The landscape of the business world continues to change drastically with the advancement of technology. As an eCommerce manager, handling product data, even at a single store, can become tedious. Product Information Management (PIM), with all its useful features, is a solution that can make this job simpler and smoother. In this blog, we will discuss essential PIM features that can make your job as an eCommerce manager, effortless. First, let’s see what is a PIM solution and how it helps.

“A PIM software or PIM solution is a platform centralized to empower retailers and vendors to gather, organize, enrich, and distribute their product data to multiple eCommerce and sales channels”. ¹

Features of a Product Information Management solution

So, a PIM solution not only collects the product data, it optimizes that data, cleans it, and publishes it uniformly across all your eCommerce channels. Moreover, PIM also helps you manage your products’ attributes and connect not only with your teammates but also with channel partners, all in one place. This way, several PIM features can make your job easy and save you a lot of time.

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Here’s a list of the 13 essential PIM features every solution must have:

1. Product Data Management
2. Centralized Database for Product Information
3. Flexible Data Structure and Taxonomy
4. Integration with e-commerce platforms and marketplaces
5. Support for numerous languages and currencies
6. Workflow management and approval processes
7. Versioning and history tracking for data change
8. Product Variants management
9. Robust Search and Navigation Capabilities
10. Data Enrichment and Quality Control
11. Reporting and Analytics
12. Collaboration and User Management
13. Support and Training

1.  Product Data Management

If you have an eCommerce store, you need to track, gather and control data for your product. This data contains essential information about the product, such as the descriptions, technical details, and specifications. Therefore, the data needs to be up to date.

One of the essential PIM features is managing product data. Tracking, gathering, organizing, and exporting data is no longer complicated. Besides, you can easily track and manage data using PIM without spending more time on it.

2. Centralized Database for Product Information

To run the store effectively, you must keep a check on all the processes daily. Keeping track of all the processes in a limited time can be a mess. A PIM solution has the feature of a centralized database system that can help you keep track of all the processes with efficiency.

In a centralized database system, you can monitor all your product data in one place. You can use a centralized database system for

• Adding product data
• Exporting your product data
• Checking the status and overview of previously imported data
• Collaboration with your team members
• Collaboration with your retailers or vendors

A centralized Database system is not only user-friendly and time effective but also cost-effective. Furthermore, it consumes less power and costs less maintenance. It doesn’t matter how many products, stores, or channels you have. You can manage them all effortlessly if you have a PIM solution.

3. Flexible Data Structure and Taxonomy

A flexible data structure is vital to surviving in this age of continuous change and advancements. Besides, any business must adapt to the changing needs to keep itself in the market.

 A PIM software has a flexible data structure that can assist you as a user in coping with changing demands and scenarios of the market.

A PIM solution also has well-defined taxonomy. It organizes the product data and creates clear product catalog segregation. This organization helps to access product data and is less time-consuming.

4. Integration with e-commerce platforms and marketplaces

As an eCommerce manager, how many stores can you have on Shopify? Many, of course. Not only Shopify, but you can also have many stores on all the eCommerce platforms. 

So, You don’t have to choose between channels and sites to market your product because you can use more than one platform and channel to integrate them with PIM software. Moreover, you can distribute your products at multiple stores and sites with just one click.

It is one of the essential PIM features that allows you to connect and integrate with Shopify plus other eCommerce platforms and marketplaces. In this way, you can have uniform data across all channels which can help improve customer experience.  Moreover, you can reach and target more customers in the local and global markets.

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5. Support for numerous languages and currencies

As an eCommerce manager, you are marketing your product globally. It means you are targeting many geographies and you have to deal in several currencies. A PIM solution gives you the freedom of having multiple stores in numerous languages and currencies.  

You can have stores in different languages and currencies, and you can still manage all of them in one place using PIM.

6. Workflow management and approval processes

Workflow management of PIM plays a huge part in the organization of data and managing it with accuracy. This feature provides specific orders to the tasks. The proper approval process of PIM workflow management is important to ensure data accuracy and consistency.

The workflow management and approval process helps in

• Organizing data
• Collaboration
• Boosting productivity
• Eliminating inaccuracies
• Saving time
• Notifying about missing data
• Brand protection
• Faster product launch

7. Versioning and history tracking for data change

PIM is based on the principle of collaboration. Flexibility in editing allows team members to edit and change product data. The team members might be doing these changes from different locations around the globe.

Versioning helps the team to keep track of the changes made by other members as it creates a version in the history when you edit something. Anyone with the authority to edit can see and track who made the changes and when are they made.

8. Product Variants management

Product variants are different versions of a product that share many characteristics but differ in size, color, material, and more. It aids in the organization and management of different product versions in a PIM system.

PIM makes it easier for businesses to keep track of variations and provide accurate customer information. PIM enables businesses to centralize product variant management, ensuring accurate and up-to-date information, inventory management, pricing, and availability.

Some PIM systems also include advanced features such as automatic variant generation and bulk variant management.

9. Robust Search and Navigation Capabilities

Flexibility in data structure and clear product catalog segregation help you easily search and navigate through product information. Increased searchability of the product data is hassle-free and saves a lot of time and effort.

Such PIM features help in navigation which keeps product data organized. Therefore, it is easy to access the information. The accuracy and reliability of this feature make your PIM experience a glossy one.

10. Data Enrichment and Quality Control

Out of many PIM features, this one is essential in improving and maintaining product data quality. If there is some data missing for your product, PIM will fix those gaps in the information through already present data sets. These data sets can be internal or external.

Data quality should be enhanced and automated via a PIM system. A good PIM should have features to safeguard, such as rules for attribute and workflow validation, version control, and reporting on data quality. 

Furthermore, built-in quality checkers will let you know which information is missing and is needed to be filled in.

11. Reporting and Analytics

It can be vital for your business if you can track and analyze your product data. PIM provides access to real-time and historical product data reports. 

In addition to tracking your data, it also helps save time as you won’t have to spend a lot of time preparing reports to decide your next move.

You can analyze what is working and what is not working for your product in real time and make necessary adjustments accordingly. ²

12. Collaboration and User Management

It is obvious that you need a team to grow your business online. Collaboration among teams will improve customer experience. ³

Therefore, you will earn the loyalty of satisfied customers. If you have multiple Shopify stores and you want to market them properly, you will need an eCommerce manager, a media person, a fulfillment team, and customer support.

To collaborate with them, PIM gives you a feature where you can invite your team and manage their permissions and authority. Therefore, you can have your team working together at the same time, even from remote locations.

Moreover, you can also collaborate with your retailers or vendors by inviting them to your PIM solution. You can have a separate dashboard for interaction and collaboration with your retailers and vendors.

13. Support and Training

A good PIM software must have a support and training session when you sign in. Thereby you can have a better understanding of all the essential PIM features your solution has.

It should provide you access to support and training resources and help to get the most out of the PIM system.

Conclusion

If you want to excel in today’s business world, the online presence of your brand is very important. Not only will it expand your target audience, but it will also improve customer experience. 

PIM or Product Information Management will help you at every stage in managing your eCommerce business. PIM features can improve your own experience and will help you get things done with ease. Here is the list of essential PIM features of every PIM solution that we have discussed so far:

1. Product Data Management
2. Centralized Database for Product Information
3. Flexible Data Structure and Taxonomy
4. Integration with e-commerce platforms and marketplaces
5. Support for numerous languages and currencies
6. Workflow management and approval process
7. Versioning and history tracking for data change
8. Product Variants management
9. Robust Search and Navigation Capabilities
10. Data Enrichment and Quality Control
11. Reporting and Analytics
12. Collaboration and User Management
13. Support and Training

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