Locale

What is a locale in a PIM?

A locale in a PIM (Product Information Management) system refers to a linguistic and geographic version of a language, adapted to a specific country or region. It lets you manage multilingual content while accounting for local specifics such as vocabulary variations, units of measurement or market-specific regulations.

For example, French can be broken down into several locales:

• fr_FR for France,
• fr_BE for Belgium,
• fr_CA for Canada.

Each locale lets you adapt product descriptions, legal notices or units (such as clothing sizes) to the expectations and standards of the target country. So a product sold in Belgium might display information in Dutch or French, with prices in euros and notices compliant with local legislation.

Using locales in a PIM is essential for companies pursuing an international strategy. It ensures product information is accurate, relevant and compliant for each market, which improves the customer experience and strengthens brand credibility. By centralising locale management, the PIM simplifies content updates and speeds up the global rollout of products.