PIM, the ultimate solution in a multi-brand context

75. That's the number of brands in the LVMH group, a nice score if ever there was one! Although not all companies have 75 different brands, many of them operate in a multi-brand context within the same group. Whatever the history that leads to this context - historical marketing strategy or successive acquisitions and investments - this often results in teams with disparate methodologies and tools coexisting.

But to speed up the distribution of products from brands belonging to the same group, and gain in internal efficiency, unifying product information is an essential and virtuous prerequisite. And this means unifying methodologies and tools too. What steps need to be taken to anticipate these changes? How can PIM support companies in managing multi-brand products and teams?

Collect and centralise multi-brand product data

Suppliers generally vary according to brand and product. This is especially true in the case of a takeover, since the companies involved are unlikely to have common processes. Each supplier usually sends Excel-type flat files, which are then integrated by the brands, each of which has its own ERP and IS. their own ERP and information systems. The effort involved in streamlining these processes can seem insurmountable: changing an entire information system is a considerable investment, which many companies find too burdensome. Instead, the solution is to invest in a single product content management platform - Product Information Management (PIM). Product Information ManagementPIM) to which each team can converge its information. Data will then be collected and centralized in a single, reliable tool. The PIM 's role will be to integrate this data and bring it into line, so as to unify the processes and supplier information used throughout the group, whatever the brand.

Organising the work of the teams

Once the collection of supplier information has been automated, it's time to consider enrichment and organization of work between the various marketing, product and e-commerce teams. In a multi-brand context, teams are generally split up by brand, or even by product, sometimes followed at group level by departments which are themselves multi-brand. The advantage of PIM here is that it enables user rights to be managed according to the needs of each entity: an employee, for example, may be given editing rights to enrich only the products of his or her brand, but will be able to view all other product sheets for inspiration. The administrator, on the other hand, will have access to the validation of all content for the brands he manages. In this way, each brand can retain its own processes and organization, while ensuring the overall consistency of content produced at group level.

Create a multi-brand dashboard

Content is integrated, each team is assigned its own workload: it's time to start monitoring! A clear, comprehensive dashboard is the key to keeping track of the status and progress of your content publishing at a global level. Thanks to PIM, you can define your own dashboard with, for example, a "common core" of indicators shared by all brands, while retaining specific indicators according to each brand's needs (practical or even essential when sectors or end-customers diverge).

Monitoring the quality of product data, anticipating deadlines and organising the day-to-day work of your teams becomes easier. Reports can be viewed by brand, country, distribution channel and even by cross criteria (by country by brand). At a glance, you and your employees know exactly where you stand!

Each brand has its own omnichannel sales strategy

Does your sales and marketing strategy differ from brand to brand, or even from country to country? No problem for PIM, which enables you to connect different on and offline sales channels in a differentiated way for each brand. Once a channel is connected, you can choose to open it up for another brand whenever you like: if you distribute your sofas on the La Redoute marketplace, all you need is a few clicks to supply the retailer with your bedding brand's products. The PIM becomes a distribution hub for all your products and brands.. All you have to do is control it!

Conclusion

Historic umbrella brands, start-up acquisitions, diversification opportunities: there are many ways in which a company can manage a multi-brand portfolio. Unifying the management of product information linked to this portfolio is a step that needs to be managed intelligently to optimize company processes, while maintaining employee involvement. The PIM is the ideal tool for federating data and teams around a common goal: quality content distributed via the right channels. Managers and employees can simplify their day-to-day work around unified processes. Each brand and product can deploy its own identity, while remaining fully attached to the group's global strategy. Managing a multi-brand portfolio has never been easier!