The Power of Listening: How Leatherman Transformed Reviews into Revenue with Akeneo
It’s no longer about what we think the product should be—it’s about what customers are telling us it is.
At Leatherman, every product is made with purpose. Built for firefighters, electricians, outdoor adventurers, and the everyday fixer, their multi-tools and accessories are known for durability and trust. But as the company grew into new digital channels and global markets, a harsh reality set in:
The tools were built to last, but the systems managing them were not.
Leatherman’s legacy PIM system, once a reliable workhorse, had become a barrier. Teams were spending more time fixing data errors than building great product experiences. Departments operated in silos. And perhaps most frustrating of all: they couldn’t see what their customers were trying to tell them.
A Crossroads: The Search for Something Better
Leatherman launched an exhaustive selection process to find a new Product Information Management (PIM) solution, one that could replace its outdated legacy system and scale with the company’s evolving needs. Stakeholders from IT, product, brand marketing, and eCommerce collaborated to define over 100 business and technical requirements, evaluate vendors through detailed RFPs, and participate in live demos to ensure the right fit.
But it wasn’t just about checking boxes. They were looking for a long-term partner. One with a modern SaaS foundation, a user-friendly interface, and seamless integrations with key platforms like Shopify, Bynder, and TransPerfect.
They chose Akeneo Product Cloud and partnered with Aleysian for implementation.
So often you get into an implementation and you realize the software isn’t quite as great as how it was sold to you. You find out the gotchas and limitations and things don’t work quite the way you want. We’ve had the exact opposite experience with Akeneo! Our team loves the tool more and more all the time. Our dev team has really enjoyed working with it and feel they have all the tools they need. Our users love the interface; they’ve found the product models, families, and rules have all been super flexible.
From day one, Leatherman’s implementation was defined by cross-functional collaboration with the Product, eCommerce, and Marketing teams. With Aleysian at their side and Akeneo as the backbone, teams united behind a shared vision:
And unlike so many software rollouts, adoption grew stronger after go-live.
From Implementation to Innovation: Putting PX Into Action
With the successful rollout of Akeneo Product Cloud, Leatherman’s teams were empowered like never before. Product information was consistent, workflows were streamlined, and data was no longer a liability; it was an asset.
That’s when Carl Ogden, Software Development Manager at Leatherman Tool Group, saw the opportunity to do more.
Surfacing review data inside Akeneo is game-changing. Every time a product manager logs in, they can now see real-time review data, along with AI-generated recommendations on how to improve product descriptions or metadata.
Carl, who sits at the intersection of IT, product, and innovation, recognized that Akeneo could deliver more than operational efficiency. With the introduction of PX Insights, Leatherman could finally act on it’s Yotpo customer reviews in a scalable, intelligent way, surfacing actionable data inside the product record, so he joined the beta program.
Instead of analyzing sentiment alone, Leatherman used PX Insights to detect contextual patterns in how their tools were being used. This wasn’t just a shift in tooling; it was a shift in mindset.
One moment in particular stood out.
The team was reviewing feedback on one of their flagship tools, the Raptor Rescue, a high-performance pair of scissors designed specifically for first responders. The marketing was clear, the visuals were tailored, and the product page emphasized emergency use.
But PX Insights flagged something unique in the review data, a quiet gem that could easily have gone unnoticed:
I have been using these cables for several months as an IT guy to cut zip ties, random cables, and anything else I come across. They have been amazing!
This wasn’t just a positive review, it was a revelation.
The Raptor Rescue was unexpectedly being used by IT professionals in the field. The precision, strength, and durability designed for rescue situations were equally valuable for cutting through networking cables, zip ties, and dense materials in server rooms.
That insight surfaced right inside the product record through PX Insights, sparked a shift in how Leatherman approached its product content and positioning. The product page for these scissors is now being updated to reflect broader use cases beyond first responders, and SEO tags and metadata are now being optimized to include terms like “IT tools” and “cable cutters.” The marketing team is also now exploring new channel strategies to reach field techs and IT buyers.
By surfacing the customer’s voice directly into the Akeneo platform alongside product content, metadata, and taxonomy, Leatherman didn’t just respond to a customer; they opened up an entirely new market.
But that moment wasn’t an exception. It was a signal of what’s next.
Leatherman isn’t just listening to its customers; they’re building the future of their product offering with them. With Akeneo Product Cloud and PX Insights, Leatherman has been able to create a dynamic, customer-informed ecosystem where product experience evolves in real time, guided by the people who use its tools every day.
That future is faster. Smarter. And far more connected.
A special thanks to our partners who supported this project:
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