Ever worry about the exponential growth of data, channels and systems that is inextricably linked to the dynamics of Ecommerce? The selection and implementation of Product Information Management software is a step towards a healthy night's sleep. More and more organizations are going one step further. By choosing PIMM - an integrated Product and Master data Management system.
Complete and accurate product information is crucial to the quality of the Customer Experience. The essential factor: the consistent application of large amounts of data in all channels and Touch points that you use to win over customers. Hence the wide range of Product Information Management software, intended to control the product-related incoming and outgoing data flows and to guarantee an unambiguous offer.
'Note: not PIM but PIMM is the future'
PIM has become a familiar concept in the Ecommerce landscape. But PIM is not complete if the 'mastering' of critical business data (so-called 'master data') has weaknesses. Hence the rise of systems that integrate the management of product data and master data. Not PIM but PIMM is the future. And that stands for Product Information and Master Data Management.
From your webshop or wholesale platform to the information in your physical sales environment, from the mobile app and socials to the online catalog, everything has to be right. Consumers value a complete and, above all, unambiguous story. Fragmented information that transmits different signals on the various channels is at the expense of the reliability of your brand. And trust is perhaps the ultimate success factor in digital sales.
With a Product Information Management system you have the technology to efficiently enrich and standardize product data. In short, the software offers you the possibility to edit and manage product data in one system and to distribute it from that central system to your various sales channels. You can generate, enrich and update relevant content in an efficient and reliable way and you reduce the chance of error. Integrated feed management tools do the rest.
'Rather go for an integrated Product Information and Master Data Management solution'
However, an essential phase precedes that efficient process of inflow, merging, creating, enriching and distribution. Namely: the phase in which large amounts of 'source data' are created and collected by different users and systems. These are ultimately transported, via a sort of funnel, to the central Product Information Management system. There they get their final shape, visible to the consumer or B2B buyer. When streamlining this phase, we refer to Master Data Management (MDM).
Master Data are the more or less fixed master data of a company, which can partly be found in the ERP system. There are different types of master data to distinguish. Together with the dynamic data, they form the breeding ground for your final commercial product information. Precisely because it concerns more or less permanent data, it is essential to have this part in order. The most important 'master' data groups in relation to the operational Ecommerce processes and the Customer Experience are: customer data, product data, location data and legal data (contracts, licenses, etc.). All those groups can be divided into subgroups. This indicates how complex data management is and how important it is to apply an efficient system to it.
After all, you invest in PIM to enrich and standardize the visible product data. You do this with a goal: to optimize the customer journey. However, if errors occur in the base, you will nullify that investment. Incorrect personal or price information, use of the wrong account number, or an incorrect invoice or credit card transaction can have disastrous consequences. Customer relationships are disrupted and it can even lead to legal action.
The amount of data continues to grow. Systems and processes that are driven by that data continue to grow. Data is located in different places and in various systems (silos) and for data feeds just as many different techniques are used by different parties. This can be at the expense of the quality, reliability and unambiguity of data and it can seriously hinder efficiency. Take it at the source. With Master Data Management as an integrated part of your Product Information Management system.
'PIMM is the basis for the ultimate Customer Experience'
Where Product Information and Master Data Management go together, data flows are optimally streamlined and 'master data' (customer data with name and address, fixed account and credit data, product and price codes, etc.) are linked to dynamic data in a reliable and verifiable manner. Master data Management also guarantees that 'master data' is correctly changed and monitored. In short: PIM is not complete without that second 'M'. Only an integrated Product Information and Master Data Management system - PIMM - offers you the security, consistency and quality you are looking for for your customers. In other words: PIMM is the basis for the ultimate Customer Experience.
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