Every team starts with good intentions. 

You configure your Product Information Management (PIM) system, set up workflows, assign roles, and everything runs smoothly. But as your business grows, things change. New roles appear. Processes evolve. And suddenly, the standard interface no longer reflects how people actually work.

That’s the moment Custom Components were built for.

Launched as part of Akeneo’s Winter Release, Custom Components give customers and partners a powerful new way to extend the Akeneo PIM interface without breaking governance, compromising security, or waiting for core product changes. They let you shape the PIM around real workflows, real roles, and real business needs.

What are Custom Components?

Custom Components are the most powerful extension type within Akeneo’s Extension Framework. They are self-contained JavaScript applications built using the Akeneo Extension SDK and run securely inside the PIM.

Unlike traditional customizations or external tools, Custom Components:

• Live directly inside Akeneo
• Feel completely native to users
• Have authenticated access to PIM APIs
• Doesn’t separate front-end management

This means teams can build rich, interactive experiences, such as dashboards, data visualizations, guided workflows, or integrations with other systems, without pulling users out of the PIM or creating fragile workarounds.

Why Custom Components are important

Most teams eventually outgrow standard configuration.

At first, configuration works well. But over time, cracks appear. The UI no longer matches daily workflows. Different roles need different views. Teams need visibility into data from other systems, but switching tools slows everything down.

When every request turns into “Can this go on the roadmap?” or “Can we hack around this?”, productivity suffers.

Custom Components allow teams to extend the Akeneo UI where it matters most, without touching the core product or creating technical debt. The result is a more flexible platform that adapts to your business, not the other way around.

Built for real workflows, not one-size-fits-all

No two teams work the same way. And your product platform shouldn’t force them to.

Custom Components allow companies to build purpose-driven interfaces directly inside Akeneo. You can embed external data, apply industry-specific logic, and surface the right information at the right time, all within the PIM context.

This enables:

• Role-based experiences for product, sales, and operations teams
• Industry-specific workflows without breaking governance
• Interfaces that reflect how work actually gets done

Bringing external data into the PIM securely

Modern product workflows rarely live in a single system.

With Custom Components, teams can integrate data from external systems such as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) platforms, Digital Asset Management (DAM) systems, or other business tools via APIs, and bring that data directly into the PIM experience.

This allows teams to:

• View external data in context
• Reduce tool switching
• Make faster, better-informed decisions,

all while maintaining secure access and consistent permissions.

What can you build with Custom Components?

Custom Components unlock a wide range of high-value use cases, including:

• Dashboards that surface KPIs and product health metrics
• Guided workflows that help users complete tasks faster and more accurately
• Specialized interfaces for specific roles or business units
• Integrated views that blend PIM data with external systems

These are the types of capabilities customers consistently ask for and now they can be delivered faster, with less risk, and without compromising the Akeneo user experience.

A More Flexible Future for Product Operations

Custom Components deepen Akeneo’s role as the central hub for connected product experiences.

They give customers and partners the freedom to build tailored UI experiences that match how their business actually operates, without sacrificing security, governance, or usability.

By reducing tool switching, supporting role-based workflows, and enabling richer integrations, Custom Components help teams move faster, work smarter, and get more value from Akeneo as the foundation of their product operations.

Retail has invested billions in digital transformation over the past few years. New channels, new platforms, new experiences, all designed to meet rising customer expectations. And yet, customer frustration is growing, not shrinking.

Why is this the case? The modern shopping experience isn’t failing because retailers lack ambition or technology. It’s failing because the foundation beneath it all, product information, isn’t strong enough.

That was the core theme of Akeneo’s NRF session, Winning the Modern Buyer: How a Strong Digital Foundation Delivers the Customer Experiences Shoppers Expect. The conversation brought together leaders from CITY Furniture, The Paper Store, and Akeneo to explore how trust is built (or broken), why product data has moved from back-office concern to executive priority, and how retailers can confidently prepare for an AI-powered future.

The modern shopping experience is in crisis

To set the stage, Akeneo CEO Romain Fouache began with a sobering reality check. Consumer dissatisfaction with the completeness and quality of product information has more than doubled in just two years, climbing from 13% to over 30%. Even more alarming, two-thirds of global shoppers say they’ve abandoned a purchase entirely because product information was missing or incorrect.

These are everyday moments where trust quietly erodes. On a product detail page with vague specifications, in a marketplace listing that contradicts a brand site, or during a store visit that doesn’t match what a shopper researched online. As expectations rise, “good enough” product information is no longer good enough at all.

Where trust breaks first, and why it matters

When asked where trust breaks down most often in today’s customer journey, both retailers pointed to moments where accuracy and clarity are non-negotiable.

For CITY Furniture, the stakes are especially high. Selling big-ticket, bulky items means shoppers need absolute confidence before committing. Even small inconsistencies in dimensions, materials, or care instructions can immediately disqualify a product, or the retailer itself. Product detail pages have become a critical make-or-break moment, especially when nearly 80% of shoppers research online before ever stepping into a store.

The Paper Store faces a different, but equally demanding, challenge. With a massive assortment, deep size and color variations, and extreme seasonality, there is zero margin for error. Nearly half of their annual revenue is generated in a short window between Thanksgiving and Christmas. If product information is missing, inaccurate, or poorly merchandised during that window, the opportunity is simply gone. The downstream impact touches everything — conversion, fulfillment, store traffic, customer trust, and operational efficiency.

In both cases, broken product experiences hurt sales and quietly chip away at brand equity and long-term loyalty.

When product data stopped being “just an IT problem”

A major turning point for both organizations was realizing that product data could no longer live solely in the back office or be treated as a technical afterthought. Product information now shapes discovery, conversion, fulfillment, customer service, and even in-store experiences.

At CITY Furniture, product data initially emerged as an eCommerce foundation. Over time, it evolved into a centralized data library supporting the entire organization as the business modernizes. While IT still plays a critical role in architecture, ownership of product content increasingly sits at the intersection of digital commerce and merchandising, where customer impact is felt most directly.

At The Paper Store, the shift was even more stark. Relying solely on a merchandising system proved insufficient for today’s omnichannel demands. The lack of structured, enriched product information made it harder to execute quickly, scale efficiently, or deliver consistent experiences across channels. Product data became a business imperative, not a technical deliverable.

What stood out most was the shared acknowledgment that product data isn’t flashy. It doesn’t always win internal popularity contests. But without executive advocacy and clear ownership, even the most sophisticated tech stacks fall short.

Product data as a measurable growth lever

Once treated as a strategic asset, the impact of improved product information becomes tangible. Both retailers emphasized that while metrics like add-to-cart and conversion rate are useful indicators, the true value of product data extends far beyond a single KPI.

Richer, more accurate product content reduces returns, lowers customer support burden, improves discoverability, and drives higher-quality store traffic. It also enables better upsell and cross-sell opportunities, especially in omnichannel journeys where customers move fluidly between digital and physical environments.

Turning trusted data into revenue and AI confidence

The session also looked forward, especially as AI continues to dominate retail conversations. The message was clear: AI doesn’t fix broken foundations. It amplifies them.

Shoppers are already signaling what they value. On average, they’re willing to pay up to 25% more for products that come with complete, high-quality information. Trust and clarity now define value just as much as price.

AI can absolutely enhance discovery, personalization, and customer support, but only when it’s powered by clean, structured data. Poor data hygiene leads to hallucinations, misinformation, and inconsistent experiences that undermine trust even faster than static errors.

Practical AI use cases are already delivering value today, including:

• AI-powered chat experiences that answer real product questions beyond a short PDP description
• Smarter comparisons that help shoppers understand differences between similar products
• Faster enrichment and optimization of product content at scale

However, both retailers cautioned against rushing ahead without addressing data readiness first. Governance, integration, and enrichment must come before experimentation at scale.

Advice for retail leaders starting the journey

The NRF session closed with practical advice for leaders who know they need to evolve but aren’t sure where to begin.

First, invest in data and in the people who steward it. Product data teams must understand not only how information is structured, but how it’s consumed by customers, channels, and AI systems. This work will look very different in the coming years, and adaptability is key.

Second, secure executive buy-in early. Product data transformation requires organizational commitment, not temporary fixes or side projects. Governance, standards, and accountability are foundational to long-term success.

Finally, choose the right partners. Retailers don’t have to solve these challenges alone. Learning from peers, working with experienced technology partners, and building phased, realistic roadmaps can accelerate progress while reducing risk.

The foundation matters more than ever

The modern buyer is demanding consistency, clarity, and confidence. As this NRF session made clear, product information sits at the center of every meaningful shopping experience. When the foundation is strong, retailers can move faster, innovate with confidence, and meet customers wherever they are. When it’s weak, no amount of technology can compensate.

Winning the modern buyer starts with getting the basics right, and treating product data not as an afterthought, but as the foundation of commerce itself.

Watch the full NRF session here!

If your organization builds, buys, or uses AI, you’ve probably heard about the EU AI Act by now. 

It’s the European Union’s landmark regulation designed to make AI safer and more trustworthy, while still supporting innovation. Much like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the EU AI Act sets common rules across EU member states and applies far beyond Europe’s borders. Even if your company isn’t headquartered in the EU, the Act can still affect you if your AI systems are used by EU-based customers, employees, or partners – or if their outputs impact people in the EU.

For many organizations, the EU AI Act can feel overwhelming at first glance. It’s long, detailed, and full of legal terminology. But at its core, the regulation is built around a simple idea: the higher the risk an AI system poses to people, the greater the responsibility placed on the organization using or providing it.

Here’s a practical, friendly guide to what it is, what it requires, who’s impacted, how to prepare, and what happens if you ignore it.

What is the EU AI Act?

The EU AI Act is a comprehensive regulation introduced by the European Union to govern how artificial intelligence systems are developed, deployed, and used. Its purpose is to ensure AI technologies are safe, transparent, and aligned with fundamental human rights, while still encouraging innovation and economic growth.

Rather than treating all AI the same, the EU AI Act recognizes that not all AI systems pose the same level of risk. A product recommendation engine does not carry the same potential consequences as an AI system used to screen job applicants or assess creditworthiness. Because of this, the regulation takes a risk-based approach, tailoring requirements based on how much impact an AI system could have on individuals and society.

Importantly, the EU AI Act applies not only to organizations based in the EU, but also to any organization that places an AI system on the EU market, uses AI systems in the EU, or produces AI outputs that affect people in the EU. This means global companies, much like with GDPR, cannot ignore the regulation simply because they are headquartered elsewhere.

At a high level, the EU AI Act groups AI systems into three main risk categories, each with its own expectations and obligations:

1. Unacceptable risk

At the highest level are AI systems considered to pose an unacceptable risk to people’s rights and freedoms. These systems are banned outright because their potential for harm is deemed too great to mitigate through safeguards alone. Examples include AI systems that:

• Manipulate or exploit vulnerable individuals in a way that causes harm
• Enable social scoring by governments or organizations in ways that unjustly disadvantage people
• Use certain types of biometric identification or categorization without appropriate legal justification
• Infer sensitive personal characteristics (such as beliefs or orientation) from biometric data in prohibited contexts

2. High-risk

These AI systems are allowed to exist and be used, but only if organizations meet strict requirements designed to reduce the likelihood of harm. An AI system is typically considered high risk if it plays a role in decisions that can significantly affect someone’s life, opportunities, or safety. This includes areas such as:

• Recruitment, employee management, and performance evaluation
• Education and vocational training
• Access to essential services like credit, insurance, or healthcare
• Law enforcement, border control, and migration management
• Safety components of regulated products and critical infrastructure

3. Limited and minimal risk

Most AI systems fall into the limited or minimal risk category. These are systems that do not significantly affect people’s rights or safety, but may still require transparency so individuals understand when AI is being used. Examples would include: 

• Users may need to be informed when they are interacting with an AI system rather than a human
• AI-generated or manipulated content, such as synthetic images, audio, or text, may need to be clearly disclosed
• Certain emotion recognition or biometric categorization systems must be communicated to users in advance

Who is impacted by the EU AI Act?

At a high level, the EU AI Act applies to any organization that develops, sells, deploys, or benefits from AI systems that are used in, or have an impact on, the European Union. That includes companies based both inside and outside the EU.

To make this easier to understand, the regulation defines several key roles. An organization may fall into one or multiple of the following roles:

1. AI providers: organizations that build or offer AI systems

Providers are organizations that develop an AI system or general-purpose AI model and place it on the market or put it into service under their own name or brand.

This includes:

• Software vendors building AI-powered products
• Organizations fine-tuning or adapting existing models and offering them as part of their own solution
• Companies embedding AI into hardware or digital products they sell

Providers carry the largest compliance burden, particularly for high-risk AI systems. They are responsible for ensuring the system meets regulatory requirements before it reaches customers, including risk management, technical documentation, testing, and ongoing monitoring.

If you sell AI-enabled software or embed AI into your products, even if it’s built on top of third-party models, you may be considered a provider under the AI Act.

2. AI deployers: organizations that use AI in their operations

Deployers are organizations that use AI systems as part of their internal processes or customer-facing operations. This is where many non-technical businesses are impacted.

Deployers include organizations using AI for:

• Hiring, performance management, or workforce analytics
• Customer support chatbots or virtual assistants
• Fraud detection, credit scoring, or risk assessment
• Personalization, recommendations, or dynamic pricing
• Content generation, translation, or product information enrichment

Even if the AI system is purchased from a vendor, deployers are still responsible for how it is used. This includes ensuring the system is applied appropriately, that human oversight is in place when required, and that outputs are monitored for potential risks or errors.

In other words, “we didn’t build it” is not a free pass under the EU AI Act.

3. Importers and distributors: bringing AI into the EU market

These are organizations that import or distribute AI systems within the EU also have responsibilities, including importers who place AI systems from non-EU providers onto the EU market and distributors who make AI systems available in the EU without modifying them

While these roles don’t carry the same level of responsibility as providers, they are still expected to verify that AI systems meet basic compliance requirements and to cooperate with authorities if issues arise.

This is especially relevant for global organizations that sell AI-powered tools across regions.

4. Product manufacturers: AI embedded in physical or regulated products

The AI Act also impacts manufacturers that integrate AI into physical products, such as:

• Consumer electronics
• Medical devices
• Industrial equipment
• Automotive systems

If AI is part of a product’s functionality, particularly in safety-related or regulated contexts, the manufacturer may be treated as the AI provider and must meet corresponding obligations.

This is especially important for organizations combining software, hardware, and AI into a single product experience.

5. General-purpose AI (GPAI) providers

The regulation introduces specific obligations for general-purpose AI models, which are designed to be adapted across many downstream use cases.

Organizations providing these models, whether proprietary or open source, must meet transparency and documentation requirements, particularly if the model poses systemic risk due to its scale or capabilities.

Even if you don’t sell a finished AI “application,” providing a model that others build on can still bring you into scope.

What are the key requirements for the EU AI Act?

1. For high-risk AI systems (providers)

High-risk providers should expect obligations such as:

• A continuous risk management system across the AI lifecycle (identify, evaluate, mitigate, test, monitor)
• Strong data and data governance expectations (data quality and appropriateness for intended purpose)
• Technical documentation and record-keeping/logging to demonstrate compliance and support audits
• Clear instructions for use for downstream deployers
• Designed-in human oversight
• Appropriate levels of accuracy, robustness, and cybersecurity

2. For high-risk AI systems (deployers)

Deployers (users of the system) also have real responsibilities, including:

• Use the system according to instructions, with human oversight in place
• Ensure input data is relevant for the intended purpose
• Monitor operation and take action if risks emerge
• Keep logs (where applicable) and cooperate with providers/authorities if issues arise

3. Transparency obligations

Depending on the system, organizations may need to:

• Tell people when they’re interacting with an AI system (unless obvious or exempted)
• Disclose/label AI-generated or AI-manipulated content (including deepfakes, and certain generated text rules)
• Inform people when emotion recognition or biometric categorization is used (with specific exemptions mainly tied to lawful criminal justice uses.

4. General-purpose AI (GPAI) model obligations

If you provide a general-purpose AI model (the kind that can be integrated into many downstream applications), you’ll need to:

• Maintain technical documentation (including training/testing and evaluation information)
• Provide information to downstream providers integrating your model
• Put in place a copyright policy
• Publish a public summary of training data (at the level required by the Act)
• Note: open-source GPAI models may have partial exemptions, except where “systemic risk” rules apply

What are the penalties for non-compliance?

Penalties are designed to be “effective, proportionate and dissuasive,” and Member States set enforcement details, but the AI Act sets maximum administrative fines that can be very large:

• Up to €35 million or 7% of worldwide annual turnover (whichever is higher) for violating prohibited practices
• Up to €15 million or 3% of worldwide annual turnover for violating key obligations (including many provider/deployer duties and transparency obligations)
• Up to €7.5 million or 1% of worldwide annual turnover for supplying incorrect, incomplete, or misleading information to authorities

Beyond fines, regulators can also require corrective actions and restrictions on systems, and the reputational risk can be significant.

When does The EU AI Act go into effect?

The AI Act rolls out in phases. A helpful high-level timeline from the European Commission’s AI Act Service Desk is:

• 2 Feb 2025: General provisions (including definitions and AI literacy) + prohibitions apply
• 2 Aug 2025: Rules for general-purpose AI (GPAI) apply; governance structures and national penalty regimes should be in place
• 2 Aug 2026: “Majority of rules” apply; high-risk AI systems in Annex III and transparency rules begin applying; enforcement starts
• 2 Aug 2027: Rules for high-risk AI embedded in regulated products apply 

How organizations can prepare for the EU AI Act

Preparing for the EU AI Act doesn’t require hitting pause on innovation or overhauling everything overnight. For most organizations, readiness starts with visibility and structure, not perfection. The goal is to understand where AI exists in your organization, how it’s being used, and what level of responsibility comes with each use case.

1. Build an AI inventory (yes, even the “small” stuff)

A strong first step is creating an AI inventory. This means identifying every AI system your organization builds, buys, embeds, or uses, including tools that might not immediately feel “high risk,” such as marketing personalization platforms, content generation tools, search and recommendation engines, customer support chatbots, fraud detection systems, or demand forecasting solutions. 

Many organizations are surprised by how much AI they already rely on once they map it out.

2. Classify each use case by risk tier

From there, each AI system should be evaluated based on its intended purpose, who it affects, and the potential impact of its outputs. This allows you to classify systems according to the AI Act’s risk categories and identify where obligations may apply. 

At the same time, it’s important to clarify your role for each system, whether you are acting as a provider, deployer, importer, or some combination of the three. This step is critical, as obligations differ depending on the role you play.

3. Establish AI governance and evaluation practices

Once visibility is established, preparation becomes an exercise in governance and consistency. Organizations should define clear ownership for AI-related decisions, including risk assessments, vendor selection, incident escalation, and documentation. 

This often cuts across teams, and benefits from a shared framework rather than siloed decision-making. Building basic AI literacy across teams is also essential, as the regulation expects organizations to understand how their AI systems function and where risks may arise.

4. Operationalize transparency

From an operational standpoint, many AI Act requirements align with best practices organizations may already be working toward. Strengthening data governance, documenting training and evaluation processes, implementing human oversight where decisions have meaningful consequences, and monitoring AI performance over time all help reduce risk while improving system quality. 

Transparency plays a key role, and organizations should be prepared to clearly communicate when AI is being used, especially in customer-facing or content-generating scenarios.

5. Get serious about vendor and model governance

Finally, vendor and partner management becomes increasingly important under the EU AI Act. Organizations should be prepared to ask AI vendors for documentation, compliance assurances, and clarity on how models are trained and governed. 

Even when AI is sourced externally, responsibility for its use does not disappear. Treating AI governance as part of standard procurement and risk management processes helps avoid surprises later.

The most important thing to remember is this: compliance is a journey, not a single milestone. Organizations that start early by building visibility, assigning responsibility, and embedding governance into everyday workflows will be far better positioned to meet regulatory expectations without slowing down innovation.

Final thoughts on the EU AI Act

The EU AI Act can feel intimidating because it’s comprehensive, but it’s also very “programmable” from an operational standpoint. If you can inventory systems, classify risk, document decisions, and put clear governance around high-impact use cases, you’re already most of the way there.

If you want to learn more about how to prepare for the EU AI Act, you can check out the Gartner® report, Getting Ready for the EU AI Act, Phase 1: Discover & Catalog.

Gartner, Getting Ready for the EU AI Act, Phase 1: Discover & Catalog, Nader Henein, Gabriele Rigon, 28 October 2025. 

Gartner is a trademark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates.

Chicago knows a thing or two about doing things at scale, from towering architecture and legendary sports teams to deep-dish pizza that’s anything but shallow. On April 13–14, 2026, that same bigger-and-better energy comes to Convene Willis Tower as more than 250 eCommerce and Product Experience professionals gather for Unlock 2026, the leading U.S. event dedicated entirely to Product Experience.

Hosted by the team here at Akeneo, Unlock brings together the best of the best: dynamic keynote presentations, hands-on technical workshops, expert-led best practice sessions, real-world customer stories, and deep dives into the latest product innovations. Whether you’re looking to sharpen your skills, explore new solutions, or simply stay ahead of where commerce is headed, Unlock 2026 delivers the perfect mix of learning, discovery, and connection.

Now, last year at Unlock, we talked about preparing for the AI wave. That wave is officially here, and it’s reshaping how product experiences are created, managed, and delivered. 

That’s why we’re exploring what comes next: how to modernize your architecture, centralize product data, and evolve your tech stack to support AI-powered commerce at scale. You’ll learn what an AI-ready architecture really looks like, why systems of record are moving back to the center, and how to build a foundation for the next generation of intelligent commerce.

In short, this is where strategy meets reality.

Still on the fence? Here are six reasons Unlock 2026 belongs on your calendar.

6 Reasons to Attend Unlock 2026

1. Gain Insights into What’s New in Akeneo & What’s Coming Next

One thing Unlock can always promise is providing a clear, practical understanding of how Akeneo Product Cloud is evolving. This year, we’ll be featuring a keynote on Akeneo’s 2026 Spring Release with Virginie Blot, Akeneo’s Principal Product Marketing Manager, and a forward-looking roadmap keynote with Andy Tyra, Akeneo’s Chief Product Officer that offers a sneak peek into what Akeneo has planned for the rest of 2026.

Why does this matter? Because product teams, IT leaders, marketers, and eCommerce teams all need to make informed decisions, about architecture, resourcing, integrations, and long-term investments. Seeing new capabilities in action helps you identify opportunities to streamline workflows, reduce manual effort, and deliver richer product experiences faster. Understanding what’s coming next allows you to plan with confidence, align internal teams, and future-proof your commerce strategy.

In short, this is your chance to see how Akeneo’s product vision aligns with your own goals, and to provide you with a roadmap that helps you turn strategy into action.

Check out our product keynote from Unlock 2025!

2. Turn AI Innovation Into Practical, Scalable Execution

AI promises a lot, but turning that promise into consistent, repeatable value is where many organizations struggle.

At Unlock 2026, hands-on labs and workshops are designed to help you move beyond experimentation and into execution. You’ll see how to operationalize AI across product data enrichment, content consistency, and product syndication.

By learning how to automate enrichment, standardize tone of voice, and scale product storytelling across markets and channels, you free up time for higher-value work without sacrificing quality or brand consistency. You’ll leave with practical approaches you can apply immediately to maximize your Akeneo investment and accelerate ROI.

Want to learn how to collaborate between Akeneo PIM, Akeneo DAM, and Akeneo Activation to harmonize product data and assets into engaging experiences tailored for any market? Curious how Akeneo’s Digital Showroom eliminates the friction of outdated collateral? Interested in eliminating repetitive tasks, enforcing data governance, and improving data quality with Akeneo’s Triggered Rules? Our Unlock Labs answer all of these questions and more!

Check out one of our labs from Unlock 2025!

3. Understand How and Why AI-Powered Commerce Demands a Great Restack

With the implementation of AI in shopping experiences across the board, commerce is being fundamentally re-architected.

Expert keynotes at Unlock this year will unpack how AI is reshaping the entire customer journey, from discovery and search to conversion and loyalty. As traditional models are challenged, the role of product data, systems of record, and cross-functional collaboration becomes even more critical.

Why does this matter? Because the decisions you make now about technology, data ownership, and organizational structure will define your ability to compete in an AI-powered future. These keynotes will help you connect high-level trends to real-world implications, giving you the insight needed to modernize your tech stack, align teams, and build a more agile commerce operation.

Check out the Akeneo Opening Keynote from Unlock 2025!

4. Learn What Real-Life AI Success Really Looks Like From Your Peers

AI journeys aren’t linear, and they’re never one-size-fits-all.

Customer panels at Unlock 2026 offer something especially valuable: honest insight from organizations at different stages of AI maturity. From early adopters to innovation leaders, you’ll hear how peers from organizations like Costa Farms, Rainbow Shops, Steelcase, and Hunter Industries are overcoming challenges, proving value, and scaling AI in ways that improve product experiences and business performance.

You’ll gain clarity on what’s achievable, what pitfalls to avoid, and how to measure success, making it easier to build internal alignment and set realistic expectations. The result? Smarter decisions, faster progress, and more confidence in your own AI roadmap.

Check out our PX Champion keynote from Unlock 2025!

5. Expand Your Akeneo Partnership at the Partner Summit

Success in today’s commerce ecosystem isn’t built alone, especially when AI, data, and integration strategies are evolving rapidly. That’s why Unlock 2026 begins a day early with an exclusive Partner Summit on Monday, April 13, a dedicated event designed just for Akeneo partners.

The Partner Summit puts partners front and center of Akeneo’s vision, strategy, and growth plans. You’ll gain early insights into the product direction, innovation priorities, and roadmap thinking that will shape the year ahead. Understanding these strategic threads early gives your business a real edge when advising customers, building solutions, or planning go-to-market activities.

Throughout the day, you’ll experience a blend of inspiring keynotes, strategic discussions, and focused networking, all structured to help you:

• Connect directly with Akeneo leadership and align on where the product and partnership ecosystem are headed.
• Exchange ideas with peers facing similar challenges and opportunities.
• Celebrate partner excellence at the annual Partner Awards, highlighting the leaders driving innovation and success.
• Access practical breakout sessions and workshops that equip you with tools and insights to enhance your offerings and accelerate customer outcomes.

You can learn more and register for the Partner Summit here!

6. Build Meaningful Connections That Last Beyond the Event

Some of the most valuable takeaways from Unlock don’t come from slides. They come from the people you meet.

Unlock is designed to foster meaningful connections across the entire PX community, from hallway conversations and networking breaks to shared learnings in sessions. 

And when the formal agenda wraps, the opportunity to connect continues at the Unlock After Party, taking place on April 14 from 7:30–10:30pm at Punchbowl Social in Chicago’s vibrant West Loop. The venue blends entertainment and dining with activities like bowling, arcade games, and private karaoke rooms, creating a relaxed and fun environment where conversations flow naturally and connections stick.

Stepping out of the conference room and into a shared experience helps you return to work refreshed, and with a rolodex of allies who can support you as commerce continues to evolve (plus, karaoke is simply just fun!).

Best of all, every Unlock ticket includes one free pass to the party, so you can come ready to learn, connect, celebrate, and sing without missing a beat.

Learn more about Akeneo’s annual Unlock party!

Ready to Unlock What’s Next?

Unlock is the time every year where the Product Experience community comes together to learn, connect, and shape what’s next in the new age of commerce. From strategic insights into AI-powered commerce to hands-on learning, real-world customer stories, and unforgettable community moments, Unlock is designed to leave you inspired, informed, and ready to take action.

Now’s the time to secure your spot. Early Bird tickets are available until February 28, and all paid tickets will be entered into a raffle, with the winner announced live at the event to take home a PlayStation 5 console!

Don’t miss your chance to be part of this year’s experience. Register now and join us in Chicago for Unlock 2026. 

As part of Akeneo’s 2026 Winter Release, we’re excited to introduce Digital Showroom, a brand-new product designed to transform your product data into a powerful, visual sales engine.

Static spec sheets and follow-up emails have been the backbone of sales for many years, but nowadays, these just don’t cut it. Prospective customers want instant answers, clear comparisons, and confidence that the information they’re seeing is accurate and complete. 

Akeneo’s Digital Showroom empowers your sales team with on-demand access to trusted product information, helping them identify the right products to pitch, answer questions in real time, and build the trust needed to close deals faster.

Whether your sales team is meeting customers in a physical showroom, on the road, or over a video call, Digital Showroom ensures every interaction is informed, engaging, and consistent.

What is Akeneo Digital Showroom?

Akeneo Digital Showroom is a powerful new solution that turns your product data into a visual, interactive sales asset. Instead of hunting through PDFs, spreadsheets, or outdated presentations, sellers can browse, filter, and present products through an intuitive, eCommerce-like experience that’s backed by accurate, up-to-date data.

At its core, Digital Showroom helps sales teams identify, showcase, and explain products with ease. Because every product, attribute, and asset is sourced directly from Akeneo PIM, each buyer interaction is grounded in a single source of truth. This consistency not only reduces errors and confusion but also strengthens buyer relationships by building confidence at every step of the sales process.

With Akeneo Digital Showroom, sellers can:

• Browse and filter products in a familiar, eCommerce-style interface
• Share rich product details and visuals during live conversations
• Download and share approved assets directly from the showroom
• Present products confidently, knowing the information is always current
• Personalize the experience by implementing your own branding, colors, and logo

The Sales Challenges Digital Showroom Solves

Sales teams face increasing pressure to move faster while delivering better buying experiences. Digital Showroom was built to address some of the most common challenges that stall deals and limit growth.

Stalled sales momentum

When salespeople can’t instantly access accurate product information, conversations slow down. “I’ll get back to you” becomes a deal killer, introducing delays that frustrate buyers and erode trust. Digital Showroom eliminates those moments by putting reliable product data at sellers’ fingertips, exactly when they need it.

Reliance on outdated collateral

Many sales teams still rely on old PDFs, email attachments, or offline spreadsheets to support their pitches. Not only does this create inefficiencies, but it also introduces compliance risks and inconsistent messaging. Digital Showroom replaces scattered materials with a centralized, controlled environment that always reflects the latest approved product information.

Missed revenue opportunities

Without visibility into the full product catalog, sellers may overlook complementary products or higher-value alternatives. Digital Showroom makes it easy to explore and present relevant options, helping sales teams uncover natural upsell and cross-sell opportunities that increase deal size and long-term customer value.

The Benefits of Akeneo Digital Showroom

By connecting product data directly to the sales experience, Digital Showroom delivers tangible benefits for both sales teams and buyers, including:

• Shortened sales cycles: With instant access to accurate product information, sellers can answer questions on the spot, whether in person or online. This removes friction from the buying process, keeps momentum high, and helps deals move forward faster.

• Larger deal sizes: By presenting products in a visual, interactive format, sellers can better communicate value and more easily identify opportunities to upsell or cross-sell relevant products.

• Increased buyer trust and confidence: Every interaction in Digital Showroom is powered by data streamed directly from Akeneo PIM, ensuring sellers are always sharing accurate, consistent information, eliminating the risk of conflicting details and reinforcing buyer confidence in both the product and the brand.
• Streamlined sales operations: Instead of juggling emails, attachments, and multiple versions of the same document, Digital Showroom provides a centralized, branded environment where sales teams can access information, share assets, and collaborate on their own schedule.

A Smarter Way to Sell With Product Data

Akeneo Digital Showroom brings product information out of static files and into dynamic sales conversations. By combining the power of Akeneo PIM with an intuitive, visual experience, it enables sales teams to move faster, sell smarter, and deliver buying experiences that inspire confidence.

As part of Akeneo’s 2026 Winter Release, Digital Showroom represents a new way to activate product data, turning it into a true driver of revenue and relationships.

Want to learn more? Discover how Akeneo’s Digital Showroom can help your sales teams close deals faster and create more confident buying experiences, or request a demo to see it in action today.

Over the past few months, we’ve been sharing a couple different blogs unpacking several SoftwareReview Head-to-Head reports, including Akeneo vs. Salsify, and Akeneo vs. Inriver, each one designed to help teams make sense of what peer-review data actually tells you about competing PIM solutions.

Now we’re taking a look at SoftwareReviews report comparing Akeneo Product Cloud and Contentserv. As with the others, the goal isn’t to declare a universal winner or dismiss one platform in favor of another. Instead, it’s to explain what these H2H reports are, how the data is gathered and calculated, and what the findings reveal when you look beyond surface-level scores.

If you’re evaluating PIM solutions, or simply want to understand how real users experience these platforms in practice, this breakdown will help you read the data with confidence and context.

What Is a SoftwareReviews Head-to-Head Report?

SoftwareReviews H2H reports are independent, data-driven comparisons between two software solutions within the same category. Rather than relying on analyst opinions alone, these reports are built entirely from verified end-user feedback.

In this case, the report compares Akeneo and Contentserv based on user data collected in 2025.

Each vendor is evaluated across four core dimensions that together form a Composite Score:

1. Product Features
2. Vendor Capabilities
3. Emotional Footprint
4. Likeliness to Recommend

The result is a balanced view that reflects not just what the software does, but how it performs in real-world use and how customers feel about the vendor relationship.

All data in SoftwareReviews reports comes from first-party surveys completed by verified users of the software. According to the methodology outlined in the report:

• Reviews are collected via SoftwareReviews’ proprietary survey platform
• Each survey captures 130+ data points per product
• Respondents evaluate their full lifecycle experience, from selection and implementation to day-to-day use and vendor support
• Every response is vetted through a quality assurance process to confirm the reviewer is a real user with hands-on experience

This approach reduces vendor influence and marketing bias, making the findings especially useful for buyers who want peer-driven insights rather than sales claims. 

Overall Performance

At a high level, both platforms perform well and deliver value for PIM users. However, Akeneo Product Cloud achieves a higher overall Composite Score (7.7) compared to Contentserv (7.0), driven by stronger results in recommendation likelihood, customer experience, and product feature satisfaction.

Product Features: Akeneo Leads Overall

When it comes to core PIM functionality, users consistently rate Akeneo higher across the majority of feature areas evaluated in the report. These are not fringe capabilities, but the day-to-day building blocks that determine how efficiently teams can create, manage, enrich, and distribute product information at scale.

Akeneo scores particularly well in areas such as data export and data syndication, which are critical for organizations managing large product catalogs across multiple channels and downstream systems. Strong performance here suggests that users find it easier to move product data where it needs to go without excessive manual work.

Users also rate Akeneo higher for master record management and product categorization and relationships, pointing to confidence in its ability to act as a reliable system of record. These capabilities are essential for maintaining data consistency, managing complex product hierarchies, and supporting variant-rich catalogs, especially in industries like retail, manufacturing, and distribution.

From an operational perspective, Akeneo’s higher scores in advanced search and filtering and product data analytics indicate that users can more easily find, analyze, and act on product information. This directly impacts productivity, helping teams identify gaps, improve data quality, and make informed decisions without relying on external reporting tools.

Finally, strong ratings for role-based access management and digital asset management suggest that Akeneo supports cross-functional collaboration while maintaining governance. Teams can work in parallel without sacrificing control over who can edit, approve, or publish information.

Contentserv, meanwhile, performs well in omnichannel information delivery and workflow and approval management. These strengths may appeal to organizations with highly structured processes or complex approval chains that require fine-grained orchestration across teams and regions.

Vendor Capabilities – A Close Comparison

Vendor capabilities focus less on individual features and more on how effectively a provider supports customers over the long term. This includes everything from implementation and training to product direction and the ability to consistently deliver business value. 

In this area, the H2H report shows a relatively close comparison, with Contentserv just eking out on top (80% versus Akeneo’s 78%).

Contentserv performs particularly well in ease of administration, availability and quality of training, and ease of customization. These scores suggest that users value the platform’s flexibility and the support structures in place to help teams configure and adapt the solution to their specific needs. For organizations with strong internal technical resources or highly tailored workflows, these capabilities may play an important role in day-to-day operations.

Akeneo, however, leads in several vendor capability areas that are closely tied to long-term impact and sustained return on investment.

Users rate Akeneo higher for business value created, indicating that customers see a clearer connection between the platform and measurable outcomes, such as improved productivity, better product data quality, and stronger customer experiences.

Akeneo also outperforms Contentserv in quality of features, product strategy, and rate of improvement. Higher scores here suggest that users have confidence in Akeneo’s roadmap and its ability to evolve alongside changing market demands. In a space where customer expectations, channels, and compliance requirements are constantly shifting, this perception of forward momentum can be critical.

Finally, Akeneo’s advantage in ease of implementation points to faster time-to-value. Successful PIM initiatives often stall during rollout due to complexity or change management challenges. Higher satisfaction in this area suggests that organizations are able to get up and running more smoothly, reducing risk and accelerating benefits.

Taken together, these results highlight an important distinction. While Contentserv demonstrates strengths in configurability and administrative control, Akeneo’s vendor capabilities align more closely with organizations focused on scalability, innovation, and long-term value creation. For teams seeking a PIM partner that can grow with them (and continue delivering impact beyond the initial implementation), these factors can ultimately outweigh marginal differences in administrative or customization scores.

Emotional Footprint: Different Strengths, Different Signals

While feature scores and vendor capabilities show what a platform does, the Emotional Footprint helps explain what it feels like to work with a vendor over time. 

Rather than measuring satisfaction in purely functional terms, the Emotional Footprint captures the sentiment users associate with their relationship with a vendor. It reflects how customers perceive everything from innovation and reliability to fairness, transparency, and how issues are handled when things don’t go as planned.

According to SoftwareReviews, Emotional Footprint data is collected by asking users to rate vendors across five relationship-focused dimensions:

1. Strategy & Innovation
2. Service Experience
3. Product Experience
4. Negotiation & Contract
5. Conflict Resolution
   

Responses are captured on an eight-point scale and converted into net emotional scores, producing a more nuanced picture than traditional satisfaction metrics alone.

In this report, the Emotional Footprint analysis highlights different strengths and priorities between Akeneo and Contentserv, rather than a simple advantage for one vendor across every dimension.

Akeneo scores higher in Strategy & Innovation, indicating that users associate the platform with forward momentum, continuous improvement, and a vendor mindset that actively supports innovation. High scores in this area suggest confidence in Akeneo’s product roadmap and its ability to evolve alongside changing business needs, technologies, and customer expectations.

Contentserv, meanwhile, scores higher in Service Experience and Conflict Resolution, reflecting positive sentiment around responsiveness, fairness, and how customer relationships are managed day to day. These results suggest that users feel supported, respected, and treated professionally, especially when issues arise or decisions need to be negotiated.

Both of these strengths are meaningful. Some organizations may place greater weight on how quickly issues are resolved or how flexible a vendor is in contractual discussions, while others prioritize long-term innovation and strategic alignment.

Final Takeaway: What This Means for PIM Buyers

More than anything, this Head-to-Head report underscores the value of listening to real customers. Rather than relying on feature promises or roadmap statements, SoftwareReviews’ H2H comparisons are grounded in firsthand experiences from practitioners who use these platforms every day, through implementation, daily operations, and ongoing vendor relationships.

For PIM buyers, that perspective is increasingly important. As product data becomes more complex, channels multiply, and AI-driven use cases move from experimentation to expectation, the role of PIM is evolving.

This report shows how different vendors support that evolution in different ways:

• How well platforms handle core PIM capabilities today
• How users perceive long-term innovation and product direction
• How vendor relationships hold up over time, not just at initial purchase

In a market moving as quickly as commerce is today, data-driven, peer-based insights like these help organizations make more confident, future-oriented decisions. For teams evaluating PIM in the context of AI, API-first architectures, and ever-higher customer expectations, reports like this offer something increasingly rare: a clear view of how solutions perform in the real world and how they may support what comes next.

Download the full SoftwareReviews Head-to-Head comparison report of Akeneo vs. Contentserv today to learn more.

A new year tends to lend itself to sharpening priorities. Teams take stock of what’s working, what’s slowing them down, and where the right technology could make a meaningful difference in the months ahead. 

For many organizations, especially in 2026, that reflection brings product information into focus, and with it, the question of whether their current Product Information Management (PIM) platform is truly set up to support growth.

Choosing a PIM solution is rarely about ticking boxes on a feature list alone. Usability, long-term value, vendor partnership, and the ability to adapt as product experiences evolve all play a role. 

Of course, every PIM vendor wants to tout themselves as the best at everything, which can make it difficult to decipher what’s self-promotional and what’s true. That’s where independent, user-driven research can offer a clearer, more grounded perspective.

SoftwareReviews’ Head-to-Head reports take exactly that approach, and today, we’re taking a look at their comparison between Akeneo Product Cloud and Salsify, which is based on verified feedback from real practitioners using these platforms day to day. The report examines how each solution performs across product capabilities, feature depth, customer experience, and the overall quality of the vendor relationship.

Taken together, the findings provide a practical snapshot of how the two platforms stack up in real-world environments, highlighting areas of strength, points of differentiation, and what may matter most for teams looking to build a more resilient, scalable approach to product information in the year ahead.

Let’s dive in!

Overall Performance: Akeneo Leads Across Core Metrics

At a high level, Akeneo Product Cloud received a higher composite score (7.7) than Salsify (7.0), reflecting stronger performance across multiple dimensions, including likelihood to recommend, customer experience (CX) score, and emotional footprint.

Notably, 90% of Akeneo users surveyed indicated a likelihood to recommend, while both Akeneo and Salsify received a 100% intention to renew. Akeneo scored higher for positive sentiment, net emotional footprint (which we’ll dive into more in-depth later), and satisfaction of cost relative to value, which all are metrics that go beyond functional capability to capture trust, respect, and perceived partnership.

While both platforms demonstrate value in the PIM space, the data suggests Akeneo delivers a more consistently positive experience across the customer lifecycle.

Vendor Capabilities: Strength Where It Matters Most

When evaluating a PIM solution, it’s easy to focus almost entirely on features; what the platform can do today. But features alone rarely determine long-term success. How a vendor supports customers, evolves the product, and delivers value over time often has a greater impact on whether a platform continues to meet business needs year after year.

This is where vendor capabilities come into play. In the SoftwareReviews Head-to-Head report, vendor capabilities are used to assess how well a software provider supports customers across the full lifecycle from implementation and adoption to ongoing innovation and support. Rather than measuring what the software does, these capabilities focus on how effectively the vendor enables customers to succeed.

SoftwareReviews evaluates 11 core vendor capabilities, based entirely on feedback from verified end users. These include areas such as: 

• Usability and intuitiveness 
• Business value created 
• Product strategy and rate of improvement 
• Ease of implementation, data integration, administration, and customization 
• Vendor support
• Availability and quality of training 

Together, these categories represent what SoftwareReviews considers “table stakes” for building a strong, sustainable vendor–customer relationship

In this category, Akeneo Product Cloud earned a net score of 78%, compared to 76% for Salsify, indicating a slight but consistent advantage across multiple dimensions of vendor performance.

Akeneo scored particularly well in areas that directly affect day-to-day efficiency and long-term scalability. Users rated the platform highly for usability and intuitiveness, suggesting faster adoption and lower learning curves for internal teams. Akeneo also led in business value created, reflecting the platform’s perceived ability to drive tangible outcomes.

Another area of differentiation was product strategy and rate of improvement, where Akeneo users expressed confidence in the vendor’s roadmap and ongoing investment in innovation. In fast-moving digital commerce environments, this capability is critical; a PIM platform must evolve alongside new channels, customer expectations, and data requirements. Akeneo also scored higher in ease of data integration and administration, helping reduce friction for IT teams responsible for maintaining complex tech ecosystems.

Salsify, meanwhile, received higher scores in availability and quality of training and ease of customization, which may be attractive for organizations with specific enablement or configuration needs. However, the report shows that Akeneo’s strength lies in its broader consistency across core vendor capabilities, which is an important consideration for teams looking to balance flexibility with stability over the long term.

Product Features: Depth, Quality, and Operational Impact

While vendor capabilities focus on the relationship and long-term partnership, product features address a more direct question: How well does the software support the day-to-day work it’s meant to do? In the context of PIM, this includes everything from managing core product records to supporting omnichannel delivery, workflows, analytics, and integrations across the broader tech stack.

According to SoftwareReviews Product Feature Summary, Akeneo achieved an 84% net score, compared to 76% for Salsify.

Akeneo led across all evaluated features, including:

• Master record management
• Omnichannel information delivery
• Advanced search and filtering
• Workflow and approval management
• Product data analytics
• Digital asset management
• Data syndication and integration

These capabilities are increasingly important as organizations move toward API-first architectures and customer-informed product experiences. Strong performance in workflow, analytics, and omnichannel delivery suggests Akeneo is well positioned to support complex, cross-functional product operations.

Emotional Footprint: Measuring the Vendor Relationship

Beyond features and functionality, the quality of the relationship between a customer and a software vendor plays a significant role in long-term satisfaction and success. That’s why SoftwareReviews includes an Emotional Footprint assessment to capture how users feel about their vendor based on real experiences over time.

The Emotional Footprint is built from verified end-user survey responses and evaluates sentiment across five key dimensions: 

• Strategy and innovation 
• Service experience 
• Product experience 
• Negotiation and contract
• Conflict resolution 

Respondents rate a series of emotional descriptors, such as trustworthiness, transparency, reliability, fairness, and innovation, on an eight-point scale. These responses are then converted into net emotional scores, offering a quantitative view of what is often considered qualitative or subjective feedback.

Akeneo scored higher overall in emotional footprint, with particularly strong results in:

Strategy & Innovation

Akeneo received a +82 net score, outperforming Salsify (+70). Users cited continual improvement, innovation support, and meaningful product enhancements as key strengths.

Product Experience

With a +86 net score, Akeneo users rated the platform highly for reliability, productivity enablement, performance, and security. These attributes are critical for organizations managing large, complex product catalogs at scale.

Negotiation & Contract

Akeneo scored higher in transparency, client-first negotiation, and over-delivery, which are factors that can significantly influence long-term partnerships.

Conflict Resolution

Both vendors performed well here, but Akeneo maintained a slight lead (Akeneo +80 vs Salsify +79), particularly in integrity and trustworthiness.

Service Experience

Service experience was one of the closest categories, with both vendors earning strong scores (Akeneo +72 vs Salsify +71), indicating that customers generally feel supported post-purchase.

What This Means for PIM Buyers

Taken together, the findings suggest that while both Akeneo and Salsify are credible, enterprise-grade PIM solutions, Akeneo Product Cloud demonstrates a more consistent strength across product capabilities, customer experience, and vendor relationship metrics. Rather than excelling in only one area, Akeneo shows balanced performance across the dimensions that tend to matter most over the full lifecycle of a PIM investment.

For organizations evaluating PIM as a long-term foundation rather than a point solution, this consistency can be especially meaningful. PIM platforms often sit at the center of increasingly complex ecosystems, supporting multiple teams, channels, regions, and integrations. As a result, success depends not only on what the platform can do today, but also on how well it scales, evolves, and is adopted across the business.

As AI continues to reshape and break everything we thought we knew about the commerce landscape, product information has taken on a far more visible and strategic role. AI-driven search, recommendations, and conversational experiences are only as effective as the data that powers them, making product data quality, completeness, and structure essential. Because of this, PIM platforms have moved from behind-the-scenes systems to foundational infrastructure for modern commerce.

This SoftwareReviews head-to-head comparison highlights how different PIM solutions are positioned to support this shift. By evaluating product features, vendor capabilities, and emotional sentiment through verified user feedback, the report offers insight into how platforms perform once AI-driven demands meet real-world operations. 

For organizations planning for the future of AI-enabled commerce, independent research like this provides valuable context. As product experiences become increasingly dynamic and data-driven, choosing a PIM platform that can evolve alongside new technologies (and support teams throughout that evolution) will be critical to sustaining growth and delivering meaningful customer experiences.

Download the full Head-to-Head Comparison Report here.

Winter has a way of exposing friction.

Processes slow down. Hand-offs get tested. And any gap between strategy and execution becomes impossible to ignore. In commerce today, that gap is growing faster than ever; not because teams are falling behind, but because AI is moving faster than humans ever could.

As agentic AI reshapes how products are discovered, evaluated, and soon purchased, product data can no longer wait in back-office systems for manual activation.

With Akeneo’s Winter Release, we’re introducing new ways to activate trusted product data through AI, extensibility, and frontline-ready experiences, connecting enrichment, governance, and execution like never before. The result? Simpler workflows, safer AI adoption, and teams that can finally act on shared product truths without battling disconnected systems.

We’re turning trusted product data into a live, executable force that powers sales conversations, AI agents, partner ecosystems, and emerging commerce experiences with the same governed product truth. This is what it looks like when product data drives real conversations, real decisions, and real outcomes.

Let’s take a look at the four main aspects of Akeneo’s Winter Release.

1. Digital Showroom

Sales conversations don’t happen in spreadsheets. And in an AI-driven economy, they don’t wait for exports, syncs, or static catalogs.

Digital Showroom gives sales teams a practical, polished way to work with trusted product information in near real time, in an easy-to-use ecommerce-like experience.

Think of it as your PIM, dressed for a high-stakes sales meeting.

Digital Showroom transforms enriched product data into a curated, visual sales asset built specifically for selling and collaboration. By ensuring every interaction is backed by consistent, up-to-date information, sales teams can build stronger buyer relationships and reduce the time from discovery to purchase.

Our goal with Digital Showroom is to keep sales cycles moving, letting sales people quickly identify the right products to pitch at the right time to the right people and providing them with the information they need to answer questions and ultimately build buyer confidence.

Akeneo’s Digital Showroom provides:

• Curated product views from a single source of truth
• Quick sharing with sales teams
• A controlled experience without sacrificing governance

Your product data is no longer locked in the back office. With Digital Showroom, it’s ready for the conversations that close deals and build trust.

2. Stripe Agentic Commerce Suite Partnership

AI-driven commerce needs structured, trusted product data. Now, it has it.

With our new partnership with Stripe, we’re making it easier for businesses to join the agentic ecosystem. Introducing Agentic Commerce Suite: a new platform that makes products discoverable by AI agents, simplifies checkout, and allows businesses to accept agentic payments via a single integration.

This partnership positions Akeneo at the forefront of LLM-driven shopping. Agentic Commerce Suite shares near real‑time product, price, and availability information with AI agents with minimal changes to existing systems; connect the product catalog to Stripe via Akeneo, choose which available AI agents to enable in the Stripe Dashboard, and let Stripe syndicate product information and automatically sync catalog updates to ensure the latest data are available. 

Akeneo’s partnership with Stripe enables:

• Make products discoverable by AI agents: Connect your product catalog to your Stripe account and easily enable AI agents directly from the Stripe Dashboard. 
• Simplify checkout while retaining control of the customer experience: Automate checkout—including shipping, taxes, and inventory—while staying the merchant of record and keeping full control of customer relationships, refunds, and disputes.
• Accept agentic payments and and protect against new fraud patterns: Use new payment primitives for agentic commerce and Stripe Radar risk signals to identify and block fraudulent transactions.

As commerce evolves, Akeneo expands from managing product information to powering the AI-enabled storefronts and selling experiences of the future.

3. MCP Server

AI is only as good as the data (and the guardrails) behind it.

With an expanded Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server, Akeneo brings controlled, contextual AI directly into the product data stack with the accuracy and governance enterprises require.

This is the missing bridge between product data and AI agents.

Akeneo’s MCP Server allows customers to connect their preferred AI models directly to Akeneo, providing structure, context, and guardrails so AI can work on product data without risking quality or governance. Product models, enrichment rules, and data relationships are preserved, ensuring AI responses are grounded in product truth, not hallucinations or assumptions.

With Akeneo’s MCP Server, you’ll have:

• Governed access to trusted product data for AI agents
• Context-aware responses grounded in the product data model
• Enterprise-grade control over how AI interacts with product truth

This is how AI becomes useful, without becoming reckless.

4. Custom Component

No two teams work the same way. Your product platform shouldn’t force them to.

Custom Component introduces a new extension type that allows companies to shape Akeneo’s UI around real workflows, real roles, and real tasks, without breaking governance.

Built on Akeneo’s Extension Framework, Custom Component lets teams visualize and interact with product data in flexible, human-centered ways. Internal and external data can be brought together into personalized interfaces, reducing tool-hopping and friction across product, sales, and operations teams.

This is where flexible visualization meets controlled extensibility, providing a solution that is AI-aware, but still human-first.

Custom Component enables:

• Tailored UI experiences without sacrificing governance
• Fewer tool switches for product, sales, and operations teams
• A foundation for role-specific, AI-aware workflows

Custom Component deepens Akeneo’s role as the hub for connected product experiences, designed around how people actually work and not how systems think they should.

From Product Data to Product Action

The winter season is never the easiest. Conditions are tougher, timelines are tighter, and there’s no room for guesswork.

With Digital Showroom, a native MCP Server, Custom Components, and a brand new Stripe partnership, Akeneo eliminates the lag between product strategy and market execution, empowering teams to act together on shared product truth, even as AI accelerates everything around them.

These capabilities strengthen value across the deal cycle, deepen partner engagement, and open new opportunities for growth within existing accounts. More importantly, they give teams the confidence to act together on shared product truths, without friction or fragmentation.

Most platforms help you store product data. Some experiment with AI. Akeneo is building the execution layer for AI-driven commerce, where enrichment, governance, and activation operate as one, so momentum never stalls when it matters most.

Welcome to the AI-powered Field. Built for winter conditions. Designed for the agentic commerce to come.

To learn more about how any of the features in Winter Release can help you turn product data into a strategic operational asset, reach out to an Akeneo expert today, or jump right in with a free trial.

Content is moving faster than ever. 

Brands are expected to publish, update, and localize information with a level of speed and precision that would have seemed impossible a decade ago. Customers expect this level of quality whether they’re browsing on mobile, comparing products online, or interacting with a brand halfway across the world.

Operationally, teams must oversee a complex and expanding set of pages, assets, and continuous updates, all while navigating tight timelines and rising expectations. As content operations become increasingly central to business success, organizations are looking for smarter, more flexible systems that help them stay ready for whatever the next digital shift brings.

What Is a Content Management System (CMS)?

Enter the Content Management System (CMS), a platform designed to make it easier for teams to build and maintain digital experiences without relying on constant developer support.

At its core, a CMS provides the tools needed to create content, organize it, collaborate across teams, and publish it efficiently. While different platforms vary in features and complexity, most modern CMS solutions share several foundational components that make content operations faster and more scalable.

From intuitive editing interfaces to publishing workflows, components like these work together to ensure that organizations can deliver accurate content that is both consistent and engaging across every channel.

Types of Content Management Systems

1. Traditional (Monolithic) CMS

A traditional CMS manages both the front end (what users see) and the back end (where content is created) in one unified system. Platforms like WordPress or Drupal store content, manage templates, and deliver the final webpage all in the same environment.

2. Headless CMS

A headless CMS decouples content creation from content delivery. It stores and manages content in the back end but delivers it through APIs, allowing developers to build custom front ends for websites, apps, and more. This gives brands greater flexibility and omnichannel capabilities.

3. Hybrid CMS

As the name suggests, a decoupled CMS sits between traditional and headless models. It still separates the back end from the front end, but comes with a ready-made front-end delivery layer. This lets teams create content easily while giving developers more freedom to customize how and where that content is displayed.

4. SaaS CMS

SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) CMS platforms are cloud-hosted and require no installation or infrastructure management. They offer automatic updates, built-in security, and scalable hosting, making them a strong choice for teams that want flexibility without the burden of ongoing maintenance.

5. Open-Source CMS

Open-source CMS platforms offer full access to the source code, allowing businesses to customize the system extensively. They’re highly flexible and supported by active developer communities, but they require more technical expertise for setup, security, and maintenance.

6. Proprietary CMS

Proprietary CMS solutions are owned and maintained by a company that licenses the software. They often include dedicated support and enterprise features, making them suitable for organizations that prefer a fully managed environment.

CMS vs. DAM vs. PIM

A CMS, DAM, and PIM each serve a different yet complementary purpose within a company’s content and product experience ecosystem. A CMS is responsible for creating and publishing web-based content such as pages and landing experiences. It’s the engine that structures your website and delivers content to your audience.

A DAM (Digital Asset Management) system focuses on storing, organizing, and distributing rich media assets, including images, videos, documents, and design files. If the CMS is the engine, the DAM is the highly organized vault that holds all the visual assets that those digital experiences depend on!

A PIM (Product Information Management) platform, like Akeneo PIM, manages all the data and attributes related to your products; descriptions, specifications, sizing, technical data, translations, and channel-specific requirements. While the CMS publishes the experience and the DAM powers the visuals, the PIM ensures the product information behind those experiences is complete and accurate for every market and channel.

Together, these three systems work hand in hand to streamline workflows, improve consistency, and deliver richer, higher-quality experiences across every digital touchpoint.

How Different Teams Use a CMS

Now that we understand what a CMS is, the next question is: how do different teams actually use it in their day-to-day work? Each group relies on the CMS in its own way to keep information accurate:

Marketers:

A CMS empowers marketing teams by giving them full control over web pages, campaign content, and brand messaging. They can quickly build landing pages, update promotional materials, and publish localized content without waiting on developers. A strong example comes from John Lewis & Partners, which modernized its legacy CMS by migrating to Amplience, giving marketing teams the ability to update content in real time and react faster to promotions and seasonal changes. This reduced bottlenecks and empowered teams to deliver more agile and consistent brand experiences.

eCommerce Managers:

For eCommerce teams, a CMS simplifies the ongoing management of product pages, category structures, and conversion-driving content. They can update promotions and optimize page layouts to support merchandising strategies and shopper behavior. This agility helps improve discoverability, maintain accurate information across storefronts, and create a frictionless browsing and buying experience.

Content & Digital Teams:

Content strategists and digital experience teams rely on the CMS to structure information, maintain site architecture, and ensure that the right content appears at the right time. They use built-in workflows, version control, and approval processes to maintain quality and governance, which allows them to scale content creation without compromising clarity or editorial standards!

IT Teams:

IT departments value the CMS for its integration capabilities and security controls. A modern CMS reduces manual content handling, supports API-driven workflows, and connects seamlessly with systems like PIM, DAM, and eCommerce platforms. This simplifies the digital stack and ensures the organization can efficiently maintain and expand its digital ecosystem.

The Benefits and Challenges of Using a CMS

Benefits of a CMS

• Enables teams to publish and update content quickly without heavy developer involvement
• Improves collaboration through shared workflows, approvals, and version control
• Supports consistent branding and messaging across channels and markets
• Streamlines content creation with reusable templates and structured components
• Enhances operational efficiency with centralized content management
• Helps deliver accurate and localized content to global audiences
• Reduces time-to-market for campaigns, product launches, and digital experiences
• Improves the customer experience with more cohesive, up-to-date information

Challenges and Limitations of a CMS

• Traditional or monolithic systems may be harder to scale or adapt to new channels
• Integration with other tools (e.g., PIM, DAM, eCommerce) can be complex because of compatibility issues
• Plugin or extension dependency can create maintenance and security risks
• Content sprawl can occur as libraries grow, making governance more difficult
• Performance can degrade without proper optimization or infrastructure support
• Keeping security, compliance, and accessibility standards up to date requires ongoing effort
  

Choosing the Right CMS

Selecting the right CMS starts with understanding your organization’s content needs, technical capabilities, and long-term digital strategy. 

Ease of use is often the first consideration. Teams need a platform that enables them to create and update content without needing deep IT expertise. Flexibility also matters, especially for brands operating across multiple regions or channels. 

A modern CMS should support scalable content models, reusable components, and intuitive workflows that help teams deliver consistent content while streamlining operations. For organizations expanding into new markets or channels, strong localization features and the ability to handle omnichannel content delivery become essential.

Beyond usability, technical factors play a critical role. The right CMS should integrate seamlessly with your existing technology stack and marketing tools. Security, performance, and hosting options (whether cloud, SaaS, or self-managed) also influence how well the CMS can support both current and future requirements. 

Finally, consider whether a traditional, headless, or hybrid CMS model aligns best with your digital roadmap. A thoughtful evaluation of these criteria ensures you choose a CMS that not only meets your immediate needs but also grows with your business as the digital landscape evolves.

Building Better Digital Experiences With the Right CMS

A CMS has become an essential part of how modern businesses build and manage their digital experiences. From supporting content teams and marketers to empowering IT and eCommerce operations, the right system brings structure and consistency to every stage of content creation and delivery. 

As brands expand across channels and markets, choosing a CMS that aligns with both current needs and long-term digital ambitions becomes increasingly important. By balancing usability, flexibility, and integration capabilities, businesses can create a foundation that supports seamless customer journeys and enables teams to work more confidently and collaboratively. Ultimately, the right CMS manages content and elevates the entire digital experience.

It wouldn’t be PXmas without a grand finale! 

For Day 12 of our 12 Days of PXmas, we’re spotlighting the real-world impact of great product experiences. This roundup brings together 12 Akeneo customer stories that show how brands are turning complex product data into faster launches, smarter workflows, and more compelling customer experiences across every channel. 

So grab a cup of cocoa, cozy up, and unwrap the ingenuity and impact behind twelve transformations from 2025.

12 Stories of PX Success

1. Tiffany & Co.

Tiffany & Co. modernized and centralized its product information management by implementing Akeneo Product Cloud, enabling the brand to: 

• Clean and structure complex product data 
• Eliminate errors and duplications 
• Support multiple market catalogs with greater precision and consistency

With a stronger governance framework and integrations across systems like Salesforce Commerce Cloud, Algolia search, and Adobe DAM, Tiffany significantly improved data accuracy and accelerated its global expansion, launching and supporting seven new markets in six months, with notable reductions in time-to-market and enhanced localized product experiences that reinforced the brand’s high standards for global customers. 

Learn more about Tiffany & Co.

2. Fossil

Fossil, the global lifestyle accessories company known for watches, jewelry, and leather goods, transformed its product information management by adopting Akeneo to replace fragmented spreadsheets and manual processes, centralizing all customer-facing product data and automating content creation with translation tools and rules features. 

This shift brought: significant improvements in data accuracy (up to an 85% increase), faster access and updates across channels, and more efficient seasonal product launches, enabling Fossil to scale its global operations and enhance the online customer experience while strengthening its competitive advantage. 

Learn more about Fossil

3. Sealed Air

Sealed Air, a global leader in protective and food-safety packaging best known for Bubble Wrap®, moved away from disparate systems and manual spreadsheets to a centralized, structured source of truth that supports scalable growth and preserves decades of product expertise with Akeneo. 

This digital transformation not only streamlined internal workflows and improved data access and accuracy, but also strengthened partner enablement by providing detailed and consistent product content, automated data sharing, and enhanced import/export capabilities; all of which were efforts that helped Sealed Air earn Akeneo’s 2025 Expansion Award for driving growth across new and existing channels. 

Learn more about Sealed Air

4. JC Perrault

JC Perreault, a family-owned Canadian retailer of high-end furniture and appliances, modernized its digital operations by implementing Akeneo Product Cloud to centralize and standardize product information that had previously lived in outdated, manual systems. 

By creating a single source of truth for product data and assets, leveraging AI for translation and enrichment, and automating workflows with integrations, the company: 

• Dramatically improved data quality 
• Accelerated product launches from two weeks to just 24 hours 
• Expanded its online catalog fourfold while ensuring consistent, enriched product experiences across both its JC Perreault and Espace 67 brands

Learn more about JC Perrault 

5. tectake

Tectake, a European home and garden retailer selling approximately 2,000 products across 80 marketplaces in 16 countries, consolidated its fragmented product data tools into Akeneo PIM to create a centralized source of truth, and implemented Akeneo Activation to streamline marketplace syndication. 

By replacing manual workflows and disparate systems with a unified platform, tectake drastically reduced marketplace integration time from months to just 15 days, automated attribute mapping with reusable templates, and gained real-time alerts that help prevent product delistings and ensure consistency across channels. This transformation not only accelerated time-to-market and improved marketplace performance but also empowered the team to proactively manage product experiences at scale, supporting strategic growth across diverse global channels.

 Learn more about tectake

6. Courir

Courir, a fashion-driven sneaker retailer and winner of the 2025 Akeneo Accelerator Award, transformed its product information workflows by adopting Akeneo and moving from manual, time-intensive processes to a centralized, AI-powered system that dramatically increased operational efficiency and digital agility. 

By consolidating product data in a single source of truth and integrating tools like the BEE App and a custom troubleshooting dashboard, Courir: 

• Cut product description and translation time by over 90% 
• Reduced manual entry by 97% 
• Sped up video uploads by 66% 
• Achieved a 96% product publication rate, resulting in faster time-to-market, higher-quality enriched product experiences, and scalable omnichannel growth online and in stores. 

Learn more about Courir 

7. Steelcase

Steelcase, a global leader in office furniture and workspace solutions, modernized its cumbersome, manual product data processes by adopting Akeneo PIM and Akeneo Supplier Data Manager (SDM), creating a centralized source of truth that empowered business users to enrich and manage data independently of IT and significantly reduced manual work across multi-regional product records and supplier onboarding. 

With automated linking of assets like images and finishes, streamlined supplier data ingestion, and improved governance, Steelcase cut annual manual effort for supplier data by over 60% and accelerated product release workflows by more than half, driving greater operational efficiency and faster time-to-market. 

Learn more about Steelcase 

8. Leatherman Tools

Leatherman, the iconic multi-tool maker, replaced its outdated legacy product information system with Akeneo Product Cloud to unify product data across teams, improve accuracy, and accelerate time-to-market, while also introducing PX Insights to bring the voice of the customer directly into the product record. 

By centralizing workflows and surfacing real-time review data and AI-generated recommendations inside Akeneo, the team uncovered new use cases, such as IT professionals using rescue scissors as cable cutters, leading to optimized content, expanded SEO and metadata strategies, and fresh go-to-market opportunities. This customer-informed approach helped Leatherman transform data into strategic insights, elevate product experiences, and open new market possibilities based on how customers actually use their products. 

Learn more about Leatherman Tools 

9. Giant Tiger

Giant Tiger, a Canadian value-focused retailer with over 260 stores, implemented Akeneo to centralize previously siloed product information and assets to improve collaboration and operational efficiency across teams. 

By replacing disconnected spreadsheets and inconsistent asset storage with a single source of truth and structured asset tagging, Giant Tiger significantly increased product data completeness from about 60% to nearly 100% online, accelerated time-to-market through faster asset search and management, and empowered its teams to focus on strategic work instead of manual tasks; efforts that earned the company Akeneo’s 2025 Leadership Award for excellence in product information and asset management. 

Learn more about Giant Tiger 

10. Tikamoon

Tikamoon, a European direct-to-consumer furniture brand known for sustainable, high-quality solid wood products, overcame data inconsistency and system limitations by implementing Akeneo Product Cloud as a centralized source of truth, replacing an outdated CMS that restricted attributes and visual storytelling. 

By integrating Akeneo with key composable technologies like Cloudinary (DAM) and Sylius (eCommerce), and leveraging AI to automate content optimization and multilingual workflows, Tikamoon greatly expanded its product galleries, improved international syndication, and delivered richer, consistent product experiences across channels and markets, all while enabling a 20% larger catalog to be managed without growing the team. 

Learn more about Tikamoon

11. ABB

ABB, a global leader in electrification and automation, revolutionized its product catalog production by implementing Akeneo alongside InBetween’s smart automation software to centralize and structure product data and fully automate the creation of its massive 600-page 501 Catalog. 

What once took 6–8 months and extensive manual effort across teams now completes in just 18 hours, with the ability to update catalogs daily, add new products instantly, and generate localized, multilingual print and web versions with consistent, accurate information. This dramatically increased efficiency, freed up resources for strategic work, improved time-to-market, and ensured high data reliability and consistency across all formats, enabling ABB to deliver richer customer experiences and targeted marketing materials faster than ever. 

Learn more about ABB

12. Henderson Food Service

Henderson Foodservice, a long-established distributor serving thousands of hospitality and foodservice customers across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, strengthened its product data operations by partnering with Akeneo and deploying Supplier Data Manager (SDM) to centralize and automate supplier collaboration on product information. 

Facing complexity from more than 360 suppliers and strict UK/EU regulatory requirements for allergens, ingredients, and labeling, the company moved from manual, inconsistent processes to a connected workflow where suppliers upload structured data directly into SDM and Akeneo’s validation rules ensure compliance and completeness before it flows into the PIM, dramatically reducing processing time per product (saving an estimated 10 minutes per item), improving data accuracy and compliance, and transforming supplier relationships into a competitive advantage with faster time-to-market and greater transparency across every SKU. 

Learn more about Henderson Food Service

That’s a Wrap on the 12 Days of PXmas

As we close out our 12 Days of PXmas, we hope these 12 customer stories have filled you with as much inspiration as holiday cheer! Whether you’re dreaming of cleaner catalogs, faster launches, better marketplace performance, or simply happier customers, there’s a lesson here for every product experience journey. 

Here’s to taking these stories into the new year. May your data be merry, your workflows be bright, and your PX goals reach dazzling new heights. Cheers to continuous innovation and a very PXmas to all!