Trending

Apr 09, 2025 6 min to read

4 Ways to Build a Resilient Business in an Unpredictable Global Market

Businesses are facing mounting pressure from every direction, from tariffs and regulations to evolving consumer demands. Discover four actionable strategies that can help you stay ahead of the curve, from streamlining supplier onboarding to scaling into new markets with localized content. Learn how the right tools and the right mindset can turn uncertainty into opportunity, future-proofing your product experience operations for whatever comes next.

3. Create a single source of truth for all product information

Rather than juggling product specs, sustainability credentials, and compliance documentation across disconnected spreadsheets, legacy systems, and siloed teams, businesses need a centralized platform where all product data is stored, governed, and accessible to the right people.

Akeneo PIM is designed to do exactly that. By empowering businesses to centralize, manage, and enrich product information at scale, a composable PIM system like Akeneo ensures that every team, from merchandising to marketing to compliance, works from a unified set of accurate, up-to-date data, and that can lead to real cost savings – for example, AMG Medical saw a 60% reduction in catalog management costs after implementing Akeneo PIM. With powerful data governance, workflow automation, and enrichment tools, Akeneo PIM makes it easier to maintain consistency and quality across all channels and product lines.

This not only supports compliance with emerging regulations like DPPs, but also reduces errors, speeds up product launches, and improves the overall customer experience. And when change does come—whether it’s a new regulation, market opportunity, or supplier switch—you’ll already have the solid foundation in place to adapt with confidence.

4. Be prepared to expand to new markets/geos with translated, localized content

When conditions become unfavorable in one region, entering new markets—or doubling down on others—can provide much-needed growth. But too often, expansion plans are delayed or derailed by the complexity of creating localized, relevant content for each new market.

The key is to build a scalable localization process in advance. That means centralizing product data, leveraging translation workflows, and ensuring you can easily tailor product information to meet the needs of local customers, from language and measurement units to cultural context and buying habits.

The good news is that Akeneo can help there as well. With Akeneo Activation, you can distribute tailored product information to any channel, in any region, all from a central platform, ensuring that the right content gets delivered to the right place in the right way at the right time. Akeneo also offers AI-powered translation and localization tools that dramatically simplify the process of adapting product content for new languages and cultures – FELCO was able to scale their eCommerce presence from 10 markets to 170 in just six months with Akeneo. 

By ensuring that product descriptions, features, and marketing copy are not just translated but fully localized for tone, terminology, and context,  Akeneo enables fewer errors, faster launches, and better customer engagement in every market you enter.

With the right tools and processes in place, localization becomes a growth lever rather than a bottleneck. And in a volatile global market, having that kind of flexibility could make all the difference.

Build for Flexibility, Not Perfection

There’s no crystal ball in business. Tariffs will rise. Regulations will shift. Consumer behavior will evolve. And companies that cling to rigid, outdated systems will find themselves constantly playing catch-up.

But the answer isn’t to try and prepare for every scenario; it’s to build systems and strategies that let you adapt quickly to any scenario. That means modernizing your supplier onboarding, making your product information channel-ready, centralizing your data, and preparing your content for global reach.

The businesses that thrive through uncertainty won’t be the ones who guessed right. They’ll be the ones who build their organization with resilience, agility, and adaptability in mind. So, the next time the unexpected happens (and it will), you won’t be scrambling. You’ll be ready.

Are you ready to take the next step?

Our Akeneo Experts are here to answer all the questions you might have about our products and help you to move forward on your PX journey.

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Casey Paxton, Content Marketing Manager

Akeneo

Trending

Mar 31, 2025 6 min to read

What Is a Point-of-Sale System?

Point-of-Sale systems are transforming how businesses operate — from processing payments to tracking data and improving customer service. Discover how POS systems work, the differences between cloud and on-premise setups, and how to choose the right solution. Learn about key features, benefits, challenges, and how tools like PIM can enhance your POS system’s power across channels.

Why Businesses Need a POS System

Whether you choose a cloud-based or on-premise setup, the core purpose of a POS system remains the same: to help your business run more smoothly, serve customers better, and make smarter decisions. But beyond just processing payments, POS systems have become essential tools for modern businesses.

From managing real-time inventory and automating sales reports to tracking employee performance and storing customer data, a POS system helps streamline operations and reduce human error. With everything connected in one place, business owners can make more informed decisions, save time on administrative tasks, and focus on growth. Features like low-stock alerts, data-driven insights, and built-in analytics also empower businesses to operate more efficiently and stay ahead of the curve.

That said, no system is without its challenges. POS systems — especially more advanced ones — can come with a learning curve, and depending on the setup, they may require regular maintenance, training, or updates. As I mentioned before, cloud-based systems rely heavily on internet access, while on-premise ones require dedicated hardware and IT support. 

Despite these hurdles, the long-term benefits often outweigh the initial setup and costs. For customers, POS systems enhance the overall experience by enabling faster checkouts, flexible payment options, and even personalized service through loyalty programs. Whether you’re running a small café or scaling a retail chain, the right POS system doesn’t just make your business more efficient — it makes it more competitive and future-ready!

Tips For Choosing The Right POS System

With so many benefits on the table — and a few challenges to consider — it’s clear that choosing the right POS system is a big decision. The key is finding a solution that fits your business’s size, industry, and unique workflow. 

Not all systems are created equal, and what works for one business might be a poor fit for another. So how do you make the right choice? Here are a few key tips to guide your decision:

1. Understand Your Business Needs

Start with the basics: What type of business do you run? A retail store, restaurant, or mobile service provider? Each has different requirements — for example, a café might need table management, while a clothing store may prioritize inventory tracking. Choose a system that’s built with your industry in mind.

2. Think About Scalability

Your business might be small today, but what about tomorrow? Pick a POS system that can grow with you — whether that means adding more registers, expanding to multiple locations, or accessing more advanced features down the line.

3. Consider Ease of Use

A system packed with features is great — but not if it’s too complicated to use. Look for a POS with an intuitive interface, easy staff training, and responsive customer support to keep things running smoothly.

4. Check for Integration Options

Your POS should play nicely with your other tools—whether it’s your eCommerce platform, accounting software, loyalty program, or marketing tools. Seamless integration saves time and helps create a more connected business ecosystem!

5. Review the Costs

Don’t just look at the sticker price. Consider setup fees, hardware costs, monthly subscriptions, payment processing fees, and any hidden charges. Cloud-based systems usually have lower upfront costs but ongoing fees, while on-premise options may require more investment upfront.

6. Decide Between Cloud or On-Premise

One of the most important choices you’ll make is whether to go with a cloud-based or on-premise POS system. Ask yourself what your needs or wants are for your business before selecting either model. Consider your technical resources, budget, and how your business operates day-to-day before deciding.

7. Security Matters

Your POS handles sensitive customer data, so make sure it offers strong encryption, secure payment processing, and regular updates. Ask about data backup and compliance with standards like Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).

PIM It to Win It

In order to get the most out of a POS system, you also need to ensure the information flowing through it is accurate and consistent. That’s where a Product Information Management (PIM) system can make a big difference.

A PIM can be a powerful companion to your POS setup, especially for businesses with large or constantly changing product catalogs. PIM acts as a centralized hub for managing all your product data — from names, descriptions, and prices to images, specifications, and categories. When integrated with your POS system, it ensures that accurate, up-to-date product information is consistently reflected across all sales channels, both in-store and online. This not only helps prevent pricing errors and inventory mismatches, but also improves the customer experience by making product details clear and consistent. For growing businesses, a PIM system simplifies product updates and makes scaling across locations, platforms, or markets much more efficient—basically what every business dreams!

Closing the Tab: Why POS Isn’t Just a Checkout Tool

A modern POS system is more than a digital cash register — it’s the engine behind smarter sales and better customer experiences. The right setup can give your business the tools it needs to grow and adapt.

And when paired with systems like PIM, your POS becomes even more powerful — keeping your product info sharp, your team aligned, and your customers happy. In the end, it’s not just about completing transactions — it’s about building a business that runs like a well-oiled machine!

Are you ready to take the next step?

Our Akeneo Experts are here to answer all the questions you might have about our products and help you to move forward on your PX journey.

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Venus Kamara, Content Marketing Itern

Akeneo

Solutions

Mar 26, 2025 6 min to read

Three Reasons Why PIM Is The Key To Maximizing Your SAP Hybris Investment in 2025

SAP Hybris is a powerful eCommerce and customer experience platform, but its full potential is often limited by inefficient product data management processes. Discover why integrating a PIM system is key to maximizing your SAP Hybris investment in 2025, and how Akeneo PIM integrates with SAP Hybris to drive efficiency, accuracy, and long-term growth.

1. Create a Global Source of Truth for Product Information

One of the biggest challenges businesses face with SAP Hybris is managing product data efficiently. Many organizations using SAP Hybris rely on IT teams to make even minor product information updates, leading to slow processes and bottlenecks. This reliance on IT can also limit a company’s ability to expand its product information to better describe offerings to customers and the market.

Integrating a PIM with SAP Hybris creates one single global source of truth for product information. Business users can manage, enrich, and localize product data in a dedicated PIM environment, eliminating the need for IT intervention for every update and empowering marketing and eCommerce teams to improve product descriptions, imagery, and specifications. 

Having a PIM as the central hub for product data also ensures consistency across all channels  and enhances localization efforts, ensuring that product information is tailored to different markets, languages, and cultural contexts.

When data is centrally managed and connected to SAP Hybris, businesses can deliver richer product experiences while reducing errors and inconsistencies in their product information.

2. Manage Complex Product Catalogs Across Multiple Channels

Many industries deal with extensive product catalogs containing thousands (or even millions) of SKUs, from automotive to apparel to manufacturing and beyond. Managing such vast catalogs across multiple sales channels is a daunting task, especially when data must be maintained consistently across eCommerce platforms, online marketplaces, partner websites, and physical stores.

A PIM solution is specifically designed to handle complex product catalogs and streamline the management of product data across multiple channels. With built-in syndication capabilities, a PIM can automatically distribute enriched product data to various platforms, ensuring that every channel has the latest and most accurate product information while minimizing manual work, reducing errors, and accelerating time to market.

For businesses looking to expand into new markets or launch new product lines, a PIM also provides a structured way to scale product information management without adding complexity. By integrating a PIM with SAP Hybris, businesses can maintain consistency, improve operational efficiency, and drive higher conversion rates by delivering the right product content to the right audience at the right time.

3. Scale with Agility and Speed

Another major challenge businesses face is the rigidity of highly customized workflows feeding into SAP Hybris. Many organizations have heavily customized their SAP Hybris implementations to meet unique business requirements, but these customizations often make it difficult to adapt to changing market conditions. When businesses need to update product data due to new regulations, shifting customer expectations, or emerging trends, the process can be slow and cumbersome.

A composable, SaaS-based PIM solution can address this challenge by acting as a flexible, best-of-breed component within an SAP Hybris ecosystem. Rather than relying on IT-intensive customizations, a PIM allows businesses to make rapid updates to product data without compromising system stability. This also means that, when new regulations impact industries like automotive or electronics, businesses can quickly adjust their product information and stay compliant without disrupting operations.

By integrating a PIM with SAP Hybris, businesses gain the agility and speed needed to scale effectively, respond to market demands faster, optimize workflows, and drive digital commerce innovation without being held back by rigid system limitations.

Why Akeneo PIM is the Best Choice for SAP Hybris

For businesses looking to maximize their SAP Hybris investment, look no further than Akeneo PIM. 

By leveraging Akeneo PIM alongside SAP Hybris, businesses can:

• Empower business users to manage and enrich product information without IT dependency, enabling marketing and eCommerce teams to quickly update and refine product content for improved customer engagement
• Ensure consistent and high-quality product content across all sales channels, reducing discrepancies and enhancing the omnichannel shopping experience
• Accelerate time to market by improving product data agility, allowing businesses to launch new products faster and adapt quickly to market changes or regulatory requirements
• Scale product information management efficiently without over-customizing SAP Hybris, ensuring a flexible and future-proof solution that grows alongside the business while maintaining operational efficiency

To ensure maximum efficiency, we also offer the Akeneo App for SAP Commerce Cloud, which provides a blueprint for seamlessly integrating Akeneo PIM with SAP Hybris iPaaS and back-office systems. With 80% of the integration work already handled, businesses can quickly implement Akeneo PIM and start reaping the benefits of streamlined product information management.

As digital commerce becomes more complex and competitive, businesses must find ways to enhance their SAP Hybris investment, and a PIM solution can oftentimes be the best way to go. By providing a global source of truth for product data, enabling seamless multi-channel product catalog management, and enhancing scalability, a PIM ensures that businesses can maximize efficiency and drive growth.

For companies committed to SAP Hybris in 2025 and beyond, integrating a scalable and flexible PIM solution like Akeneo is the smartest move to stay agile, competitive, and future-ready.

If you want to learn more about Akeneo PIM or the Akeneo App for SAP Commerce, reach out to an Akeneo expert today.

Are you ready to take the next step?

Our Akeneo Experts are here to answer all the questions you might have about our products and help you to move forward on your PX journey.

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Sarah Hoffman, Product Marketing Manager

Akeneo

Trending

Mar 24, 2025 6 min to read

How to Syndicate Product Content Like a Pro

Product content syndication is transforming the way brands distribute and manage product data across multiple sales channels. By automating updates and ensuring data is effortlessly synced, businesses can optimize their product listings, improve visibility, and reduce errors. Learn the benefits and the types of tools for syndicating product content efficiently, helping brands scale their eCommerce presence with ease.

How To Syndicate Product Content

Now that you know why product content syndication matters, let’s talk about how to actually make it happen! There’s more than just copying and pasting product details across platforms:

1. Centralize Your Product Data

First, make sure all your product information is stored in a single source of truth like a Product Information Management (PIM) system. When working from a solid foundation of enriched product data housed in a single system, a syndication platform can help insulate each channel from the complexity and change happening in another, while keeping your core product information complete and consistent. If your data is scattered across spreadsheets, emails, and outdated files, syndication will only spread inconsistencies faster!

2. Build a Content Strategy

Define which product data needs to be syndicated, where it should go, and how often it should be updated. Adapt content for different platforms while maintaining brand consistency, and ensure your syndication efforts align with your marketing and sales goals! And optimize your product data to meet each platform’s requirements, all while keeping things SEO-friendly. Because if your product isn’t findable, it isn’t buyable.

3. Use a Product Content Syndication Tool

Manually updating every product listing across multiple sites? Sounds like a slow descent into madness. Instead of updating everything by hand, use a syndication solution that automates the process. These tools transform your product content into the correct format for each platform, guaranteeing uniformity while saving you time and your sanity!

The right eCommerce syndication solution doesn’t just export content to unowned sales distribution channels. It should:

• Work seamlessly with your legacy business systems and streamline workflows for your marketing teams
• Identify missing information and errors that may cause data to be rejected
• Enrich and configure all product content from a single location
• Translate product data for the GDSN (Global Data Synchronization Network), an internet-based tool that enables manufacturers to securely share regulatory and supply chain data with their retail partners
• Open the door to a large syndication network, an extensive template library and the maximum number of distribution channels

Working in conjunction with the right PIM solution, the ideal eCommerce syndication platform actually improves product content—and creates an impactful, well-branded experience for every customer across every retail touchpoint.

It also eliminates the need for your IT department to support basic eCommerce processes, like adding digital touchpoints, integrating new channels, or keeping product content up-to-date.

4. Distribute Across Sales Channels

Once your content is optimized, push it to platforms such as eCommerce sites, marketplaces, and more. Automation ensures updates like price changes or new images are wherever your customers are browsing, researching, and buying.

5. Monitor, Update, and Improve

Syndication isn’t a “set it and forget it” process. Monitor your product listings across platforms, track performance metrics (clicks, conversions, SEO rankings), and adjust content as needed. Some platforms allow retailer feedback, so be prepared to tweak product details to improve engagement and accuracy.

With the right tools and strategy, product content syndication works for you—not the other way around.

The Benefits of Product Content Syndication

More eyeballs. More leads. More revenue. Product data syndication delivers it all, enabling you to run campaigns on a cost-per-lead basis, maximize ROI, and effectively strengthen brand awareness. 

And in a world where 73% of consumers rely on product data to make informed purchasing decisions (Forrester), product data syndication is foundational for omnichannel success.

Doing it right requires a holistic approach. One that enables retailers to carefully monitor the quality, consistency, and organizational integrity of product data before it’s syndicated—and enriches data as it’s distributed.

Getting that accurate, optimized, high-quality data to the right unowned place at the right time in the right format is a game-changer. It opens new sales channels, effectively accelerates speed-to-market, and ensures that products are visible, accessible, and appealing to targeted buyers. Partner retailers and channels benefit too, as they can count on accurate, personalized, distribution-ready product content.

Product data syndication is an effective way to create superior experiences for your customers, grow their trust in your brand, and get your products to market faster. 

With shoppers bouncing between so many channels, making sure your product data is correct and current everywhere is key to maximizing sales and maintaining brand trust!

Whether you’re using product feeds or direct integrations, the goal is simple: get your product content everywhere it needs to be—without the headache. By embracing the right tools, like PIM systems and product syndication solutions, brands can ditch the busywork, minimize errors, and focus on what truly matters: selling more and stressing less.

Are you ready to take the next step?

Our Akeneo Experts are here to answer all the questions you might have about our products and help you to move forward on your PX journey.

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Venus Kamara, Content Marketing Itern

Akeneo

Trending

Mar 17, 2025 7 min to read

How Retailers & Brands Can Support a Circular Economy

Sustainability is transforming how brands and retailers operate. From resale and refurbishment to take-back programs, discover how businesses across fashion, food, electronics, and automotive industries are embracing the circular economy. Learn why accurate product information is the key to reducing waste, increasing customer trust, and making circular strategies a success.

We live in a time where customers view products as more than just items to purchase and gateways to the latest trend. More than ever, they’re looking at brands through a sustainability lens, and particularly within Gen Z: young consumers are 27% more likely to buy from businesses that are genuinely walking the sustainability talk.

In other words, being “green” isn’t just a nice bonus anymore – it can often be a dealbreaker for consumers, and brands and retailers have taken the hint. To meet these shifting expectations, many brands and retailers have embraced the circular economy not just as a sustainability flex, but as a real commitment to doing better. But what exactly is the circular economy, and how does it work in practice? Let’s find out!

What is a Circular Economy?

Like its name suggests, the circular economy refers to a business model that aims to minimize waste by reusing, repairing, refurbishing, and recycling products, materials, and resources. Unlike the traditional linear economy, the circular economy minimizes waste by keeping products and materials in use through resale and reuse. It’s about extending the life of products, components, and materials to reduce the environmental impact of production and consumption.

At its core, the circular economy flips the script on how we see products, materials, and consumption – turning “use and toss” into “use and reuse.” It’s not just about buying and discarding; it’s about giving products a longer life, cutting down waste, and reimagining the retail landscape in a more eco-friendly way.

Circularity: Great for the Planet, Great for Business

The circular economy isn’t a new idea, but it has taken center stage in recent years as environmental sustainability becomes increasingly urgent. Given its environmental impact, the need for this movement is greater than ever, offering benefits like less waste, lower use of finite resources, reduced carbon footprint, and significant cost savings. However, the benefits go beyond just the environment – they also offer significant advantages for businesses, such as:

Boosting in-store traffic: Implementing circular economy practices can increase store traffic by attracting eco-conscious consumers who prioritize sustainability in their shopping habits. Offering secondhand or refurbished products, repair services, and trade-in programs create new reasons for customers to visit their stores!

Building customer loyalty: Customer loyalty can be built by aligning with consumers’ growing demand for sustainability and ethical business practices. As shoppers become more environmentally conscious, they seek out brands that favour long-term value over short-term consumption. By offering services like those I mentioned above (including resale options and rental models), brands create an ongoing relationship with customers rather than a one-time transaction. These initiatives keep customers coming back, building trust and strengthening their connection to the brand.

Reducing returns: By focusing on durability and second-life programs, brands ensure customers get high-quality products that won’t end up back on the shelf due to defects or dissatisfaction. Plus, circular practices also encourage retailers to provide clearer product descriptions, sustainable packaging, and digital tools like augmented reality and virtual reality, helping shoppers make smarter choices upfront and keeping returns to a minimum.

Showcasing passion and commitment: Participating in the circular economy sends a strong message that your business cares about the environment by turning values into action. By implementing circular practices and having official certifications, companies can demonstrate that sustainability is not just a marketing message but a core part of their operations. 

Creating upsell and cross-sell opportunities: When customers bring in products for resale or recycling, retailers have an opportunity to upsell new items or cross-sell related products, increasing revenue. For instance, repair services give brands and retailers the perfect chance to upsell customers to premium or upgraded versions when they bring in older items. Likewise, refurbished and secondhand goods open the door for cross-selling add-ons like accessories or warranties, turning sustainability into a smart strategy that benefits both businesses and consumers.

The Circular Economy in the Market

By practicing what they preach, businesses are finding innovative ways to extend product lifecycles and minimize waste. Here are some standout brands and retailers leading the charge in circularity!

Fashion 

Asket is a Swedish fashion brand known for their commitment to timeless clothing and radical transparency. Unlike fast fashion, Asket focuses on permanent collections rather than seasonal trends, minimizing waste and encouraging consumers to purchase high-quality, long-lasting clothing. And it doesn’t stop there. Through their repair and resale outlet, Asket ReStore, they refurbish and resell previously owned garments, keeping their clothing in circulation and out of landfills or incinerators. 

Here’s how it works: Customers who want to return their pre-owned (and washed!) Asket garments can do so through the brand’s platform in exchange for store credit. The returned pieces are then inspected, cleaned, and refurbished before being resold at a lower price, ensuring they stay in circulation rather than being discarded. If items need minor repairs or alteration, Asket restores them to ensure they’re ready for a second life.

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By offering secondhand options, Asket extends the lifespan of their products, proving that good style never goes out of fashion—nor does sustainability. Their initiative not only reduces textile waste but also provides customers with a more sustainable way to shop, making long-lasting clothing accessible while minimizing environmental impact. 

To take things a stitch further, Asket partners with Fabrikörerna, a Swedish west coast organization that specializes in mending clothing and repurposing deadstock materials. Beyond textile revival, Fabrikörerna also serves as an integration project, helping immigrants learn Swedish and settle into their new communities. Through this partnership, Asket not only weaves together circular fashion but also supports social sustainability, proving that responsible business practices can make a meaningful impact beyond clothing!

Food & Beverage 

The circular economy extends beyond traditional retail, and the mobile app, Olio, presents an innovative way to tackle food waste at the community level. Unlike platforms that focus on selling surplus food, Olio connects individuals, local businesses, and even supermarkets to share excess food for free. Whether it’s extra groceries, unopened pantry items, or fresh produce from a home garden, users can list and claim food that might otherwise go to waste, promoting a culture of sharing and sustainability.

For businesses, Olio makes food waste a thing of the past by offering an easy way to redistribute unsold food instead of throwing it away. Supermarkets (such as Tesco!), bakeries, and restaurants can donate excess stock, helping them cut waste disposal costs while contributing to local food security. By partnering with businesses and community volunteers, Olio ensures that perfectly good food finds plates, not landfills.

Source

At an individual level, neighbors can use Olio to share food within their communities, making it easy to give away surplus items before they expire. Got extra home-cooked meals, too many groceries, or produce you won’t finish? Instead of letting it go to waste, simply list it on the app and let a neighbor pick it up. It’s like a digital “borrow a cup of sugar” moment—but for full meals! This simple list-and-pickup system makes sharing easy, reducing waste while building stronger community connections.

From an environmental standpoint, Olio plays a significant role in reducing food waste and lowering carbon emissions. By preventing food from being discarded, the app helps minimize methane emissions from decomposing food in landfills and conserves the resources used in food production, such as water, energy, and labor. With its community-driven approach, Olio turns waste reduction into a shared mission, making sustainable living not just possible, but deliciously easy!

Electronics

When it comes to electronics, Back Market isn’t just a player—it’s a leader setting the standard for sustainable tech. They’re an online marketplace for refurbished electronics, making high-quality tech more affordable and sustainable by the minute. Founded in 2014 in France, the company challenges the idea that new is always better—offering refurbished smartphones, laptops, tablets, and more at up to 70% less than new. By working with professional refurbishers, Back Market ensures that customers receive thoroughly tested and certified products, often at significant discounts compared to brand-new devices.

At the heart of Back Market’s circular economy strategy is its trade-in program, which gives old electronics a second life while rewarding customers for making sustainable choices. What sets it apart from others is its convenience and transparency. Customers receive an instant price estimate for their device through the platform, and once the item is shipped and inspected by a professional refurbisher, the payment is processed quickly. Even devices that are no longer functional can still hold value, as they can be repaired, refurbished, or responsibly recycled. This ensures that every device gets a second chance, reducing e-waste and minimizing the need for new production. 

(Source)

The platform not only helps extend the life of electronics but also reduces e-waste and the environmental impact of tech production. Manufacturing new devices requires vast amounts of raw materials, energy, and water, contributing to carbon emissions and resource depletion. By encouraging consumers to opt for refurbished products, Back Market helps curb this cycle.

Beyond just selling refurbished tech, Back Market is reshaping consumer perceptions of pre-owned electronics. Through a mix of witty marketing, transparency, and strict quality standards, the company has built a brand that makes sustainability cool and accessible. Their rigorous testing process, warranties, and customer satisfaction guarantees help build trust in the refurbished market, making it easier for people to switch to greener, more cost-effective tech choices. As demand for refurbished devices continues to grow, Back Market is proving that sustainability isn’t just a responsibility—it’s a thriving business opportunity!

Automotive

Renault is driving the circular economy forward—literally. The company has embraced repair, reuse, and recycling to keep its vehicles and components on the road longer instead of sending them to the scrap heap. One of its most significant initiatives is the Refactory at Flins, the first European circular economy factory dedicated to mobility. This facility specializes in vehicle refurbishment, battery repair, parts remanufacturing, and materials recycling, ensuring that end-of-life vehicles and components are given a second life rather than being discarded. By implementing these processes, Renault not only minimizes waste but also reduces the need for new raw materials, aligning with the principles of the circular economy.

One of Renault’s most impactful circular initiatives is its battery refurbishment program—because why waste a perfectly good battery when you can give it a second life? Renault evaluates the health and capacity of used batteries, repairing or repurposing them for second-life applications, such as energy storage solutions. These refurbished batteries are then reintroduced into the market at a lower cost, making electric vehicle (EV) ownership more affordable while reducing the environmental impact of battery production. This initiative plays a crucial role in reducing raw material dependency and lowering carbon emissions associated with battery manufacturing.

(Source)

It’s not just batteries getting a second chance—Renault is also reviving key vehicle components like engines, turbochargers, and gearboxes through its RE-FACTORY initiative. Instead of producing entirely new parts, the company repairs and reconditions used components, ensuring they meet original quality standards before reselling them. This lowers energy consumption, slashes material waste, and gives customers a more budget-friendly option—all while keeping perfectly good car parts from an early retirement.

By steering the auto industry toward circularity, Renault is proving that sustainability can drive side-by-side with vehicles. By extending the life of vehicles and components, reducing reliance on virgin materials, and implementing large-scale refurbishment programs, Renault is reshaping the industry’s approach to sustainability. These initiatives not only lessen the environmental footprint of car manufacturing but also offer economic benefits by creating more affordable, durable products for consumers. With innovation at the wheel, Renault is showing that the road to sustainability is one worth taking—and it’s got plenty of mileage left!

Making Rounds With PIM 

The circular economy thrives on transparency and accurate product data—all of which are made possible with a PIM (Product Information Management) system in your corner. For brands and retailers embracing circularity, a PIM ensures that key details like materials and durability are consistently communicated across all platforms. Whether it’s refurbished products, resale, or take-back programs, having a centralized system for managing product data makes it easier to keep items in circulation.

For brands and retailers, PIM is the secret tool that makes circularity work smoothly. With accurate product descriptions, sustainability certifications, and lifecycle details all in one place, businesses can cut returns, boost resale opportunities, and simplify refurbishment processes. Plus, with traceability and transparency at their fingertips, customers feel more confident choosing products that support sustainability. But PIM isn’t just about making circularity easier—it’s also about future-proofing businesses in a world where sustainability isn’t the status quo. As regulations tighten and consumer expectations shift, having a centralized, adaptable product data system ensures brands stay ahead of the curve.

Closing the Loop: The Future of Brands and Retailers is Circular

In an era where sustainability is no longer optional, the circular economy presents a game-changing opportunity for brands and retailers. By embracing circular strategies, businesses can reduce waste, enhance customer loyalty, and contribute to a more sustainable future—all while strengthening their bottom line.

The key to making this shift successful? Accurate, transparent, and engaging product information. And this is effectively done when powered by a robust Product Information Management (PIM). The centralizing solution guarantees that no matter the channel, consumers have clear, consistent details about a product’s materials, durability, and end-of-life options—allowing them to make informed, eco-conscious choices. PIM streamlines sustainability efforts, making circular economy practices more accessible and effective for businesses.

The circular economy is the future of retail, and brands that embrace it stand to win big in both sustainability and customer loyalty. Because consumers are backing brands that walk the talk, and those embracing transparency and circularity won’t just save the planet—they’ll leave the competition in the dirt.

Avoiding Greenwashing

Discover how to avoid the pitfalls of greenwashing and build genuinely sustainable strategies that foster trust, align with regulations, and drive long-term business growth.

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Venus Kamara, Content Marketing Itern

Akeneo

Akeneo News

Mar 12, 2025

Master the Customer Experience with SAP CX

Delivering a great customer experience isn’t just about having the right technology, but about having the right data to fuel it. Discover how SAP CX and Akeneo work hand in hand to enhance personalization, improve search and merchandising, reduce returns, and drive stronger customer loyalty, all while making operations more efficient.

SAP Customer Data Cloud

Managing customer identities and data privacy is crucial in today’s regulatory landscape. SAP Customer Data Cloud ensures secure, transparent, and compliant data collection and management, allowing businesses to build trust with customers while personalizing experiences based on consented data.

SAP Sales Cloud

SAP Sales Cloud helps sales teams enhance productivity, streamline workflows, and close deals more efficiently. With AI-driven forecasting, pipeline management, and guided selling features, sales teams gain deeper insights into customer behavior, enabling them to offer personalized recommendations and build stronger relationships.

SAP Service Cloud

Exceptional customer service is a key differentiator for businesses. SAP Service Cloud enhances service operations by providing AI-powered chatbots, self-service portals, and proactive issue resolution tools, which all work together to help businesses deliver fast, efficient, and personalized support across all channels.

SAP CX AI Toolkit

Rounding out our list, the SAP CX AI Toolkit introduces AI-driven enhancements that optimize various aspects of customer experience such as AI-powered shopping assistants, intelligent search and recommendations, and sentiment analysis tools that help businesses better understand and cater to customer needs. By leveraging AI, companies can streamline interactions, improve personalization, and automate routine tasks, ultimately enhancing the overall customer experience.

SAP CX AI Toolkit

Benefits of SAP CX

Implementing SAP CX delivers several key benefits that enable businesses to stay competitive in the digital landscape by creating more personalized, data-driven, and efficient customer interactions. In an era where customer expectations are higher than ever, embracing intelligent solutions that anticipate customer needs, optimize engagement, and foster long-term loyalty ensures businesses can take a unified approach to managing customer relationships across marketing, commerce, sales, and service, ensuring that every touchpoint is optimized to deliver seamless, relevant, and highly engaging experiences.

In particular, SAP CX helps to enable:

• Personalized experiences: With AI-driven insights and predictive analytics, businesses can create highly personalized interactions that resonate with customers. By analyzing customer behavior, preferences, and past interactions, companies can craft individualized marketing messages, product recommendations, and promotions that drive engagement and loyalty.
• Seamless omnichannel engagement: SAP CX ensures a consistent and frictionless experience across websites, mobile apps, social media, and in-store interactions. Whether a customer is browsing online, interacting with a chatbot, or speaking to a customer service agent, the experience remains seamless and context-aware, reducing frustration and increasing conversions.
• Enhanced customer insights: By centralizing customer data from multiple touchpoints, businesses gain a 360-degree view of their audience. This unified customer profile allows for better segmentation, more accurate targeting, and improved forecasting, helping businesses make more informed decisions that lead to higher ROI.
• Increased efficiency and automation: AI-powered tools automate repetitive tasks such as customer inquiries, lead scoring, and order processing, freeing up teams to focus on high-value activities. Automated workflows ensure faster response times, reduce errors, and enhance overall operational efficiency.
• Stronger customer loyalty and retention: Personalized and seamless interactions lead to higher customer satisfaction, which translates into greater brand loyalty and increased repeat purchases. When customers feel understood and valued, they are more likely to continue engaging with a brand and advocating for it through positive word-of-mouth and reviews.

Maximizing SAP CX with PIM

While SAP CX is a powerful platform for managing customer experiences, its effectiveness depends on the quality of the data that flows through it—especially product information. A Product Information Management (PIM) system extends the value of SAP CX by ensuring that high-quality, enriched, and consistent product data is available across all customer touchpoints.

A PIM centralizes and streamlines product data management, reducing manual errors, improving time-to-market, and enabling businesses to deliver rich, localized, and channel-specific product experiences at scale. 

By integrating a PIM with SAP CX, companies can:

Enhance Personalization 

Deliver highly relevant product recommendations and content based on accurate, enriched product data. When product details are comprehensive and structured properly, AI-powered recommendation engines within SAP CX can better match customer preferences with suitable products, resulting in more engaging and relevant shopping experiences.

Optimize Search and Merchandising 

Ensure customers can easily find the right products with well-structured and detailed product attributes. A PIM enhances product discoverability by providing enriched metadata, ensuring that search engines and in-platform search functions display the most relevant results based on user queries.

Improve Conversion Rates 

Provide complete and compelling product information that instills confidence in buyers. High-quality images, detailed specifications, and localized descriptions increase transparency and trust, reducing hesitation and improving the likelihood of purchase.

Ensure Consistency Across Channels 

Maintain uniform product data across eCommerce sites, marketplaces, mobile apps, and in-store systems. A PIM eliminates discrepancies in product descriptions, pricing, and availability, creating a seamless omnichannel experience that strengthens brand trust and credibility.

Reduce Returns and Customer Frustration 

Accurate product data helps customers make informed decisions, leading to fewer mismatched expectations and lower return rates; in fact, 62% of customers believe having more accurate product information upfront would reduce their likelihood of making a return

By ensuring the right information is always available, businesses minimize post-purchase dissatisfaction and enhance overall customer satisfaction.

By leveraging a PIM alongside SAP CX, businesses can maximize their investment in customer experience technologies while ensuring a seamless and engaging product discovery journey. The integration of PIM with SAP CX not only improves operational efficiency but also drives revenue by providing superior product experiences tailored to customer needs.

Akeneo & SAP Commerce Cloud

To further streamline product data management within SAP CX, joint customers can leverage the Akeneo App for SAP Commerce Cloud, allowing them to integrate high-quality product information into their SAP Commerce Cloud, leveraging the SAP Business Technology Platform. This flexible and performant integration  allows SAP architects to configure and transform the data quickly and easily to meet complex commerce needs, ultimately improving the end customer experience thanks to complete, compelling, localized product information. 

With Akeneo’s PIM and SAP CX working together, businesses can deliver more compelling product experiences that drive customer satisfaction and revenue growth.

Learn more about how Akeneo’s PIM enhances SAP CX and take your customer experience strategy to the next level!

Spring Release 2025 is Here.

Enrich and activate product records with real customer feedback along the entire customer journey and optimize product performance with our latest features.

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Sarah Hoffman, Product Marketing Manager

Akeneo

Trending

Mar 10, 2025

Fashion’s Dirty Secret: The True Cost of What You Wear

Sustainable fashion is important for both businesses and the world. Learn how ethical sourcing, circular fashion, and mindful consumerism can reduce waste, lower carbon footprints, and promote fair labor practices. Discover how brands can implement sustainability while improving transparency, customer trust, and long-term business success

What is Sustainable Fashion? 

So we know the impact that the fashion industry can have on the environment, but what exactly does actual sustainable fashion look like?

Sustainable fashion refers to a clothing supply chain that prioritizes organic or recycled materials and ethical labor practices. Just like its name suggests, the aim of sustainable fashion companies is to reduce environmental impact by using eco-friendly materials, minimizing waste, and ensuring fair working conditions.

Examples Of Sustainable Fashion

There are various types of sustainable fashion that brands practice:

• Ethical Fashion: Ethical fashion is about the moralistic approach to fashion—focusing on fair treatment and safe working conditions for all workers involved in the clothing production process. Its goal is to be both socially and environmentally responsible! A great example is the fashion brand, People Tree who has been a pioneer in the fair trade fashion movement since its founding in 1991. The brand champions ethical fashion by using sustainable materials, ensuring fair wages, and empowering marginalized communities through fair trade practices.
• Slow Fashion: Slow fashion is about challenging the fast-paced fashion industry by encouraging a more considerate and sustainable approach to clothing. Asket is a prime example of a slow fashion brand because they embody the core principles it entails. Their permanent collection of timeless, high-quality garments encourages mindful consumption and reduces waste associated with fast fashion, encouraging investments in lifelong garments instead of cheaper pieces that will be out of style in six months.
• Circular Fashion: Circular fashion is a model that aims to minimize waste and maximize resource efficiency by keeping materials in use for as long as possible. It’s based on the core principles of the circular economy, where products are designed to be reused, repaired, remade, and recycled rather than disposed of after a short lifecycle. A great example of a circular economy in fashion is Patagonia’s Worn Wear Program. Instead of following the traditional linear model of take-make-dispose, Patagonia has created a closed-loop system that extends the life of its products and reduces waste by offering a place for consumers to resell their old Patagonia garments instead of letting them sit in a landfill.
• Conscious Fashion: Conscious fashion is more of a message to the consumer! It refers to a mindful approach to fashion that emphasizes the ethical, sustainable, and responsible practices done throughout the entire lifecycle of a garment,  from design and production to consumption and disposal. Eileen Fisher embodies conscious fashion by focusing on their timeless collection and circular initiatives, such as their Renew take-back program which repairs and resells customers’ pre-loved garments. The brand weaves sustainability into its clothing through a commitment to organic materials and minimizing textile waste.

All these various types of sustainable fashion—in all their glorious shades of green—drive a crucial change towards a more environmentally responsible industry, proving that both style and ethics can coexist!

How Can Fashion Brands Be Sustainable?

Well it’s quite easy! Fashion brands can become more sustainable by implementing ethical, circular practices across their supply chains. Here’s how:

Be Transparent

As I mentioned before, by clearly communicating how a product came to be, supply chain details, and sustainability efforts, brands can allow customers to make informed, responsible purchases—building trust between consumer and brand. Product Information Management (PIM) system plays a crucial role in this by centralizing and standardizing product data, ensuring that accurate details about materials, certifications, and ethical production practices are easily accessible and enriched. By integrating PIM solutions, brands can provide consistent and transparent product information across all sales channels, helping consumers make more sustainable choices while also enhancing trust and brand loyalty.

Use Sustainable Materials

One of the most impactful ways fashion brands can become more sustainable is by choosing eco-friendly fabrics that reduce resource consumption and pollution. Sustainable materials help lower water usage, carbon emissions, and chemical pollution. Materials like organic cotton that uses less water and has no synthetic pesticides compared to conventional cotton, or linen which is durable as well as biodegradable. By shifting to these sustainable materials, brands can significantly reduce their environmental footprint while still producing high-quality garments!

Improve Manufacturing Processes

The production phase is one of the most resource-heavy parts of fashion. Brands can adopt cleaner, more efficient manufacturing methods to minimize waste and pollution. This can be achieved through approaches like waterless dyeing technologies like CO2 dyeing or digital printing which can significantly cut water pollution. Or even by using plant-based, biodegradable dyes instead of harmful synthetic chemicals, making them non-toxic and natural. The choices are endless!

Ensure Ethical Labor Practices

Clothes don’t just appear out of thin air—they’re made by people. See, sustainability isn’t just about environmental impact; social responsibility is equally important. To be truly sustainable, fashion brands must ensure that their supply chains are free from exploitation and that their workers are treated fairly. By partnering with Fair Trade-certified suppliers, eliminating forced labor, providing fair wages, and improving factory safety standards, brands can create safe and ethical working conditions. 

Reduce Overproduction & Waste

Fast fashion’s reliance on overproduction leads to massive textile waste. To counter this, sustainable brands must adopt slow fashion which focuses on producing timeless, permanent collections instead of chasing micro-trends. This is done by focusing on the materials used to make clothes and ‘slowing’ down the process of how they’re made. The idea isn’t to make tons of items that match the latest trend but to make products that can last years for customers. By producing only what is needed, brands can reduce waste, lower emissions, and operate more efficiently.

Promote Circular Fashion

A circular economy ensures that clothing stays in use for as long as possible rather than being discarded after a few wears. Brands can implement recycling programs which is an essential way to incorporate sustainable fashion—encouraging customers to return old clothing for recycling or resale. Brands can also accomplish this with reverse logistics, giving clothes a second life by having them recycled, repaired, repackaged, etc. Embracing a circular approach allows brands to reduce waste, lower carbon footprints, and create a more sustainable business model.

Minimize Packaging

The impact of fashion extends beyond clothing—packaging, shipping, and logistics also play a huge role in sustainability. Brands can reduce their environmental footprint by using recycled or compostable packaging. Ultimately, this avoids unnecessary plastic waste by opting for biodegradable or recyclable materials. Even small changes in packaging and logistics can significantly reduce carbon emissions!

Sustainable Fashion: Style Without Sacrifice

As the fashion industry faces growing scrutiny for its environmental damage, exploitative labor practices, and massive waste it generates, it’s clear that a shift towards ethical and eco-friendly alternatives is essential. By embracing ethical supply chains, circular fashion, and mindful consumption, we can reduce the industry’s carbon footprint, preserve natural resources, and ensure fair treatment for workers.

And let’s face it—no one looks good in environmental guilt. Every purchase is a chance to vote for a more sustainable future, whether by supporting brands that value transparency, fair wages, and eco-friendly materials, or simply just buying less but better! The future of fashion should be as smart as it is stylish, and by making sustainability the norm, we can dress for the world we want to create—one thoughtfully chosen piece at a time.

Avoiding Greenwashing

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Venus Kamara, Content Marketing Itern

Akeneo

Trending

Mar 07, 2025

Your Customers Are Talking – Are You Listening?

Discover how listening to customer feedback, leveraging AI, and optimizing product information can drive sales and engagement. Learn practical strategies from top brands on using PIM, AI, and search data to refine product content, improve discoverability, and create seamless shopping experiences.

If you don’t know your own products well, there’s no way you can sell them well.

Carl Ogden Software Development Manager

Leatherman Tools Group

Step 2: Tap Into the Voice of the Customer

Here’s the cool thing with user-generated reviews and product search behavior – if you pay attention, customers aren’t just buying your products but are telling you exactly how they see them, how they use them, and what they wish they could do with them. The real question is: Are you listening? Too many brands ignore these golden insights, missing out on opportunities to refine their messaging.

Where to listen:

Customer Reviews – Real Feedback

Customer reviews reveal not only what buyers think about your products but also how they actually use them. For a tools company like Leatherman, this means understanding whether customers are searching for tools based on where they plan to use them (home, work, or outdoors), or for specific activities like camping or everyday carry. By capturing this data and feeding it into Akeneo PIM, Leatherman builds SEO keywords and metadata that can be syndicated across eCommerce platforms, ensuring that products align with customer needs.

Search Terms – Speak Their Language

Customers use real-world language, which may be different from technical specifications or marketing copy. If you can analyze search data across paid search, organic search, and AI-driven search engines to capture customer intent, whether they are searching based on occasion, recipient, or a specific theme, you can capture these insights and feed them back into product data, making products more relevant and easier to find.

On-Site Behavior – Clicks Tell the Story

Are customers interacting with the products you expect? Observing how customers browse, search, and interact with products provides key insights into their goals. For example, a leading gifting company collects data from checkout questions, entry points, and on-site interactions to enhance product visibility and ensure the right product is surfaced for the right occasion. By managing this content in one central location, 1-800 Flowers can ensure proper workflows, data quality, and market-specific adjustments, making product information more aligned with customer behavior.

Step 3: Put AI to Work with PX Insights

You’ve gathered all these insights, but manually analyzing thousands of reviews and search terms? That’s a full-time job. Now here’s where things get exciting. Enter Akeneo’s PX Insights, a game-changer that turns raw customer feedback into actionable data without the extra workload.

How PX Insights Helps:

Detect Trends Fast

Manually analyzing thousands of customer reviews and feedback points isn’t practical, but Artificial Intelligence (AI) can instantly detect patterns that might otherwise go unnoticed. PX Insights identifies common themes in real customer reviews, whether it’s recurring complaints, praise for specific features, or emerging use cases, allowing brands to improve messaging and enhance product descriptions based on real data. Through this, you’ll gain a clear picture of what your customers truly think and how to improve your products or services.

Boost SEO & Content

PX Insights surfaces the most impactful keywords and phrases customers are actually using in their searches and reviews, helping brands improve SEO rankings and fine-tune product descriptions. Whether it’s matching product terminology to real customer search queries or refining titles for AI-driven search engines, AI-powered insights ensure product content is designed to be found. It’s like giving your products a megaphone in the noisy marketplace of the internet!

Smarter Product Placement

Where should a product be featured? What collections should it be part of? Which keywords should be emphasized in marketing campaigns? Instead of relying on assumptions, PX Insights helps merchandising teams place products where they’ll get the most engagement and conversions. By analyzing search trends and customer behavior, brands can position their products more strategically across multiple channels.

When it comes to AI, product information is one of the best places to invest—it’s your data, you own it, and you can see real, measurable returns.

Carl Ogden Software Development Manager

Leatherman Tools Group

Step 4: Make Product Descriptions a Living, Breathing Asset

Gone are the days of static, set-and-forget product descriptions. The best brands treat product information as dynamic, always evolving based on customer insights. As Kristin Naragon puts it, “Make it a living, breathing, dynamic, voice-of-the-customer-infused product record.”

How to Keep Product Info Fresh:

Refine Descriptions with Real Customer Language

The way customers talk about and search for products evolves over time—so your product information should evolve, too. By continuously refining descriptions based on customer insights, brands can ensure their content stays relevant, engaging, and optimized for search.

Test & Optimize

Not all product messaging resonates equally with every audience. By tracking search and sales data, brands can experiment with different product descriptions, benefits, and positioning to see what drives the highest engagement. Refining descriptions based on real data and not assumptions ensures your product speaks directly to customer needs and expectations.

Use AI to Scale

With the implementation of AI tools and the right foundation of product data, brands can automate the process of refining product descriptions by analyzing large volumes of customer reviews and search trends and surfacing opportunities to enhance product content in real time. Whether it’s identifying product use cases for unexpected markets or uncovering overlooked customer concerns, AI ensures that product descriptions are always evolving to meet customer needs.

Stay Ahead by Listening, Adapting, and Winning

By listening to customers, leveraging AI, and continuously refining product content, brands can create a more engaging, customer-centric experience that turns browsers into buyers and buyers into loyal customers. Whether through optimized product descriptions, smarter search strategies, or AI-driven interactions, the key is to stay adaptable. When product information evolves with customer insights, brands don’t just keep up – they lead.

Your customers are already talking. Want to know what they’re saying? Learn more about how Akeneo can help.

Are you ready to take the next step?

Our Akeneo Experts are here to answer all the questions you might have about our products and help you to move forward on your PX journey.

Request a demoRequest a demoRequest a demo

Venus Kamara, Content Marketing Itern

Akeneo

Michelle Yamnitsky, Regional Marketing Specialist

Akeneo

Akeneo News

Mar 05, 2025

Akeneo’s Spring Release is Here: What You Need to Know

Packed with new features and updates designed to help brands and retailers harness customer insights, enhance content accuracy with AI, streamline compliance, and expand to new sales channels with ease, Akeneo’s Spring Release is here to make managing and activating product data smarter and easier than ever.

Surfacing review data inside Akeneo is game-changing for Leatherman Tools Group. PX Insights eliminates data and team silos, allowing us to focus on refining content based on market insights, instead of just ‘inside out’ product positioning. We now have a dynamic, customer-informed product record that is future-proofed.

Carl Ogden Software Development Manager

Leatherman Tools Group

2. Enrich Product Records with Specific Gen-AI Prompting

Building on our industry-leading GenAI capabilities from last year, Akeneo now supports custom AI prompts that improve translation accuracy and content specificity. This means users can guide AI-generated content by defining how different attributes should be handled, ensuring translations and descriptions remain accurate, on-brand, and contextually relevant.

Key Benefits:

• Deliver more accurate, localized content: Ensure translations are contextually relevant and resonate with customers across all markets.
• Control style, tone, and consistency: Maintain a distinct brand voice at the product family level.
• Scale content generation: Leverage automated rules and bulk actions to generate product content efficiently.

Learn more about custom GenAI prompting

3. Centralize Regulatory Information & Enhance Data Governance

Regulatory compliance is a growing challenge for all businesses, with 99% of B2B companies citing difficulties in keeping up with evolving standards. This is where Akeneo’s dynamic attribute dependencies come into play by simplifying compliance and applying conditional logic to product records, ensuring all required data is correctly structured and aligned with legal requirements.

Key Benefits:

• Automate data validation: Minimize manual errors and enhance data accuracy through automated compliance checks.
• Simplify complex product management: Use logical attribute dependencies to streamline data governance and scalability.
• Reduce risk: Ensure product data meets industry regulations like ETIM and Digital Product Passports to avoid compliance issues.

Learn more about dynamic attribute dependencies.

4. Speed product asset preparation and delivery

Preparing product assets for sales channels is often a time-consuming, manual process. Akeneo streamlines this process by introducing intelligence-backed image editing to automate formatting of assets to meet channel requirements. Then, once assets are formatted for channels they can now be served directly to the end customer via Akeneo’s new Content Delivery Network (CDN). 

Key Benefits:

• Automate image formatting: Use AI to meet channel-specific requirements effortlessly, reducing manual adjustments.
• Improve website speed and reliability: Optimize image load times for a seamless customer experience.
• Deliver product assets faster: Distribute assets directly from Akeneo Product Cloud, eliminating manual uploads and reducing errors.

Learn more about Asset Manager.

5. Activate product data everywhere your customers are

Expanding to new sales channels has never been easier. Akeneo’s Activation enhancements streamline product listing processes, with support for top marketplaces like eBay, Walmart, Home Depot, and Best Buy—plus a new Google Shopping connector for real-time updates and increased data accuracy.

Brands can now onboard and activate product catalogs 90% faster, thanks to an improved catalog mapping system that reduces the time required to configure product attributes across multiple channels from 40 hours to just 4-5 hours.

Key Benefits:

• Eliminate repetitive mapping: Sync product data across all channels using a master catalog, reducing manual effort.
• Reduce costs: Leverage self-serve tools to activate new channels efficiently and affordably.
• Enhance product visibility and traffic: Ensure optimized, enriched product content for better discoverability on Google Shopping.
• Streamline order processing: Integrate marketplace order data directly into Akeneo Activation to improve workflow efficiency.
• Expand effortlessly: Access over 500 sales channels to scale operations seamlessly.

Learn more about Akeneo Activation.

What’s Next?

Akeneo’s 2025 Spring Release is all about making your product information work harder for you. By integrating customer insights, harnessing AI for enriched content, simplifying compliance, and accelerating syndication efforts across top marketplaces, we’re giving brands the tools they need to create truly engaging and effective product experiences. Whether you’re looking to break down data silos, enhance merchandising strategies, or streamline asset management, these new capabilities are designed to help you stay ahead in an increasingly competitive market.

At Akeneo, we believe that great product experiences start with great product information, and this release is a true statement of our commitment to making that process seamless, scalable, and smarter than ever. The future of product information management is here, and we can’t wait to see how you leverage these innovations to transform your business.

Don’t wait – start exploring the new features and take your product experiences to the next level today!

Spring Release 2025 is Here.

Enrich and activate product records with real customer feedback along the entire customer journey and optimize product performance with our latest features.

Learn moreLearn moreLearn more

Casey Paxton, Content Marketing Manager

Akeneo

Trending

Feb 28, 2025

How Technology Both Helps and Hurts the Environment

Technology has transformed the way we live, but at what cost? Discover the paradox of technological progress, and see how advancements in AI, e-commerce, and manufacturing are both solving and exacerbating critical environmental issues. Plus, learn how circular economy principles, responsible innovation, and enriched product data can help mitigate waste, reduce emissions, and create a more sustainable future.

How Technology Helps the Environment

1. Enhance abilities to consolidate, track, analyze, and communicate key environmental data

One of the most fundamental ways that AI has already impacted sustainability initiatives is in the way we collect, analyze, and act on environmental data. With more climate data available than ever before, AI is invaluable in helping businesses and policymakers interpret and implement effective sustainability measures. AI-powered solutions can leverage vast datasets to identify patterns, predict environmental risks, and optimize decision-making for a more sustainable future.

For instance, AI-powered tools can help a brand assess the environmental impact of their products across the entire product lifecycle, from raw material extraction to end-of-life disposal. By analyzing data from supply chains, transportation networks, and manufacturing processes, AI enables businesses and consumers to make informed, eco-conscious choices and more accurately track the carbon footprint of their products.

A great example of this is Swedish fashion brand Asket, who calculates carbon emissions for their entire range of products at each stage of a product’s lifecycle, including raw material extraction, processing, production, assembly, distribution, and end-of-life outcomes. For every garment, Asket provides detailed disclosures about its supply chain, environmental footprint, and cost structure. Consumers can access information on the factories and facilities involved in production, including details about average wages, working conditions, and shift lengths. 

These advancements in data consolidation and enrichment are fostering hope that technology can play a vital role in tackling the global environmental crisis. 

2. Implement more sustainable and circular supply chains

Believe it or not, the manufacturing sector is actually the second-largest contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the EU, and is one of the primary consumers of energy from fossil fuels. And in fact, before a product even reaches the customer, more than 80% of its environmental impact is already determined. 

When it comes to optimizing production processes and minimizing waste, AI can play a crucial role by enabling businesses to monitor and adjust their operations in real time, identifying inefficiencies in product lines, and optimizing inventory management. By utilizing machine learning algorithms, manufacturers can reduce waste, lower costs, and decrease their overall carbon footprint, while predictive maintenance powered by AI also helps extend the lifespan of machinery, preventing premature replacements and reducing industrial waste.

AI-driven analytics can also help companies track and communicate the sustainability of their supply chains by monitoring sourcing practices, labor conditions, and environmental impact, enabling both businesses and consumers to make more ethical, data-driven decisions.

3. Online second-hand marketplaces connect global consumers with previously owned products

By providing an accessible platform for individuals to purchase used items, online second-hand marketplaces like ThredUp or Back Market help to extend the lifespan of different products while diverting products from landfills, reducing demand for newly manufactured goods, and minimizing the environmental footprint of production. 

For the tech industry, second-hand marketplaces offer a sustainable alternative to the cycle of constant upgrades and disposals. Refurbished electronics, such as smartphones and laptops, not only provide consumers with affordable options but also help curb the growing e-waste crisis; Back Market quotes that it prevented 1 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions from entering the atmosphere in 2023 alone.

Similarly, in the fashion industry, second-hand marketplaces promote a more circular economy by allowing consumers to buy and sell pre-owned clothing, reducing the detrimental environmental impact of fast fashion as buying second hand clothing reduces carbon emissions by an average of 25% compared to new clothing. With increasing consumer awareness and demand for sustainable shopping options, online second-hand platforms play a crucial role in fostering responsible consumption habits.

4. Enrich product data to reduce the likelihood of returns

One of the biggest contributors to waste in the retail and eCommerce industries is the high rate of product returns, as returns can add up to 30% of carbon emissions to the initial delivery and accounted for nearly 24 million metric tons of CO2 emissions in 2022.  

Even if a customer is returning a practically untouched product with the tag still attached, these returns often end up sitting in a landfill anyway as the business doesn’t have the infrastructure in place to analyze, refurbish, and relist the product for sale; in the United States, one in every four returned products is sent directly to a landfill, equalling roughly 4.9 billion tons. Fast fashion and low-cost consumer goods exacerbate the problem because the cost of returning and restocking these items often exceeds their resale value. For many companies, it is cheaper and faster to discard returned products rather than reintegrating them into their supply chains, leading to significant waste.

Enriched product data can help address this issue as 62% of consumers say that having more accurate product information upfront would reduce their likelihood of making a return. High-quality images, detailed descriptions and specifications, and in-depth size and fit recommendations based on real customer feedback can help set proper expectations, reducing the likelihood of disappointment and returns.

Beyond just improving customer confidence, enriched product data also allows businesses to refine their inventory management and improve operational efficiency. AI-powered insights can help companies identify patterns in reasons for returns, allowing them to adjust product descriptions, images, or even the products themselves to better meet customer expectations. 

By investing in robust product information management, businesses can foster a more sustainable shopping experience while simultaneously reducing costs associated with handling returns.

Balancing the Impact of Technology

Technology has the power to drive sustainability forward, offering innovative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing environmental challenges like how to accurately track and communicate carbon footprints, optimize energy use, and reduce waste through smarter, more sustainable supply chains. However, if left unchecked, technological advancements can also contribute to environmental degradation; the rapid expansion of AI, cloud computing, and digital commerce has raised concerns about rising energy consumption, growing electronic waste, and unsustainable supply chains.

To ensure that technological progress aligns with sustainability goals, businesses and consumers must take proactive steps to reduce negative impacts and promote eco-friendly innovation through:

• Adopting circular economy principles: Prioritizing repair, reuse, and responsible recycling to extend the lifespan of technology and reduce waste.
• Supporting sustainable innovations: Investing in energy efficient technologies, ethically sourced materials, and eco-conscious design practices.
• Improving efficiency: Optimizing AI model training, reducing data center emissions, and streamlining digital infrastructure to lower energy consumption.
• Advocating for responsible regulations: Supporting policies that hold tech companies accountable for environmental impact, promote right-to-repair laws, and encourage sustainable practices.

Striking the right balance between progress and responsibility requires a concerted effort from businesses, policymakers, and consumers alike. By adopting circular economy principles, supporting responsible tech development, and advocating for sustainability-focused regulations, we can harness technology’s potential for good and have the best of both worlds, without sacrificing our own.

Avoiding Greenwashing

Discover how to avoid the pitfalls of greenwashing and build genuinely sustainable strategies that foster trust, align with regulations, and drive long-term business growth.

Download NowDownload NowDownload Now

Casey Paxton, Content Marketing Manager

Akeneo