The Future of Product Information Management

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the way businesses manage their product information. With AI, Akeneo is evolving its PIM (Product Information Management) system to help brands streamline their operations, maintain increasingly accurate data, and accelerate their growth.

What is Product Information Management (PIM)?

Product Information Management (PIM) is the central system businesses use to collect, manage, and distribute product data across various sales channels. PIM systems help ecommerce merchants streamline workflows and ensure product data is unified, enriched, and easily accessible.

Key processes in PIM include:

1. Data Centralization: Gathering all product data—descriptions, images, specifications, prices, and more—into a single repository, ensuring consistency across multiple platforms.
2. Data Enrichment: Enhancing product information by adding missing attributes, translations, and relevant metadata, often with the help of integrations.
3. Workflow Optimization: Coordinating teams across various departments to review, approve, and update product data, significantly reducing the time and errors associated with manual data entry.

With these processes in place, businesses can ensure that their product information is accurate, up-to-date, and available across all touchpoints.

AI for Always Accurate Data

For eCommerce merchants, it is not always easy to keep product information flawless. This is where AI becomes a game-changer! By automating data validation and enrichment in Akeneo, AI helps limit human errors. According to a Gartner study, it is anticipated that 30% of workers will leverage generative AI to improve their productivity and reduce errors by 2026.

Akeneo, with its intelligent prompts, automatically helps spot inconsistencies in product descriptions or attributes, resulting in more reliable data and overall better quality.

Optimizing Workflows with AI

In addition to ensuring data accuracy, AI simplifies workflows within Akeneo. Imagine being able to automate repetitive tasks such as enriching product descriptions, optimizing SEO, or even translating content. Teams can then focus on higher-value tasks.

A fashion brand could use AI to automatically generate descriptions in multiple languages for its items while incorporating relevant keywords like "denim," "blue," or "stretch." It enhances SEO while significantly reducing time-to-market, which is crucial in sectors where products frequently change.

Upcoming Trends

The evolution of AI is continuous, promising to further transform product information management. According to Forrester, by 2025, AI could be behind 40% of data management decisions. This includes real-time trend analysis, product positioning, and predictive inventory management.

AI's impact will be felt in multiple facets of business operations, including automating routine tasks like testing product listings, performing competitive analysis, and optimizing content. In the near future, AI could help companies predict emerging trends, adjust strategies dynamically, and even enhance customer experiences through personalized interactions. Furthermore, advancements in AI-driven automation will support faster decision-making and improve operational efficiency, making it an essential tool for businesses aiming to stay ahead in a competitive landscape.

Towards a New Era with Multiple Agents

The future of AI in PIM will also be marked by the emergence of multiple agents, where several AIs collaborate to optimize complex processes. Whether analyzing trends, automatically creating content, or managing regulatory information, these tools will enable finer product personalization.

AI is revolutionizing product information management, and Akeneo is at the forefront of this transformation. With its tools already integrating AI features, Akeneo allows businesses to enter a new era of PIM, where automation and personalization reign supreme.