Composable PIM

Product Information Management

PIM is essential in composable commerce. However, increasing customer requirements are pushing rigid architectural concepts of monolithic PIM systems to their limits. Time to take a closer look at Composable PIM.

Gartner says: “By 2026 the speed of digital innovation will improve by 60%, relative to 2022, for organizations that have established mechanisms to reuse composable digital commerce modules.”,see “Predicts 2023: Digital sales excellence protects the bottom line in uncertain economic times”. What is meant is that a Composable Architecture enables companies to adopt a best-of-breed strategy to use the best available technology for each process. The resulting flexibility and scalability, in turn, helps companies meet all requirements: Optimize operations, reduce costs, and drive innovation to remain competitive.

Although PIM systems have long not been considered part of a composable architecture, PIM systems are now catching up and are also available as composable PIM. One of the main reasons is that PIM systems form the basis for a successful digital commerce strategy. This is because the need for action to adapt agilely to market trends while continuously delivering the optimal product content will remain in the future. Another driver for Composable PIM is that Gartner predicts that by 2025, compatibility will be one of the main goals or requirements in more than 50% of new digital spending decisions.

What is Composable PIM?

Composable PIM systems provide a flexible selection of core functions or components to map customer-specific PIM use cases. Compared to a traditional PIM, a Composable PIM creates a targeted focus that enables companies to achieve top performance in their respective PIM use cases. Composable PIM gives companies the ability to incorporate best-of-breed applications such as digital asset management, data quality, hierarchy management, and supplier onboarding alongside broader solutions such as order management, pricing, and campaign management. With such applications and solutions, companies can deliver the content, data and functionality they need to meet their unique requirements.

Composable PIM in practice: architecture and how it works

The term “Composable” describes an architectural philosophy rooted in the MACH concept (Microservices, API-first, Cloud-native, Headless). In the context of PIM, this means: instead of a monolithic application bundling all functions under one roof, PIM functionality is divided into smaller, specialised services — which can be updated, replaced or scaled independently of one another.

Monolithic PIM vs. Composable PIM: the key differences

Monolithic PIM: All functions — data maintenance, workflow, DAM integration, channel management — are bundled in one application. Updates and extensions always affect the overall system. Customisations are possible but are typically complex and limited to the system’s inherent capabilities.

Composable PIM: Core functions are provided as independent modules or API-accessible services. A company can, for example, use the core data management from one PIM system but replace Digital Asset Management with a specialised DAM tool — connecting both systems via APIs. Each building block remains independently maintainable and replaceable.

The practical consequence: Composable PIM gives companies the freedom to deploy the best available solution for each functional area. This is the essence of the best-of-breed approach.

Composable PIM and B2B e-commerce: why this topic matters now

In B2B commerce, buyer expectations have changed fundamentally in recent years: product search, comparison and ordering should be as simple and fast as in B2C. This places new demands on companies’ product data preparation.

At the same time, the number of output channels is growing: proprietary web shop, B2B marketplaces, EDI connections to customer systems, print media, self-service portals — each channel has its own data formats and requirements.

A rigid, monolithic PIM quickly reaches its limits here: new channels cannot be connected fast enough, special requirements from individual marketplaces require costly adjustments, and the overall system becomes a bottleneck rather than an accelerator.

Composable PIM addresses this problem structurally: thanks to the API-first architecture, new channels and third-party systems can be connected without touching the core system. This makes companies more agile in responding to new market requirements.

Composable Commerce as context: the bigger picture

Composable PIM should not be viewed in isolation — it is part of a broader movement towards Composable Commerce. This approach applies the MACH principle to the entire e-commerce architecture: checkout, search, product presentation, personalisation, pricing — each function can be implemented as an independent, interchangeable building block.

PIM plays a central role in this architecture: it is the single source of truth for all product data that other systems consume via APIs — headless commerce frontends, search systems, personalisation engines. Without a well-structured, API-capable PIM at its centre, Composable Commerce does not function.

OMN: headless-ready and API-first

apollon has designed OMN with open interfaces from the outset. In concrete terms, this means:

• All product data and assets are accessible via REST APIs — from any system that can be connected
• Third-party applications such as headless shop systems, PIM frontends or marketplace connectors can directly access OMN data
• The CI HUB Connector enables direct access to OMN assets from within Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft Office and WordPress
• New channels can be configured and connected via channel management in OMN without any system modification

Gartner lists apollon among the vendors that actively support the Composable approach. This is reflected in OMN’s architecture: as a suite comprising PIM, DAM, channel management and workflow engine, OMN offers the integration strength of an all-in-one solution — while also providing the openness and extensibility that Composable architectures require.

Frequently asked questions about Composable PIM

Do I need my own development team for Composable PIM?

This depends on the degree of customisation. Fully decoupled Composable architectures require technical expertise for API integration and system management. Hybrid approaches — an integrated suite like OMN as the core, with the option to replace individual components with third-party solutions — are the more practical entry point into Composable for many companies.

Is Composable PIM more expensive than a monolithic solution?

Licence costs can be comparable — total costs depend heavily on integration effort. Fully modular Composable setups with many third-party components require more implementation and operational effort than an integrated suite. In return, they offer more flexibility where it is genuinely needed.

Can I integrate OMN into an existing Composable architecture?

Yes. OMN is designed API-first and can be integrated as a product data backbone into existing Composable Commerce architectures. Whether as a headless data source for a commerce frontend or as the central PIM in a MACH stack — OMN’s open interfaces make this integration possible.

What do I need to consider with Composable PIM?

By choosing a Composable PIM, companies get a forward-looking application that is able to anticipate change, drive innovation, and ensure the best possible product experience. Nevertheless, companies should not underestimate the complexity of a completely decoupled ecosystem. Each tool comes with an implementation time commitment and requires technical skills to properly integrate and use. In addition, the business problems that can be solved with Composable must be identified in advance.

Summary

Of course, the possibilities that can be achieved with a Composable solution are almost unlimited. But just because it’s possible to implement Composable PIM doesn’t necessarily mean it should be implemented. If, on the other hand, we look at the holistic solutions, they have their raison d’être, also for technical reasons. The individual building blocks are coordinated so that they work seamlessly together. Therefore, it is not possible to give a blanket answer as to which approach is the better one. Groups that have an existing, established IT infrastructure or companies with low requirements can certainly also operate product experience management with an all-in-one PIM solution.

Nevertheless, PIM – whether traditional or composable remains the foundation for data and analytics managers’ composable commerce architecture strategy.

Click here for the Gartner article on Composable PIM. In the article published by Gartner, apollon is also among the PIM vendors that support the composable approach. Get to know our OMN PIM.

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