PIM is the common abbreviation for product information management in the field of e-commerce. It describes the general provision of product information in the company. A product information management system, or in short PIM system, obtains relevant product data from the connected company systems and makes the information collected in this way available via various channels at different locations. It enables the central maintenance and problem-free administration of the data and synchronises it with the source system. A PIM system is therefore a database software that collects all information about products such as technical documentation, data sheets, language versions and image media and makes it available in a media-neutral way for the presentation and sale of the corresponding product in the respective channels. The following graphic is a simplified representation of a PIM system. It illustrates the data and tasks that the system takes on and which we will discuss in more detail in the next sections.
Pim system in detail
Before we talk about the data, it makes sense to talk about the systems that are connected to the PIM. As the name suggests, a PIM system works with product information and, if possible, draws its data from all systems connected to product information. These include, for example, ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning), PLM (Product Lifecycle Management), image databases, marketing software or even supplier portals. In addition, industry-specific systems such as CAD (computer-aided design) or PPS (production planning and control system) can also provide relevant information on products. To ensure smooth data exchange between all these systems, a PIM system usually has open interfaces to these systems. If you want to know more about a PIM system in detail ask the expert Pimvendors. You can simply visit their website pimvendors.com and learn more about PIM.
What is typical for PIM?
The PIM functions can already be outlined very well with the terms configure, enrich, manage and translate. By means of interfaces, the PIM collects the respective information from the systems and enriches it with further data up to the most comprehensive product data sets possible. Product information management allows central and location-independent data maintenance of all product information: it stores and manages the product-related digital media and product data. At the same time, it enables the configuration and translation of the information and exchanges the current product information with the connected systems. This avoids duplicate data maintenance. Finally, a PIM system is of course able to output the data organised in this way to various channels in the required form. But into which channels does a PIM system transmit product data? A PIM system is of course not only a collection and management of product information, but also supports companies in process optimisation. It holds data for the employees of different departments, who output it in a wide variety of channels. Among other things, the product information serves as the basis for website content, product catalogues and documentation as well as for assortment strategies in retail. The channels for this are among others:
- Website
- E-commerce, the online shop and marketplaces
- Mobile applications
- Prints