Expert opinion on PIM of the future

Product Information Management

How will PIM tools evolve in the future? What are the top three challenges in implementing a PIM tool? What is the term PXM (Product Experience Management) all about? Our expert Tobias Marks provides answers to these questions.

Tobias Marks has extensive knowledge of media processes, product content and AI-driven data streams. He not only advises companies on the selection of the right tools, but also supports his customers with strategic advice.

How will PIM tools evolve in the future?

PIM systems are evolving in two ways. On the one hand, new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) are increasingly being added to fully automate non-value-added activities in product data communication. This can be, for example, the automated classification of articles or the automated creation of product texts from granular product information (attribute values) – both of which are already possible in our OMN PIM today, in addition to other AI-based services. On the other hand, PIM systems are increasingly developing in the direction of Product Experience Management (PXM).

PXM complements the PIM with the area of contextualization. What is meant here is that the descriptive texts and media of a product are provided to the customer individually or in relation to his application, depending on the context. The technical data of a product remain unaffected. PXM ensures that the customer receives the exact product information based on their needs. This enrichment takes place between product data maintenance and product data distribution. As the next generation of PIM, PXM provides an even better product experience between supplier and customer through contextualization. If a customer is looking for adhesives, for example, he will not only get the product information (technical data, advertising texts and images) about the adhesives in the online store as a classic PIM would generate, but exactly the information that is intended for his application. What is meant is that the gardener, for example, receives adhesives for his pond, the artist adhesives for his craft supplies, the cyclist adhesives for his tire, etc. – from general (adhesive) to very specific (pond adhesive, craft adhesive, tire adhesive, etc.).

What are the top three challenges in implementing a PIM tool?

Once the decision has been made to introduce a PIM system, the biggest hurdle has already been overcome. Because far too often, the biggest hurdle is believing that you can manage product information without the right system support or with makeshift solutions. As a result, the quality of product data suffers permanently and poor product data limits the economic success of a company. And even if product data meets a certain quality even without a PIM, makeshift solutions can never reflect the efficiency that a PIM system brings. The time-to-market factor is sometimes decisive for the product experience.

Once this understanding is established, the biggest hurdle for a PIM or PXM is cleared. What follows is preliminary work before a PIM system can be put into operation. The first step is to analyze customer behavior, because only those who understand how the customer journey is shaped can be supported by the system and get the most out of it. Our approach as a PIM provider is to identify the touchpoints together with the customer at the beginning of a project. After that, we model the customer journey. Because only when we understand how the potential customer thinks and acts is it possible to address them in a personalized and individual way with the help of our system. Once this work has been completed, the next step is to set up the PIM system with all upstream and downstream interfaces. After a few tests, nothing will stand in the way of going live.

How much time should companies allow to implement a PIM tool?

This varies greatly and depends heavily on the company and its previous experience with a PIM system. If the company has not had a PIM system in use before, thorough preparatory work must be done. This includes the inventory (products including the customer journey as well as responsibilities for the project) and the functional scope of the PIM system to be introduced (the channels to be played, the degree of automation with the help of AI, the number of users, required interfaces, on premise or SaaS, training requirements, etc.). Realistic in this case are 4-12 months project duration. If, on the other hand, the company already had a PIM system and is replacing it, then the implementation effort is less, although even in this case we prefer thorough preliminary work so that our customer can get the most out of our OMN PIM system. In this case, we expect 3-6 months.