IT managers and CIOs: why and how should you implement a PIM/DAM solution?

Before embarking on the implementation of a PIM or DAM, IT managers or CIOs must have a clear vision of their organisation. We take a look at the challenges of such an implementation with Aurélie Bensch, a PIM expert, using the example of Sun City, a manufacturer of licensed products in the fashion sector.

Key points for the CIO to check

• Any limitations of your current IT system that hinder the smooth flow of data between different departments.
• The bottlenecks faced by the teams that work with product data on a daily basis, which prevent them from being fully effective.
• Business challenges that delay the launch of your products across all your sales channels.
• The risk matrix to organise the various issues identified.
• The current situation of a company facing common bottlenecks in product information management is often the main motivation for initiating a PIM review.

The main ‘pain points’, using Sun City as an example

Before implementing its PIM software, the manufacturer Sun City mainly faced problems centralising information within a single tool, with all the resulting issues:

• Reduced overall visibility of the collection in the pipeline, with each designer and buyer working on their own files,
• An extremely time-consuming data modification process, for example when the same change needs to be applied to dozens of products,
• Chaotic management of translations throughout the design cycle, with no clear process and, above all, no dedicated tool,
• The enrichment of marketing and sales data for a B2C – or rather B2B2C – approach was impossible with their current tools,
• Manual management of all visuals and media.

What challenges does implementing a PIM pose for IT managers?

Aurélie Bensh, a PIM expert at Quable, explains that one of the first challenges they face is integrating the PIM tool into their information system (IS). Often, the PIM is integrated into an ERP system that is somewhat outdated or into obsolete processes. The ERP organises products in a way that does not allow them to segment products according to the different sites they wish to supply. This is one of the reasons why they turn to PIM. The aim is to reorganise the data or ensure that it is aligned with new ways of working.

The second challenge concerns change management. Once the PIM is installed, the existing teams need to adopt the tool. This involves user guides and workshops.

Finally, the third challenge is managing incoming and outgoing data flows within the IT system. With PIM, this is achieved via APIs or flat/CSV files.

The benefits of a PIM for the business and teams

Aurélie identifies three major benefits of implementing a PIM solution:

• PIM enables the centralisation of data from product records, with data exchanges, contributions and translations able to take place simultaneously on a single platform;
• It sends data to different platforms (marketplaces, e-commerce sites, etc.) in real time and in multiple languages. Tech, digital and marketing teams have access to up-to-date data and can collaborate simultaneously, in one place, on the same product. Once this stage is complete, translators can get to work and translate the product information,
• The PIM facilitates collaboration between teams through widgets that highlight product listings requiring attention using tags and filters.

Would you like to find out more about implementing a PIM DAM solution? Download the e-book: IT Managers and CIOs: 4 steps to plan and implement your PIM