevant for companies. It's not just a system or a piece of software. It's the foundation, the key to being able to achieve success in connected commerce."

“We know that the topic of product staging – so the visual presentation of the product, but also how a product is described, how it is presented – is becoming increasingly important. This is definitely more than just a trend. More and more products are being sold online. Particularly in the furniture industry, where the haptic experience and feel of the product need to be somehow conveyed, and ideally enhanced, in the digital sphere, the right presentation online is a crucial topic – for both small and large companies, and for both manufacturers and retailers. For manufacturers, because a PIM system enables them to connect with their retailers or marketplaces and channel information about their products to them. And for retailers, because PIM systems help them handle the challenges of expanding their range or onboarding new suppliers.”

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In your opinion, what are five benefits that a good PIM system can bring to a company?

1. “The main issue in the furniture industry is the complexity involved in online purchasing. If I want to buy a sofa offline, then I sit on it and see what it feels like. How does the fabric feel? To transfer this to the online purchasing experience, detailed, centrally stored product information forms the basis for the product’s online staging.

2. Then there is the troublesome issue of returns. Good product descriptions, particularly for bulky products that require a lot of effort to return, ensure that everything is clear right from the start of the ordering process. This helps prevent lots of unnecessary returns and is another significant advantage of PIM.

3. The PIM system is the place where the data truth resides. We call this the “single point of truth”, i.e., the place where all product information comes together. It means that data are no longer sitting in data silos, or in the worst case, in Excel lists, so the company can relatively quickly gain an overview of the quality of its product data.

4. Scalability: With a PIM system, when it comes to taking on or expanding new product ranges the process is much quicker. It’s considerably faster than having to create individual solutions from scratch every time.

5. Last but not least, it enables tailored product information to be created for specific customers or touchpoints. After all, retailers often offer similar product ranges. Good product information data or attractive product staging can make a big difference.”

1. “The main issue in the furniture industry is the complexity involved in online purchasing. If I want to buy a sofa offline, then I sit on it and see what it feels like. How does the fabric feel? To transfer this to the online purchasing experience, detailed, centrally stored product information forms the basis for the product’s online staging.

2. Then there is the troublesome issue of returns. Good product descriptions, particularly for bulky products that require a lot of effort to return, ensure that everything is clear right from the start of the ordering process. This helps prevent lots of unnecessary returns and is another significant advantage of PIM.

3. The PIM system is the place where the data truth resides. We call this the “single point of truth”, i.e., the place where all product information comes together. It means that data are no longer sitting in data silos, or in the worst case, in Excel lists, so the company can relatively quickly gain an overview of the quality of its product data.

4. Scalability: With a PIM system, when it comes to taking on or expanding new product ranges the process is much quicker. It’s considerably faster than having to create individual solutions from scratch every time.

5. Last but not least, it enables tailored product information to be created for specific customers or touchpoints. After all, retailers often offer similar product ranges. Good product information data or attractive product staging can make a big difference.”

“Basically, it's important to choose the right software, the right PIM system, and not just take the first one that comes along. As part of the process, you should also set out your own requirements, and there are partners who can help you do this. When implementing the PIM system, again it’s very useful to have a partner – one that has extensive expertise and can guide a company through the process. From our point of view, the most important thing is the modelling of the data, by which I mean ensuring that the product data is well structured. In order to achieve this there are lots of players that need to be brought on board.

It’s also important to then look at the processes to ensure that they’re suitably efficient and that the PIM system fits well into the company’s existing overall IT system landscape. At the end of the day, a PIM system is not something that can ever be finished, it’s something that is constantly evolving.”

“A good PIM system is the foundation for a good customer experience on the product details page. There’s no point spending an incredible amount of money on a cool customer experience in terms of design, your shops or online marketing to attract customers and then failing to win them over on the product details page at the end. That’s the reason a good PIM system is the foundation for a good or even excellent customer experience. The system plays a vital role in enabling companies to convince customers with good product information at the point of sale. Which is why PIM and customer experience go hand in hand.”

“From a technical point of view, it’s always achievable. It’s important to view it not just as a technical project, but as a change project. It's not just an IT project, because it brings together everyone involved in product data. This ranges from those responsible for supplier data through to photo studios and product copywriters. It’s a huge process and everyone has to pull together. Which is why it needs the backing and support of the company’s senior management.”

“There's still a lot of untapped potential. Especially when it comes to product presentation and the issue of customer experience. These are areas where we see room for improvement for lots of companies.

One specific example is personalisation, by which I mean preparing product information for an individual user profile, in the specific user scenario and for the device that is currently being used. This is a challenge many companies are facing right now and one that will become even more relevant in future.

We’re also seeing the topics of scaling, automation and efficiency become increasingly significant. If we look at the whole process, more and more tasks are being automated. When it comes to product copywriting, this is already the state of the art. The same is true for product images, which are already often supplemented or replaced with CGI solutions – a trend that looks set to continue. The future will tell, but if you don't go with it, you're going to lose out.”

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