The circular economy offers businesses the opportunity to align sustainability with profitability, creating value for both the planet and the bottom line. By minimizing waste, maximizing resource efficiency, and extending product lifecycles, businesses can achieve significant environmental and financial benefits, such as reducing material costs, cutting emissions, and fostering innovation in product design and manufacturing processes.

 Beyond the planet’s well-being, embracing circular practices enhances brand reputation and drives customer loyalty. It’s a win-win!

Integrating Circular Economy Principles with Akeneo

Akeneo empowers businesses to embed circular economy practices at every stage of their operations:

• Product lifecycle management: Akeneo can be used to manage the entire lifecycle of a product, from design and development to end-of-life. By tracking product attributes, materials, and components, businesses can easily adopt circular practices such as recycling and reuse.
• Driving sustainable practices: Akeneo can support sustainable practices by enabling companies to:
  • Design for disassembly: Track and document product components for easy disassembly, repair, and reuse.
  • Opt for sustainable materials: Manage product data to ensure environmentally friendly materials are prioritized in production.
  • Minimize waste: Streamline product design and production processes to reduce resource waste.

Souris Mini: A Circular Economy in Action

A concrete example of circular economy success comes from Souris Mini, a Canadian fashion company specializing in children’s clothing. Recognizing the demand for sustainable shopping options amidst rising inflation, Souris Mini launched a dedicated eCommerce platform for second-hand clothes from their brand.

This initiative allows parents to buy and sell pre-loved Souris Mini clothing, giving garments a second life while reducing environmental impact. Sellers receive payments in the form of Souris Mini gift cards, with a 10% bonus added by the brand.

By fostering a sense of social solidarity and prioritizing environmental care, Souris Mini demonstrates how circular economy principles can enhance a brand’s values and operations.

Optimizing Product Data for Sustainability

Centralized and high-quality product information is the backbone of sustainability initiatives. Akeneo helps businesses optimize data for better decision-making through:

• Ensuring accurate and comprehensive data: High-quality product data is essential for sustainability efforts. Akeneo can help ensure that product information is accurate, complete, and consistent across various channels.
• Tracking material sources: Akeneo can be used to track the sources of materials used in products, enabling companies to identify and reduce the use of harmful substances.
• Supporting environmental impact assessments: By collecting and analyzing product data, companies can assess the environmental impact of their products throughout their lifecycle, including carbon footprint, water usage, and waste generation.
• Providing end-of-life solutions: Akeneo supports the management of data related to recycling, reuse, and refurbishment, making it easier to extend product life.

At Akeneo, we believe that our teammates are the driving force behind everything we do and who we aim to be as a company. Our success is built on the collective talent, dedication, and innovation of our people, and that’s why we’ve made it a priority to create an environment where everyone can thrive.

For the fourth day of the 12 days of PXMas, we’re sharing four inspiring stories from Akeneo employees who embody what it means to deliver world-class product experiences. From overcoming challenges to achieving career milestones, these stories showcase the dedication and creativity that make Akeneo a truly special place to work.

Let’s celebrate their achievements and reflect on how their journeys continue to shape our mission to help businesses thrive through better product information.

1. Creating a Culture That Cares

At Akeneo, we strive to ensure everyone feels comfortable, whether they’re in the office, working from home, or connecting across our global organization. Diligent benevolence, humble hunger, responsible pioneers, and inclusive community are the pillars of our culture, defining how we work together and support one another every day.

We also believe that a healthy work-life balance is the foundation for long-term success. By fostering an environment where people can balance their personal and professional lives, we help our teammates stay engaged, motivated, and fulfilled.

Hear from Emily Stead, an account executive based in our UK office, as she shares why she loves being part of the Akeneo team.

As we continue on our 12 Days of PXMas, today is all about threes; three awards, three reasons to celebrate, and three reminders of why Akeneo is a leader in product experience management. 

This year, we’ve been honored with prestigious recognition for our innovative solutions, customer-first approach, and commitment to excellence. With a continuous drive to push the boundaries of what is possible, the team here at Akeneo stands to remain the global leader in PIM and product experience in 2025 and beyond.

These awards are a testament to the hard work, creativity, and collaboration of our incredible team and community. Let’s dive into the highlights of Akeneo’s award-winning achievements and the impact they’ve made in shaping exceptional product experiences!

1. 2024 Global Technology Awards

Akeneo’s recent win at the 2024 Global Technology Awards, October 2nd, honored us as “Best of Category” in retail technology for 2024.

Recognized for our industry-leading Akeneo Product Cloud solution and innovation in product data and information management, we’re proud of our team’s hard work and dedication to propel industries towards a brighter future. Our product’s native AI capabilities further demonstrate its best-in-class capabilities which is proving to be a critical asset in this transformation.

The Global Technology Awards recognize companies that focus on innovation, creativity, and excellence and honor the most exceptional technology solutions and services. The retail technology category judged entrants on multiple criteria, including user experience, innovation, scalability, efficiency, and return on investment (ROI). 

2. 2024 Globee® Awards

At the 2024 Globee® Awards this summer, Akeneo earned the Gold award for Achievement in Strategic Growth at the 9th Annual Globee® Awards for American Business.

The award recognizes Akeneo’s outstanding growth in North America, marked by a headquarters expansion of more than 100% and a significant increase of our client base. Since driving our expansion in America has been a key goal, we’re honored to have had our strategic approach to growth recognized and reinforced our position as a global leader in product information management (PIM) and product experience (PX).

The Globee® Awards also recognize outstanding achievements across various industries, highlighting companies that push the boundaries of what is possible. The awards honor companies that demonstrate business excellence through remarkable growth, innovation and leadership.

3. 2024 TITAN Business Awards

Back in spring of this year, Akeneo proudly earned the gold TITAN Business Award for its Achievement in Growth in the 2024 Achievement category, again highlighting our exceptional expansion in North America.

This growth was driven by strategic acquisitions, including the purchase of Unifai, new capabilities and features for Akeneo Product Cloud and the launch of innovative products like Akeneo Activation.

Hosted by the International Awards Associate (IAA), The TITAN Business Awards is an international platform that honors people and companies around the world, from startups, to small to medium-sized businesses and global enterprises that set high standards for business performance.

12 Days of PXMas

As we reflect on these incredible achievements, it’s clear that 2024 has been a banner year for us here at Akeneo. These awards are reminders of the passion and dedication driving our mission to deliver exceptional product experiences. 

We couldn’t have done it without the support of our customers, partners, and team members who share our vision for innovation and excellence. Here’s to even more success in the coming year, and to celebrating the power of product experiences that make a difference. Cheers to PXcellence, and happy PXMas!

How did we discover new brands before Google? How did we purchase and compare products before reading user reviews?

It’s simple; we would walk into a brick-and-mortar store (likely of a major retailer), scan the shelves for what we’re looking for, briefly compare the 2-3 options they may have, and make a purchase.

While many shoppers still prefer this in-person experience, both the pandemic and the Olympic-sized advances that technology has made over the past decade mean that the eCommerce sector has grown at a breakneck speed. The global eCommerce market currently sits at around $6 trillion today and is projected to hit $8 trillion by 2028.

So the question becomes: if some shoppers no longer have to go to brick-and-mortar stores to peruse a physical shelf, how do they discover and purchase products? That’s where the digital shelf comes in.

What is the Digital Shelf?

The digital shelf is the virtual experience of browsing an in-store shelf. It’s the combination of digital touchpoints that a shopper may encounter as they’re discovering, researching, and purchasing products, including but not limited to:

• Your own eCommerce site
• Third-party retail sites, such as Amazon or Walmart
• Social media apps, such as Instagram or Tik Tok
• Search engines
• Mobile apps
• Third-party review sites, such as G2 or Yelp
• Voice search technology, such as Amazon Alexa or Google Home
• Evolving innovations, such as AR/VR shopping experiences

The digital shelf is wide and all-encompassing, mostly because it’s becoming more and more impossible to predict where your shoppers are going to come in contact with your brand. With new digital-only sellers and dropshippers emerging almost in a constant stream, it’s becoming increasingly important for brands to implement a proactive, omnichannel strategy in order to stand out on the digital shelf.

Taking a reactive, channel-by-channel approach means that your organization will be scrambling to keep up with new and evolving channels as they come up, instead of focusing on the overall experience that you provide to your customers. With the right people, processes, and technology in place, you can proactively focus providing compelling, consistent, and cohesive product experiences across every channel, whether it exists yet or not.

Why is the Digital Shelf Important?

The old tactics used to win a customer’s attention on the physical shelf don’t always translate to the digital shelf. In a brick-and-mortar store, shoppers are able to touch, smell, or listen to the products, inspect the packaging, and physically compare options.

While this exact experience isn’t always replicable on the digital shelf, the virtual retail landscape offers some enticing advantages for brands to provide compelling experiences for their customers where they’re able to compare hundreds of competitors and retailers at once, utilize visual assets like photos and 3D renderings to better understand the product, and sift through thousands of real-user reviews without ever leaving their home.

Consumers today are omnichannel by nature; even if they decide to go to a physical location and purchase a product in-person, chances are they’ve already done some research online or come across your brand (or a competitor’s) at some point in their digital journey.

As each shopper has a personalized purchasing journey it’s becoming harder and harder to predict where they’re headed, but nowadays it almost always includes at least one digital experience. This is particularly true for CPG manufacturers, as 85% of shoppers say that they plan to maintain or increase their online shopping behaviors in the post-pandemic future. Optimizing your digital shelf presence is no longer a preference, but a need.

However, this is often easier said than done; activating your product story across every touchpoint on the digital shelf requires both an omnichannel product activation strategy and a strong foundation of product information. 

How Do You Win the Digital Shelf?

Winning the digital shelf is all about creating consistent, compelling, and cohesive experiences across all the digital touchpoints where a shopper may encounter you. That means creating omnichannel product experiences that fit the needs of both channels that you own and channels that you don’t.

Let’s take a look at a few real-life examples, starting with cosmetics company The Ordinary, which offers a range of makeup, hair, and skin products. The Ordinary’s own eCommerce site is well-designed and easy to navigate, providing plenty of information about ingredients, usage, stock availability, shipping estimates, and other shoppers’ experiences to equip the buyer with everything they need to make a purchase decision. They even provide a step-by-step guide of how to use their product in conjunction with the rest of their products, creating a personalized skin or hair regimen based on the product you’re looking at.

This is a wonderful shopping experience – and likely leads to many won purchases. But where The Ordinary’s digital presence starts to fall apart is through third-party retailers. On global beauty retailer, Sephora’s website,The Ordinary offers some product information, visual assets, and usage instructions, but doesn’t provide nearly the same level of personalization, context, or user-friendliness as their own eCommerce site. If I stumble across their product on Sephora, I may need to do some more research or look at some competitor’s before I make my decision.

Lastly, let’s take a look at The Ordinary’s presence on online retailer behemoth, Amazon. Blurry photos, keyword-crammed product titles, and a significant lack of product information all add up to a less-than-stellar customer experience if I’m searching for The Ordinary on the Internet’s largest digital retailer. There are no videos, no mention of the cruelty-free and vegan aspect of their organization, and very limited instructions and directions for the product, not to mention that it is listed at a significantly higher price than on their own eCommerce site or Sephora. As a consumer, this is a recipe for an abandoned cart and a switch to a competitor with a stronger Amazon presence.

On the flip side, let’s take a look at a hair and skincare brand that has mastered the art of omnichannel experiences, NUXE Paris. Starting with their own eCommerce site, NUXE offers photos, videos, in-depth ingredient lists, usage tips, suggested companion products, and a slew of verified user reviews. Everything I need as a consumer to make an informed purchase decision.

Unlike The Ordinary, NUXE Paris offers similarly engaging and compelling experiences even on third-party retailer sites. Even though they don’t own the channel, they still offer up appealing visual assets, application instructions, recommended supplemental products, up-to-date shipping and stock information, ingredients, and user reviews. They’re even able to communicate their brand values, by highlighting their commitment to sustainability and creating natural products.

They’re even able to communicate their brand values, by highlighting their commitment to sustainability and creating natural products.

And what about on Amazon? You guessed it, NUXE provides an equally compelling experience on that digital touchpoint as well. They offer interesting visual assets, including photos, videos, and illustrated demonstrations for application, as well as important product data, stock information, and details about the brand’s emphasis on natural ingredients. A shopper would have everything they need right here in order to make a decision, and wouldn’t have to go hunting for the information they’re looking for, even on a third-party channel that NUXE doesn’t own.

Now, let’s be clear: while these examples focus on online touchpoints, winning the digital shelf doesn’t mean abandoning or ignoring your in-person channels as well. Omnichannel truly does mean omnichannel, and includes digital, hybrid, and traditional shopping experiences. With options such as Reserve Online, Pickup In-Store (ROPIS), Buy Online, Pickup In-Store (BOPIS), and Buy Online, Return In-Store (BORIS) becoming increasingly popular, creating consistent and compelling in-store experiences are still just as important today as their digital counterparts.

Midwest farm supply chain company, Rural Kings, was able to accelerate revenue growth and restore customer confidence by implementing a Buy Online, Pick-Up in Store (BOPIS) method that was previously unavailable to their customer base. This came with a double-dose of benefits as both their eCommerce sales and retail foot traffic saw a significant bump.

This omnichannel utopia on the digital shelf cannot be achieved without the proper infrastructure and technology in place to support it. This kind of scalability, flexibility, and adaptability can only be found in a Product Cloud.

What is a Product Cloud?

A Product Cloud is a composable SaaS-based solution for orchestrating, activating, and optimizing the entire product story across all owned and unowned channels. It enables brands and organizations to create exceptional omnichannel product experiences, across the digital shelf and beyond. 

The modular nature of a Product Cloud means that your team is able to personalize your tech stack to fit the exact needs of your organization. This best-of-breed approach gives the Product Cloud the scalability and flexibility it needs to support ever-evolving shopping trends and touchpoints.

Plus, Product Clouds should be able to support the entire product record, including both hot (dynamic) and cold (static) data. From pricing to digital assets to size dimensions to user-generated content, the Product Cloud acts as a single system of record to house all of this product data that is scattered across different technologies.

With a central repository of product information, activating your product story across the digital shelf becomes that much more simple. A Product Cloud enables your team to create compelling and consistent product experiences across any owned or unowned sales and marketing channels, markets, and product catalog segments, and prepares you to be successful on the channels and touchpoints of tomorrow.

The last defining feature of a Product Cloud is its usability; any number of users, managers, administrators, developers, or integrators should be able to hop in at any point and understand what product information lives where, how to access it, and how to syndicate it to the right channels in the right way. 

Technologies that require extensive training, or rely on individual employees who know how to operate the system, simply aren’t scalable and can’t support the sort of omnichannel strategy needed in order to win on the digital shelf. 

Utilizing Product Cloud technology to support omnichannel product activation means higher conversion rates, increased customer satisfaction and loyalty, improved employee productivity, smoother internal communication and processes, and a faster time-to-market for new products and channels.

The digital shelf is considerably more expansive than the physical shelf in a brick-and-mortar store, and with 66% of shoppers saying they would abandon a purchase after a negative digital interaction, it’s clear to see that even just one bad experience on any of these digital touchpoints can have lasting effects. 

The answer to winning on the digital shelf lies in your brand’s omnichannel product activation strategy. But your digital efforts will never get off the ground if you try to solve for only syndication or syndication first or syndication in a silo. The digital experience is different than the in-person experience, and you need to have the right technology and processes in place in order to support compelling and consistent product experiences across the digital shelf.

If your team is ready to activate your brand’s story across all the digital touchpoints of today and tomorrow, reach out to us today to see how Akeneo Product Cloud can support your omnichannel growth strategy.

‘Out with the old and in with the new’ has been the strategy of a certain fashion retailer, reflected not only in the trajectory of their products but also in their workflows.

Over the past year, a leading fashion retailer embarked on a transformative digital journey to improve operational efficiency and deliver a seamless customer experience across three distinct women’s fashion brands.

The Beginning of the Journey

A year ago, this retailer faced significant challenges in managing product information across their brands. Without a centralized product information management (PIM) system, teams relied on outdated processes involving Excel sheets, manual data entry, and inconsistent communication between departments. The flawed method led to fragmented product information, a delayed time-to-market, and a disjointed online shopping experience for their customers.

Determined to become a digitally-driven business, the retailer embarked on a journey to achieve digital transformation, choosing Akeneo as their partner. They recognized that to attain their vision of operational excellence, they needed a solution that could support their ambitious re-platforming efforts and unify product data across multiple brands.

In the first few months, the retailer began by involving key stakeholders from site merchandising, marketing, digital operations, and product management teams. With a focus on building a scalable solution, they collaborated with Akeneo and a system integrator to expedite the PIM implementation. This early phase involved intensive training, workshops, and configuring the centralizing solution to align with the complex data structures of each brand.

While the retailer experienced initial challenges, such as learning new workflows and adjusting to a more composable architecture, the commitment from their internal teams paid off. By the end of the first quarter, product data management processes were noticeably more efficient, allowing cross-functional teams to work within the PIM simultaneously – something that wasn’t possible before.

Tailor-Made Efficiency

Six months into their journey, the fashion retailer began to realize the true potential of Akeneo. 

With streamlined processes and real-time product data updates, they were able to significantly reduce the delays previously faced. Product information, including descriptions, images, and pricing, was now accurate and readily available for teams to review before going live, leading to fewer errors and an improved time-to-market.

Key wins at the six-month mark included:

• Faster time-to-market: The retailer reduced the time it took to update and launch products by 2-3 business days, enabling them to sell new inventory faster.
• Increased team collaboration: Akeneo’s user-friendly interface allowed multiple teams to work in the platform simultaneously, reducing bottlenecks and enhancing communication across the organization.

By integrating Akeneo into their day-to-day operations, the retailer eliminated unnecessary duplication, such as writing product descriptions for each color variant manually, accelerating the enrichment process and improving the end-customer experience. 

Styled for Success

As the retailer approached the one-year mark, the transformation was complete. Their teams had fully adapted to Akeneo, and the business was now able to manage product information more efficiently than ever. The retailer’s strategy of continuous improvement paid off, with ongoing adjustments enhancing processes over time.

Highlights of the final quarter included:

• Enhanced product accuracy: By centralizing product data, the retailer ensured that customers always received accurate and up-to-date product descriptions, images, and details, improving their confidence in the purchasing process.
• Seamless workflows: Teams became fully comfortable using Akeneo, relying on workflows to streamline approval processes and ensure that every product detail was aligned across the organization.

With Akeneo firmly in place, the retailer now plans to onboard additional brands onto the PIM platform and are exploring the use of AI to further enhance product descriptions and automate manual processes. They see Akeneo as a long-term traveling companion that will help them continue to scale their operations and refine their digital strategy.

The first year of this retailer’s journey with Akeneo transformed not only their internal operations but also their ability to deliver a superior customer experience, an achievement that fuels the road to success.

We’ve all had that moment of massively revamping our home to impress our guests. Suddenly the good-looking cutlery comes out, the best-smelling candle you’ve kept hidden is lit, and the mountain of items you own are hoarded away in an attic. You do everything in your power to highlight the greatness of your house, all while expressing your unique personality.

The eCommerce equivalent? Amazon A+ Content. Instead of decorating a home, A+ Content focuses on transforming businesses’ product data into rich, eye-catching content.

By allowing sellers to provide accurate data to their customers through a visually pleasing, detailed product page, Amazon + Content enables businesses to convey their narrative and values, encouraging sales while also strengthening brand presence.

Unlike a plain block of text, Amazon A+ Content grabs customers’ attention, turning ordinary product pages into captivating showcases. Just as a well-decorated home leaves guests impressed, thoughtfully crafted A+ Content builds trust and elevates a brand’s credibility.

What is Amazon A+ Content? 

But what is it really?

Just like its name suggests, Amazon A+ Content is a unique and powerful tool used by Amazon sellers to transform their product detail pages and listings into engaging, visually appealing content. It allows brand owners to incorporate enhanced product images and videos, detailed product descriptions, insightful comparison charts, and more. These elements are designed to capture consumers’ attention and provide them with a deeper understanding of the products, and their features in a way that drives confidence and trust.

Normal product listings limit users to 2000 characters without adding photos and graphics, forcing businesses to create a standard product description that consists of a lengthy paragraph, one that is easily overlooked when consumers browse. A detailed product page infused with Amazon A+ Content naturally outshines an unpolished description.

The tool is key for brands aiming to maximize their sales and strengthen their presence. With Amazon A+ Content, businesses can distinguish themselves and their products from their marketplace competitors. It allows them to highlight their unique story and the appeal of their products. By crafting an intriguing narrative, sellers can elevate their customer experience and boost consumer satisfaction, consequently increasing sales.

Types of Amazon A+ Content

There are three different types of Amazon A+ Content:

1. Basic: This is accessible to every Amazon seller, allowing the addition of up to five modules per Amazon Standard Identification Number (ASIN). Through this tier, sellers can utilize various pre-set templates to include elements like images, text, brand logos, six-ASIN comparison charts, technical specifications charts, and more.
2. Brand Story: Similar to Basic A+ Content but serves a distinct purpose: it focuses on brands emotionally resonating with their customers by sharing their unique backstories and sharing their values. It incorporates the same elements as the Basic tier as well as four Amazon Brand Story modules.
3. Premium A+ Content: Its name perfectly reflects its purpose – this tier is a premium version of Amazon A+ Content. It offers enhanced hover hotspots, multiple video modules, larger images, product comparison charts, carousel modules, and Q&A sections; up to seven modules per ASIN can be used during Premium. It’s only available to sellers who own a brand registered in the Amazon Brand Registry, have a published Brand Story across all of their products, and have five A+ Content projects produced in the last 12 months. 

Welcome to the world of resale markets, where the old adage “out with the old, in with the new” is being transformed into a mantra of conscious consumerism.

Once associated with thrift stores and bargain hunting, secondhand shopping has transformed into an industry that big-name brands and retailers have entered, providing chic, convenient, and eco-conscious products to life-long consumers. And the numbers speak for themselves — the global secondhand apparel market is projected to soar to $350 billion by 2027, nearly doubling its value from $177 billion in 2022.

What’s driving this growth? From consumers’ increasing focus on sustainability to a desire for unique, affordable pieces, the resale market is perfectly positioned at the intersection of value, variety, and virtue.

With this in mind, let’s take a look at a few fashion brands and retailers that have implemented resale markets of their own to promote sustainability and drive the circular economy, making their mark on the runway and in the realm of responsible consumerism. 

1. REI

In the world of outdoor retail, REI (Recreational Equipment, Inc.) has long been a revered name, known for its commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainability. One of the standout ways in which REI promotes sustainability and contributes to the circular economy is through its resale market.

REI’s resale initiative is aptly named the “REI Used Gear” platform. This marketplace allows customers to buy and sell gently used outdoor gear and clothing. Whether it’s a backpack, a pair of hiking boots, or a jacket, this platform provides outdoor enthusiasts with a sustainable alternative to purchasing brand-new items. 

The resale market aligns with REI’s philosophy of extending the lifespan of products. By encouraging customers to buy and sell used gear, they reduce the need for new production and promote a culture of reusing and recycling, not only minimizing waste but also conserving the natural resources required for manufacturing.

2. ASKET

Swedish brand Asket has built its business model on genuine sustainability and transparency. Founded in 2015, Asket rejects the traditional fast fashion calendar; instead of churning out seasonal collections, it offers a single, permanent collection of timeless, essential garments, minimizing waste and encouraging consumers to purchase high-quality, long-lasting clothing.

By calculating carbon emissions for their core products and expanding this analysis across their entire collection, ASKET meticulously evaluates the environmental impact at each stage of a product’s lifecycle, including raw material extraction, processing, production, assembly, distribution, and end-of-life outcomes. This data-driven approach allows ASKET to make precise adjustments during the design phase, such as substituting or eliminating components with an outsized environmental footprint, and empowers ASKET customers to make informed, sustainable choices.

The company actively reduces waste through initiatives like the Asket ReStore, an in-person resale and repair outlet that refurbishes and sells previously owned Asket garments, ensuring that clothing stays in circulation and avoids landfills or incineration.

But what truly sets Asket apart is its radical transparency. 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. By shedding light on these often-hidden aspects of the fashion industry, Asket fosters accountability and empowers consumers to make informed choices.

Asket’s philosophy, “The Pursuit of Less,” reflects a holistic approach to sustainability. By focusing on longevity, reducing resource extraction, and emphasizing the value of human labor, Asket demonstrates what genuine, impactful sustainability looks like in the fashion industry.

Remember when automatic windscreen wipers seemed like an unnecessary luxury? Just two decades ago, drivers said they’d never need sensors to tell them when to use their wipers. Today, this once-optional feature is standard in most vehicles, and drivers can’t imagine life without it. 

This same transformation is happening in Product Information Management (PIM), where Artificial Intelligence (AI) is turning tedious manual tasks, like generating and enriching product descriptions and translations, into seamless automated processes. And while some people may think this technology is a luxury, it is quickly becoming table stakes to remain competitive.

The state of PIM today

Despite technological advances, many organizations still struggle with manual product information management. They rely on scattered Excel sheets, endless email chains, and manual updates – a fragmented approach that worked in the past but can’t keep pace with today’s digital commerce demands.

Even businesses that have adopted basic PIM systems often face persistent challenges:

• Managing product information across multiple languages and markets
• Creating consistent, engaging product descriptions at scale
• Maintaining accuracy while reducing time-to-market
• Coordinating between technical, marketing, and sales teams

The translation journey

Let me share a recent client experience that illustrates this evolution perfectly. Initially, our client’s  salespeople were tasked with translating product descriptions, technical specifications, and marketing materials simply because they worked in foreign markets.

The company eventually progressed to a professional translation agency. However, this “solution” merely replaced old problems with new ones: endless Excel files shuttling back and forth via email, extended waiting periods, and mounting costs. It was like using a better umbrella instead of installing those automatic wipers – an improvement, but not quite the solution that was needed.

Their first PIM implementation brought some relief through automated data exchange with the translation agency. The process became more convenient, though the translation timeline and costs remained stubbornly high.

Enter AI

As a Business Consultant who loves digging into details, I discovered something intriguing: while the translation agency’s delivery times had dramatically improved, their fees hadn’t budged. The reason? They were already using AI for 90% of their translations!

Fortunately, the client used Akeneo PIM, which had just rolled out AI features in their default SaaS version. The decision was obvious: why pay a middleman for AI translations when we could access them directly?

We implemented rules for the AI to automatically translate content from English into 16 other languages upon entry. Consider the scale: 60 fields × 16 languages × 25,000 products = 24 million potential translations, all handled automatically. Like those automatic wipers, once configured, it works silently in the background, making everyone’s life easier.

Beyond translation

While our client now enjoyed lightning-fast translations, their marketing team still grappled with creating original product descriptions. Technical specifications were straightforward – materials, colors, compatibility – but crafting compelling marketing narratives for 25,000 products remained challenging.

The result? Accessories and spare parts received minimal descriptions, and similar products shared identical copy-pasted content. The compelling narratives their brand deserved were missing.

Intelligent content creation

This is where Akeneo’s second AI feature proved transformative: intelligent content generation. Think of it as a smart assistant that transforms technical specifications into both detailed summaries and engaging marketing narratives – same source data, different narrative approaches.

Importantly, this doesn’t replace the marketing team. Instead, it provides them with intelligent first drafts. Rather than facing blank pages, they now enhance and personalize AI-generated content, adding that crucial human touch that defines their brand.

The results speak for themselves:

• Every product now has its unique description
• Copy-paste errors are eliminated
• Brand tone remains consistent across the catalog
• Marketing team focuses on strategic content
• Overall content quality has improved

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.

In the oversaturated and competitive world of online furniture sales, staying ahead requires more than just high-quality products; it’s essential to bring something new to the table (no pun intended). It demands operational efficiency, a diverse and ever-evolving product catalog, and the ability to provide customers with rich, accurate, and engaging product information that drives purchasing decisions.

Drawer, a French online furniture retailer, recognized this trend early on, but faced common issues whilst attempting to expand its international market presence. The company’s COO, Vincent Mazzucco, shared how they overcame these hurdles by embracing innovative technology solutions, assembling a solid foundation for future growth.

Nailing Down the Problem

No matter how big or small, behind every person and business lies an aspiration — one that drives them to surpass their current state. Naturally, they utilize the method they trust best to achieve their goals, but it can be aggravating when the method falls flat, derailing plans for success. 

Can you relate? Chances are, you can; and so can Drawer.

The eCommerce furniture seller aspired to expand their product catalog and enter international markets. However, it became apparent that their existing systems weren’t capable of even supporting this; with over 90 different families and nearly 300 unique attributes, managing product data for even one country was a nightmare, let alone five. 

Their main obstacle was managing product data from various suppliers, each providing information in different formats and quality levels. Their past approach to tackle this problem was manually inputting their data via Excel spreadsheets with 350 columns, which meant that data was often inputted incorrectly, outdated, or simply nonexistent. It took Drawer on average three months to launch their products, only for them to be deactivated two weeks later.

And this is not uncommon; in a recent survey of B2B industry leaders, we found that 70% took at least one month to collect, collate, and enrich product data, and a whopping 99% said their organization faced at least one product information challenge. 

Drawer’s COO, Vincent Mazzucco put it perfectly when he stated that their “old solution was not reliable enough’ for the company to grow.