PIM:
From Basic to
Next Generation

Table of Contents
Introduction

3

Chapter 1: What is PIM?

6

Four core capabillities

7

Chapter 2: Who needs PIM?

8

The challlenges that PIM solves for

10

Who’s using PIM in the organization?

12

Chapter 3: What is next generation PIM?

14

What is Product Experience Management?

17

The Contentserv Product Experience Platform

19

Chapter 4: Choosing the right PIM provider
What to look for in a solution provider and an implementation partner

Summary

21
22

28

Introduction
Not one industry has been spared from the onset of
disruption. For companies like Kodak, Blockbuster
and Xerox, change has been exceptionally brutal.
Their offerings have become obsolete and theirbrand fell into irrelevance over time. Their stories
have been told and retold from one conference
to another, serving as a warning for otherbusinesses to never be complacent, regardless ofcurrent success, and always embrace change.
The rise of companies like Amazon, Google,
Netflix, Alibaba and even relatively smaller players
like Warby Parker and Airbnb, teach the valueof customer-centricity, being data-driven andoperating based upon consumer behavior.

3

The current state of digitalization
To cater to consumer demands, businesses must embrace a digitaltransformation, which isn’t solely about technological adaptation but also
about a mindset overhaul.
To date, according to IDG’s 2018 State of Digital Business Transformation,
only 44% of organizations had fully adopted a digital-first approach. The
majority (89%) had plans to digitalize but had not yet started.
Seeing the dire consequences of remaining traditional, why are a lot oforganizations delaying the start of their digitalization program?

Digital transformation begins
with data
When IDG asked decision-makers what “digital business” meant to theirorganization, they defined it in terms of the following benefits:

Enable worker productivity through mobile, data accessand AI-assisted processes

The 2017 Wipro study identified “leadership issues” as key factors to stalling
digital transformation efforts:
࡟ Misalignment as to the meaning of digital transformation in theory andpractice

Gain the ability to better manage business performancethrough data availability and visibility

࡟ Majority of senior executives secretly believing their digital transformation
projects are a waste of time࡟ Resistance to new ways of working and feeling overwhelmed by digitalcomplexity

Meet customer experience expectations

Executives clearly know what they need in theory, but falter on where to startand how to execute. To translate all three digital business benefits to reality,
decision-makers must start with data.

4

Why start digital transformation
with Product Information
Management (PIM)?
Business and commerce operate on data. For the 89% that are going to bravethe digital transformation journey, there’s no better place to begin than withdata management. Once organizations are able to manage and control theirdata, the next steps will rely upon a solid foundation.
At a glance, a PIM solution can help teams:
࡟ Organize, cleanse, enrich and manage product data࡟ Collaborate and share information internally across an organization
࡟ Create and publish relevant, personalized and emotionallyengaging content
࡟ Ensure a consistent presence across channels with the customer at thecenter of all touch points
࡟ Adjust to market changes and consumer demands
But above all, the right PIM implementation partner could provide expert
industry-specific support, which includes a new skillset that organizations
might lack.
So, what exactly is Product Information Management?

5Chapter 1:
What is PIM?
Product Information Management
is a streamlined approach toorganizational data and content
management.
A PIM solution enables businesses to capture,
store, merge, transform, enrich and translate datafrom different sources using multiple formats.
This information can then be shared internally andpublished across channels. PIM dramatically improves
operational efficiencies and serves as an essential
foundational piece to an omnichannel initiative.

Core capabilities:
OnboardValidate

The first step to getting a single sourceof product truth is the importing andconsolidation of product data that issiloed across an organization. Productdata usually comes from different
internal and external sources andsystems, such as suppliers, third party
content aggregators or data pools.

Product data usually arrives in highvolumes, using different formats
and with varying levels of quality.
To reconcile inconsistencies andirregularities, rules for standardization,accuracy, completeness and overall
quality are created, managed andenforced using automated workflows.

ManagePublishMany organizations struggle to manually
maintain product information anddigital assets. With automated data
management capabilities such as data
modeling, enrichment, localization andpublication, organizations are able toimprove operational efficiencies towardobtaining rich, relevant and channeloptimized content.

Today’s customers expect a seamlessexperience across multiple touch points,
so marketing and sales teams are
hard-pressed to meet and exceed thisexpectation. With automated publication
capabilities, teams can share data acrossthe organization and ensure accurate,complete, consistent and timely content
published across all channels, at any time.
7Chapter 2:
Who needs PIM?

A PIM solution is ideal for companies with high volumes of complex data
to manage, enrich and distribute across teams and channels.
Operationally PIM can profoundly impact productivity by:࡟ Consolidating disparate and redundant processes࡟ Reducing demands to and reliance upon IT
࡟ Eliminating human errors
࡟ Removing data silos࡟ Streamlining interdepartmental workflows
Externally, PIM enables organizations to:࡟ Provide accurate, complete, up-to-date and consistent productinformation across all channels
࡟ Comply with government regulations and industry mandates
࡟ Introduce new products, bundles and services more quickly࡟ Increase opportunities for up-selling and cross-selling࡟ Meet global business requirements for language and market
࡟ React quickly to sharp and unexpected changes in demand
As brands, distributors and retailers receive these benefits, sales andcustomer satisfaction improve greatly, and the likelihood of customer
loyalty increases.

9

The challenges that PIM solves for
Manufacturers
Manufacturers, also known as suppliers or brands, need to provide highvolumes of product data to numerous trading/retail partners. This meansthat manufacturers must now create, maintain and publish consumerfacing product content. Manufacturers are also challenged with syndicatingproduct information and digital assets to their trading/retail partners whenand how they want it. As new channels such as direct-to-consumer emerge,
manufacturers are now looking to take back control of their branding andmessaging, and not leave it in the hands of retailers.

Retailers
Retailers realize and accept that consumers today need accurate, complete,consistent and relevant product information, any time and any place. They
also know that having rich, detailed product information and digital images
and media will increase conversions on a product page. The challenge
is getting all the information about the products from the suppliers.
Furthermore, retailers need the information in a specific format that fits theirneeds. It can be daunting for retailers to manage product data from 1,000s
of suppliers if it’s being sent in many different formats and varying levels ofcompleteness. Retailers today are mandating their suppliers to comply with
their requirements when it comes to the distribution of product data andassociated digital assets.

10

An example of which is Nordstrom:“Dear Nordstrom Supplier,In partnership with the GS1* Extended Attributes for ecommerce
Guidelines, approved on September 9, 2013, we need you to begin
populating some additional product attributes in your online catalog.
These attributes will support our ongoing efforts to improve our customer
experience and our international business.”

The letter also contains their required attributes. Read the full letter here.
Other retail giants such as Walmart and Costco also have their own suppliercompliance requirements. With all the requirements for extended productattributes, both manufacturers and retailers need a solution that can, notonly manage their product data, but also give them an easy way to onboard,
localize, syndicate and publish.
*The GS1 Extended Attributes for E-Commerce Guidelines is a document that “provides
apparel and general merchandise vendors, retailers and solution providers guidance on theextended product attributes that are recommended for exchange between trading partners
in support of internet-based commerce (e-commerce, mobile commerce) initiatives. This data
extends beyond the traditional supply chain information already exchanged between buyers
and sellers, and it includes the essential product information that end-consumers will needthroughout the purchase cycle. This information is central to those organizations that intend
to serve consumers with a consistent selling experience across all distribution (omni) retailchannels.” Read the full guideline here.

11

These are the teams within organizations that benefit the most from a PIM solution:

MarketingMerchandising

Product development

E-CommerceMarketers are challenged with
capturing and holding theattention of consumers, while
trying to provide a remarkable
experience. Marketing can benefit
from the elimination of data silos,
improve their workflows, create
accurate, complete, consistent,
up-to-date and relevant productinformation and deliver it acrossall channels. They are also in abetter position to offer targeted
and localized content to support a
possible global expansion.

Product merchandising can
be a long and tedious process,especially if done manually bymultiple people in different
departments. Often, they have to
use multiple systems which resultin pricing and product information
errors as well as roll out delays.
Having a single repository for all
their product information allows
for quicker time-to-market.

The combination of Product
Lifecycle and Product Information
Management (PLM and PIM)
offer a 360-degree view ofthe product. By assigningeach user a role and a specific
set of permissions, they canaccess relevant data andautomate tasks via workflows.
This allows the organization
to efficiently collaborate,
gain visibility and help bringproducts to market faster.

In a playing field wherecompetitors are just a click
away, it pays to present a
website that helps brands
standout and ensures only highquality product content gets
distributed across channels.
But first, consumers must
be able to find brands andproducts online. With a strong
PIM foundation, e-commerce
teams can enrich productdescriptions and keywords toboost SEO and drive traffic;
create bundles or shop-thelook offerings, as well as up-selland cross-sell opportunities.

12

These are the teams within organizations that benefit the most from a PIM solution:

Sales

Digital agencies

IT

Technology continues to redefine consumer
shopping habits and sales teams are forced
to keep up. In order to stay competitive andimprove revenue, together with marketing, sales
teams must establish a strong omnichannel
presence powered by accurate, complete
and consistent product information.

The management of digital assets is a major
pain point for creatives, as they are challenged
in not only having to find the most current
and up-to-date digital assets, but also having
to manage multiple renderings for each.

IT usually works hand-in-hand with thebusiness team to determine if a vendor’s
software solution meets all the technicalrequirements that are needed. These
projects are often time-sensitive and requireagility, collaboration and governance ofpeople, processes and technology.

A PIM infrastructure provides the sales
teams access to product information that a
consumer will need at the store or online. It
also empowers them to create and customize
materials on the fly for specific audiences.

The cost and complexity of redundant storage,
fees from incorrect usage, violations and othercompliance issues can be quite substantial.
Mature PIM solutions usually have full
digital asset management functionality
built-in that allows agencies to quickly
find, localize and convert digital assets
to channel-specific formats.

Because processes are typically automatedand more streamlined when using a PIM,
it is possible that an organization’s systemarchitecture may need to be modified, integrated
with or even sunsetted. The elimination ofdata silos and the overall governance of data
stewards and the processes around data
quality, are all areas that IT can help support.

13

Chapter 3:
What is next
generation PIM?

PIM has evolved from an initial data onboarding andpublishing solution into a powerful digital commerce
solution. With “experience” projected to be the key
differentiator by 2020 over “product” and “price”, thePIM capabilities have to extend beyond facilitating
solid product information management to delivering
exceptional product experiences.

To illustrate:
Say, you are a global retailer and there are three different customers
searching for pet accessories on their phone.
࡟ David lives in the United States, in his twenties, single and has a pet skink.
࡟ Kuru lives in Japan, has a family and owns a friendly cat.
࡟ Jane lives in South Africa, is disabled and is never without her service dog.

In terms of journey and location, they are in different places, but with a next
generation PIM, you can meet their specific needs by:࡟ Presenting a selection of food and accessories products, relevant to theirpet, and highlighting comparisons between those࡟ Offering product bundles and suggesting alternatives for their type of
pet only࡟ Include rich, relevant and interesting content such as testimonials, thenearest vets, clinics specializing in their type of pet, upcoming pet shows
and other resources, such as “learn more” and “how-to” videos
࡟ Personalize each customers’ experience with promotions or campaigns
that take in consideration their type of pet or own specific needs.
࡟ Communicating complete, accurate, consistent and up-to-date productcontent is what a basic Product Information Management solution shouldbe able to do; ensuring that this content is relevant and contextual, is what
a Product Experience Management (PXM) solution does.

15

Today’s businesses are dealing with consumers whoare bouncing from online to offline channels andback, expecting a unified and consistent experiencethroughout. It is, therefore, critical for businesses toensure they come away with a consistent positive
experience each time they interact with your brand.
As omnichannel consumers expect more than theusual product information, businesses are hardpressed to deliver to their needs. Why? In order tostay relevant and actually standout, brands must
create emotion-stirring experiences tailored tothe consumer’s personality and preferences. But
personalization requires serious data managementand deep customer insight. Thus, every business
who wishes to not merely survive but compete,
owes to consider the full experience they will deliver.

16

What is Product Experience Management (PXM)?
A PXM solution allows you to manage not only product information but also how products will bemerchandised and promoted. By delivering that information in context to the consumer, it will facilitate thecreation an emotional connection between you and your customers. A PXM solution is comprised of fourrobust components that when used in combination, delivers truly personalized product experiences.
࡟ Product Information Management (PIM) + Digital Asset Management (DAM)
࡟ Master Data Management (MDM)࡟ Marketing Experience Management (MXM)

17

PIM

DAM

MDM

MXM

According to Forrester, as
much as 200 attributes arebeing attached to every single
product today. There’s noother solution on the market
that enables businesses tomanage hundreds of thousandsof SKUs, UPCs, titles,
descriptions, prices, categories
and a growing number of new
attributes than a PIM solution.

Managing large volumes of
localized or channel-specificdigital assets is both difficultand expensive. A Digital
Asset Management (DAM)
solution allows organizations
to store, organize, find andretrieve their digital images,
videos and documents via acentralized repository using
automated workflows.

Poor data quality is an endemic
problem costing businesses
worldwide $136 billion per
year. MDM is a comprehensive
approach to managing anenterprise’s critical data with agoal of establishing a single andtrusted view of data that anyone
in the organization can use.

When it comes to shopping,consumers are independent
researchers and don’t
discriminate between youronline presence and your stores.
According to a Google study,
what consumers want during
their shopping journey is more
information and customized
experiences. How can businesses
meet these demands?

A PIM solution facilitatesefficient internal and external
collaboration, enables easy
onboarding of productinformation and digital assets
and ensures high-quality
content is published to the rightchannels, at the right time. PIM isfoundational to e-commerce andomnichannel success. It is also acomponent and enabler of PXM.

When using a PIM solution that
has integrated DAM capabilities,
you can easily manage andlink both digital assets andassociated products to enable
the delivery of accurate and richcontent to all sales channels.

An MDM component focuseson helping organizations
solve data quality challenges
by merging inconsistent dataand creating unified views of
information (golden records);
defining policies and establishingprocesses, procedures andaccountability; measuring
the accuracy, completeness,
conformity and uniqueness of
your products’ information.

The MXM component enables
organizations to orchestrate
flexible and highly-automatedmarketing and communication
processes. This allows forcontextual audience targetingand personalized experiences
across all campaign categories
and sales channels.

18

The Contentserv Product Experience Platform
Contentserv is a software platform that enables organizations to control the total product experience delivering contextual product information - rich, relevant and emotional - to customers across all touchpoints in real-time.

Contentserv enables you to be:

Product-centric

Customer-centric

Relationship-centric

By collecting product data from multiple sources
and laying the foundation for a powerful,omnichannel product communication, you candeliver outstanding product experiences thatmeet and exceed customer expectations

By leveraging complete, consistent andcontext-optimized product information, youcreate a sustainable, competitive advantage.
This advantage becomes more prevalent
as you automate integration, improve
content quality, and maser your data acrossall domains, e.g. suppliers, distributors,
markets, e-commerce providers.

By creating and managing your promotional
material – building on trusted productcontent – you can plan compelling
campaigns and schedule attractive events,
boosting your marketing performance.

19Advanced capabilities:
Product content: Onboard and manage product data,
digital assets, location data, supplier information andmore in a single repository. Share consistent, accurate andup-to-date information internally and externally to online
and offline channels.

Marketing content: Create and manage high-impact campaigns,
promotions and events to address your customers’ needs
considering personas, situations and channels.

Forward-looking Contentserv benefits:
࢟ Reduce information supply chain complexity and cost
࢟ Bring products to market faster࢟ Manage complex product information intuitively
࢟ Publish consistent product information across all channels in real-time࢟ Communicate product information on an individual basis
considering personas

࢟ Comply with local regulations, localize content for language and market,
establish your global footprint

Partner engagement: Allow teams and external suppliers tojoin in your business process - design partner-specific endpoints
and maintain separation between your suppliers’ catalogs
and your main product catalog.

࢟ Adapt quickly to market changes
࢟ Deliver truly personalized product experiences࢟ Improve marketing performance࢟ Increase business performance and profitability

Customer engagement: Present timely, relevant and attractive
content by considering persona, mood, place and events. Adjust
the campaign based upon availability, supplier preferences andother essential factors.

࢟ Strengthen customer loyalty
Now that you learned how Contentserv can bring your business to the nextlevel, you might be curious about how to find the right solution provider, as
well as the best implementation partner. Continue to the next page.

Content insights: Gain intelligence on content quality throughcustomers’ interactions with promotions and campaigns tobetter personalize and fine-tune your content.

20

Chapter 4:
Choosing
the right
PIM provider

What to look for in asolution provider and an
implementation partner
Choosing a software solution goes hand in hand choosing animplementation partner. Most vendors have an in-house development
teams that may offer to craft custom functionality; some work exclusively
with partners while others will let the customer decide how theywant
to proceed. Either way, it is important to ask the right questions.
In this chapter, you will learn about:࡟ Choosing the right software solution provider“Before investing in a new software platform, it’s important
to know precisely what your strategic goals are and what
pain points you are intending to address. If it’s possible toget a free trial, take it! Then, test it out to ensure it meets
your expectations and will achieve the goals you laid out foryour business.“
Pin Chen, ONTRAPORT࡟ Selecting the right implementation partner

22

Choosing the right software solution provider
Choosing a software provider is not an easy task. It can be daunting because
there are lots of vendors, often similar, that promise the best functionality,
leaving price and support as differentiators.
The following list is a helpful guide to choosing the proper software solution
provider.

࡟ Identify the problems
Before closing on a software purchase, it is imperative to be clear about
the problems the business is trying to solve upfront. Consider the daily
challenges faced by the organization and the industry-specific issues
a new software should solve. List them down according to priority andurgency, focusing on the business value rather than the needed features.
Use this list during the finalization stage, so as not to be swayed byappealing but irrelevant features and add-ons.
࡟ Set the budget
Be deliberate with costing according to the size of the business andthe human capital involved. Do not forget to allocate budget for upfront
implementation, maintenance and, possibly, renewal costs.
࡟ Get technical
After the budget is set up, prepare the software technical requirements,
considering both the end-user perspective but also the business needs
previously identified.

࡟ Ask for a demo
It is important to always get a sense of the look and feel of the system.
Make sure to involve key users and your technology team associated withthis project to understand ease of use and integration.
࡟ Gather user feedback
Ask for case studies and reference calls with similar clients in terms ofyour current challenges or benefits you’re looking to receive. Focusing
only on references that are specific to your industry will limit your ability to
get a clear picture of the software’s full capabilities.
࡟ Finalize the decisionInteractions with a front-line sales rep are different from interactions with
post-sale teams. If unsure, do not feel pressured to make the decisionand keep asking questions until you gain a complete picture of how you’llinteract with this vendor.

23

Here are a few questions to ask as it relates to the software itself:
Features and functionalities

Sustainability and scalability

࡟ What are the features and functionalities required?

࡟ Can it accommodate growth? Does it scale horizontally and/or vertically?

࡟ Is there room to grow with these features? Will it support our needs as ourorganization grows?

࡟ Will the system remain relevant and efficient over time?

࡟ Can the current company infrastructure support the new system?

࡟ Are there update/upgrade options? What are the costs associated withthose?

Stability and reliability

࡟ Is the vendor stable enough to provide support in 5 years? In 10 years?

࡟ What resources will we need to support the expected performance?

Support࡟ Will it drive long-term value?

࡟ Which training is necessary for the internal staff?

Integration and security

࡟ What type of support is offered?

࡟ Will it seamlessly integrate with legacy systems?

࡟ Is there a well-planned knowledge transfer process through the project?

࡟ Will it allow for the migration of existing data?

࡟ Is there a timely escalation/helpdesk process to fix bugs and apply
updates? Are there any SLAs?

࡟ Is there a secure backup system in place?

࡟ Is there a warranty offering?

࡟ Does it address internal security policies?

Ease of use

It is critical to understand your internal processes, available data and its
sources to ensure optimum success for the business.

࡟ How easy is it to configure the software according to business needs?
࡟ Is it intuitive and user friendly?

24

Here are a few questions to ask as it relates to your current data:
Data distribution and sourcing
࡟ Is information available on websites, digital catalogs and print, social
media, mobile apps, etc.?
࡟ Is data widely distributed across multiple channels and has information
management become too complex?
࡟ Are there external teams such as suppliers, writers, photographers, etc.,that contribute to the collection of data?

Data complexity and quality
࡟ Is data up-to-date, accurate and complete?
࡟ Is there a way to obtain the data needed to import into the new system?
࡟ Is data consistent across channels?

Data stewardship࡟ Who would be the users of the new system?
࡟ What are their roles?
࡟ What kind of access should they have?
࡟ How do they work together? What workflows should be defined?

25

Selecting the right implementation partner
Most software development companies have their own implementation teams. While it might sound easier to implement a solution on top of a commercial off-theshelf software by hiring the actual software vendor, there are many aspects to a software projects that need to be taken in consideration. It is important to knowwhat to look for when choosing the right implementation partner; it should be an informed decision.

Consider these aspects when choosing the implementation partner that best fits the needs of your business:

Solution experts with industry experience

Trusted advisors

An implementation partner should have prior experience in your industry.
It is easier to work with someone who understands how the businessprocesses and operations work. It is inefficient and risky to choose apartner who does not understand the unique needs of the business,and the specific challenges and pain points that may arise in the future.
Ensure that the chosen implementation partner is not only an expert inusing the software but one that has extensive industry experience too.

The best implementation partners should care about the success of thebusiness beyond the project, ensuring satisfaction and overall deliveryof long-term solutions. The best way to guarantee that the chosen
implementation partner is the right fit is to ask for references fromprevious clients. It is often a good idea to go beyond checking customer
testimonials from the partner’s website. Select a partner with loyal clients
who readily rave about their experience, partnership and success.

26

Innovation advocates

Change champions

Reliable partners

Choose a partner whose primary goal isto support the end-to-end experience andis willing to go the extra mile and invest ininnovative solutions for specific problems.

Implementation partners are usually equippedwith the right level of tech know-how and are
well-trained in terms of knowledge transfer.
Just the same, it is important to consider thecompetencies of partners in terms of ChangeManagement. Execution of the changes not
only affects the business but the people as well.
The implementation team must be able to work
well with people from the organization. Friction
during the implementation phase often sets up
the entire project to fail. Meet the team who will
actually work on the project, if possible, even
before signing up with the chosen partner.

The size of the organization could become afactor in choosing the right implementation
partner. Big companies are often stable with aportfolio of successfully implemented projects
but are they the right fit for your business?
Big firms often send their best front liners topresent the pitch and then send a different
group of implementation specialists that may
or may not be a good fit to work with. It isalso entirely possible that big firms follow ahierarchical chain of command and that may
push back the implementation progress.
When considering a partner according to size,
choose one that is agile enough to meet theneeds of the business and flexible enough toaccommodate and support your organization.

27

SummaryYour customers expect more than generic productinformation. They demand a personalized, compelling
product experience, tailored to their personal andemotional needs. Create and communicate targeted,contextual and emotionally-engaging products with
the Contentserv Product Experience Platform.
The business landscape is constantly changing. Everybusiness that wants to remain relevant and thrivein the future must now prepare for what’s to come.
Choosing the right software that not only meets yourneeds today, but one that gives you the flexibility toadapt quickly to market changes and allows you topioneer with next generation product experiences iscritical when competing in today’s market.

28

About Contentserv
Contentserv helps brands and retailers offer
customized and highly converting productexperiences that delight customers, improvetime to value and boost ROI.

Learn more at www.contentserv.com