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Sometimes a problem is pretty straightforward. You’re managing product information through a combination of spreadsheets, syndication tools, eCommerce back-ends, and MDM customizations. As a result, no central product catalog exists. Time-to-market is slow and painful. Ability to expand to new channels is expensive and complicated. Product data is incorrect and incomplete. Information is conflicting from one channel to another. Brand tone is inconsistent across channels and markets. As a result you’re delivering product experiences that frustrate customers. This issue is limiting your growth.
In this case, it may seem obvious that you need a PIM.
Sometimes, however, there are some other challenges in your business in addition to the above that might be clouding decision-making to solve your primary PIM problem. Channel teams (marketplaces, eCommerce, print, local market channels, social, etc.) have unique needs and are asking for help, pulling product information needs into their overall proposals. Maybe your marketplace team bought a syndication engine that had a tack-on PIM but it’s really a PIM oriented to serve Amazon or other marketplaces (instead of your omnichannel strategy). Perhaps an internal team is pursuing a project to consolidate multi-domain data across the organization and thinks product information should be lumped into this massive project. Assets from different teams are scattered across the organization and someone thinks that by centralizing them, it will solve the product catalog problem. Or even more complicated, your company has a ‘build’ mentality where the typical answer to solving internal challenges like yours is to custom create a solution.
We hear you. These challenges are common. What’s universally true about them all is that if you can help provide clarity of needs among the groups and collaborate on a roadmap and vision for success, then you will hold the keys to unlocking growth.
When searching for the right PIM for your business needs, it’s best to start by building a foundation for scale. Here’s what to look for:
The above functionality is best served by a technology that is built uniquely for product information for any and all types of channels (digital or physical), markets and distribution models.
PXM is the art and science of quickly and efficiently delivering high-quality product information in the right context, adapted to channel and locale.
At the core of a PXM offering should be a PIM. Much like at the core of any customer experience offering, should be a CDP or CRM. The PIM enables you to create and organize product catalogs and to store static and dynamic product information. It improves the display and consumption of product information on any of the channels where your products are showcased. It allows you to easily distribute product information and get feedback on the performance of those displays, all in one central location. Finally, it makes information about every product interaction available to anyone at your company who might need it.
PXM gives everyone — from marketing, sales, customer service, business development, customer support, legal, compliance, or any other line of business — a better way to manage the internal and external facing components of product information and measure the performance of each of those external interactions.
With visibility and easy access to this complete, single source of truth for product information, it’s easier to collaborate, increase productivity and unlock growth. Everyone in your company can see how and where product information is displayed, what the impact of the experience is on conversions and returns, accelerate time-to-market for new products, new channels, new markets and so much more. PXM helps companies of all sizes drive business growth.
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Our Akeneo Experts are here to answer all the questions you might have about our products and help you to move forward on your PXM journey.