The 4 priority areas for optimizing your PIM

Expansion of marketplaces, diversification of sales channels... Over the next few years PIM (Product Information Management) will have to adapt more than ever to these fundamental trends in e-commerce. These changes will have an impact not only on the platform itself, but also on the missions of the people who run it. These are just some of the challenges that Quable intends to meet with its customers! PIM (Product Information Management) is a collaborative tool that brings together all product information in a single repository, enabling it to be easily enriched in the future and then distributed across all channels.

1. From multichannel distribution to omnichannel strategy

In recent years mobile Internet traffic has overtaken that generated by fixed terminals. This trend is set to accelerate over the next few years, with the multiplication of mobile-accessible interfaces: after smartphones and tablets, it's now time for smartwatches, phablets and other IoT (Internet of Things) connected objects. These are all communication and sales channels that e-tailers need to manage in addition to their website and paper catalog. However, the multi-channel era, where each medium is addressed via a specific system according to a silo logic, is over. It's time to move on to omnichannel , i.e. unified but personalized information for each medium. The cornerstone of this (r)evolution is the the PIM , which guarantees the consistency and reliability of product information on every support, in-store, on mobile and in the company, while managing the specificities of each device, media or webservice.

2. From connecting to marketplaces to managing flows

Marketplaces are real growth drivers for e-tailers, and will continue to attract more and more traffic. The trend, however, is for them to multiply, with the creation of marketplaces specialized in a particular product, sector or market segment... Faced with this effervescence - and the consolidation of the sector as seen, for example, in the high-tech sector - e-tailers need to choose carefully which marketplaces to connect to. Rates and commissions, potential traffic, target market... are the obvious criteria for choice, but a PIM can be used to refine these choices. It is thus possible to distribute only certain product ranges on certain marketplaces, at certain times of the year, in certain countries only... From a simple technical gateway, the PIM becomes a real tool for e-tailers' marketing teams.

3. A PIM in SaaS to gain in reactivity

Software as a Service (SaaS) is more than just a business model. It's a particularly business-oriented model, because the service dimension of SaaS means that you don't have to worry about costly, time-consuming IT projects, and you have immediate access to the functionality you need. In an ever-changing digital world, SaaS provides the business with tools that are fully integrated into this ecosystem and always up to date.

SaaS also allows you to benefit from a platform that evolves according to the needs expressed by customers and the latest innovations in the e-commerce ecosystem.

An API often included in the offer allows developers complete autonomy in the creation and maintenance of new applications using the product data.

A PIM in SaaS is therefore a sustainable way to accelerate the "time to market " by having product information that is easy to update, and then to distribute it to all channels.

4. New tasks for a Product Information Officer (PIO)

The primary purpose of PIM is to centralize, qualify, consolidate and rationalize product information scattered throughout the company or among suppliers. This involves setting up data validation workflows and appointing a Product Information Officer (PIO), whose mission is to ensure the quality of product information within the company. The missions of this PIO will expand to include a greater focus on what's happening online, outside the company. The consequence of an increased presence on marketplaces (and social networks) is to expose the e-tailer even more to the competition. Reactivity on prices, promotions, services offered... product information and its constant updating become strategic for marketing departments, making the "PIO" the key to permanent adaptation to the market.

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Conclusion

Companies have to adapt to the technological evolutions and the rise of e-commerce. For this, adopting a powerful and strategic tool like PIM is an asset to boost your sales and offer up-to-date product information to your customers.