Learn how PIM systems can help you in your work

What is a PIM System?

PIM is short for Product Information Management.

A PIM system is a software solution that centralizes and manages product information, ensuring consistency and accuracy across various channels. It allows organizations to streamline data enrichment, maintain version control, and facilitate seamless integration with e-commerce platforms for effective product marketing.


PIM Systems - The Future of Product Data Management

With product data becoming increasingly important in the course of digitalization, more and more businesses are recognizing the usefulness of central databases to collect, enrich and output data. These are known as PIM systems, or PIM software. 

PIM System Features
PIM software simplifies the management of product information. It centralizes the organization of product data and enables efficient multi-channel distribution.

How are PIM Systems Used?

PIM systems provide companies with the ability to manage product data centrally in one place and use it in a variety of ways. Similar to ERP systems, PIM systems now play a fundamental role in companies. They can increase sales efficiency, optimize marketing strategies, ensure consistent customer communication and improve internal processes.

 

Typical applications (use cases) are:

 
  • Overview of all product data, images and documents in one central location
  • Import data from other systems and enrich it with additional data
  • Export product data for retailers, distributors, customers and partners
 
 
  • Set up ecommerce in the form of one or more of your own online shops built with your product data
  • Product data automatically input into catalogs, price lists, data sheets, labels, etc.
  • Apps based off of / filled with your product data
 

"With PIM, we've simply made it possible to have all the information around the product in one system."

 

Quote b yMarco Lombardo from MC Bauchemie
Marco Lombardo,
Head of Business Processes & Digitalisation at MC Bauchemie

Why do You Need a PIM System?

In today's economy, companies face the following challenges in data management and sales:

 
  • More products
    In addition to the main products, other products such as spare parts, accessories, etc. are also regularly requested. Product ranges are also growing with the help of cooperation partners and acquisitions.
  • More data 
    In addition to product names and descriptions, photos and drawings, instructions, certificates, various technical characteristics, etc. are often also requested.
  • More languages
    Many companies now sell their products internationally, keeping in mind product data in the customer's language enhances sales, having data in multiple languages is very important.
 
 
  • More sales channels 
    Product data is requested by in-house marketing / sales, dealers and partners for more and more channels: Online stores, dealer portals, print catalogs, excerpt catalogs, price lists, datasheets, websites, apps and much more.
  • More formats
    Product data is required in various formats both by you and your customers. These include standard formats such as CSV, Excel and XML as well as industry-specific standards such as Arge, TecDoc, BMEcat, ETIM and eclass.
 
Disadvantage of data storage on "islands"
What a waste of resources;
Changing product data on all platforms is extremely time-consuming.
Pim System data problems
Redundant data maintenance leads to errors, poor data quality, less customer satisfaction;
Changing product data on all islands means errors are inevitable

How Does a PIM System Work?

Diagram of the ANTEROS system structure
Product Information Management (PIM):
Collect data -> Refine data -> Output data

Collect Data 

First product data is collected from various sources. These include, for example, suppliers, ERP systems, catalogs, websites and social media. The data can be in different formats, such as an Excel spreadsheet, PDF or XML. This external data is prepared and either input into the system, or automatically imported via interfaces from the PIM to these external systems.

 

Refine Data

Next, the data must be refined. This means that it is checked for completeness, accuracy and consistency. The data is enriched with images which are usually taken from a dedicated media database. High data quality is ensured via quality reports and quality management, which allows a quick overview of data quality via a dashboard. The process of refining the data is supported by workflows, with which different employees are assigned appropriate tasks and rights meaning that processes are configured appropriately.

 

Output Data

In the third step, the refined data is exported to the desired output channels, often via interfaces. This data can then be used to generate print documents, product labels, apps, online shops, information portals, or more.

What Benefits Does a PIM System Offer Your Company?

Internal benefits

  • "Single Point of Truth": Employees can be assured that correct, complete, current and consistent information is gathered in one place. 
  • Significantly more efficient maintenance and management of product data, thanks to the integration of third-party systems, such as ERP systems
  • Significantly less time and effort spent searching for product information by all employees
  • More flexible and faster preparation of product data for sales and product management inquiries
  • All employees in international subsidiaries have access to identical information at the same time
  • Complete overview of the entire international product portfolio
 

External benefits

  • Complete, up-to-date and consistent source of information for retailers and partners
  • Multi-channel strategy support for using product data in various print documents, online catalogs, online shops and apps
  • Utilization of cross-selling potential by defining product combinations
  • Flexible and fast preparation of product data for all inquiries from sales and product management
  • Improved customer experience
  • Easier cooperation with logistics companies
 

ANTEROS PIM: Efficient Product Information Management

With ANTEROS PIM, you can centralize and optimize your product data for efficient multi-channel marketing. Improve your data quality, save time and costs and accelerate your time-to-market.

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Some PIM Systems also Offer Cross Media Functions

Web: Websites, Online catalogs, Online Stores and Product Portals

In order to use the centrally maintained product data and images from your PIM for ecommerce such as websites, online catalogs, online shops or product portals, all PIM systems offer interfaces to ecommerce and shop systems, such as Shopware, Intershop, Magento, ... Some also have their own ecommerce module, like ANTEROS.web, which can be fully integrated into your ERP system (SAP, Navision, ABAS, Infor, ...) via a web service interface.

Apps: for App Stores and Web Apps

A few suppliers also offer an app with which their customers can specifically search for their products, compare them and then request or order them. ANTEROS offers the webshop functions not only for Android and iOS, but can also be customized as required, e.g. with a photo function to find the right product in the shop with the photographed spare part (INCONY has implemented this for TMD Friction).

Print: Catalogs, Price Lists and Data Sheets

In the digital age, sales documents such as catalogs, price lists and data sheets are still important, even if they are not often provided to customers in printed form but as PDF files. PIM systems offer two technologies for creating documents:

 
  • Database Publishing via InDesign
    PHere, product information and images are transferred to InDesign and manually formatted.
 
 
  • Print at the touch of a button
    The print engine in the PIM system generates catalogs without manual rework.
 
Grafik zur Printgenerierung mit PIM
Comparison of the semi-automated and fully automated approach to print generation in the PIM

Free PIM Webinar incl. Software Demo

Free online seminar

Join us for a free webinar with Dr. Elke Radeke, a PIM expert with over 20 years of experience. Learn how to improve your product information management and experience a live demo of INCONY's technology-leading PIM system ANTEROS.

 

Free registration


INCONY: The PIM and Cross Media Specialist

INCONY is a German software company that has been developing PIM and cross-media software for over 20 years. ANTEROS, INCONY's PIM and cross-media solution, supports companies in the management and use of product data. ANTEROS can merge, cleanse and harmonize product data from different sources. The software also offers functions for creating marketing and sales materials for print, online and mobile. INCONY has customers across various industries and of a range of sizes in Germany, Europe and around the world. The company has already received several awards.

 

Award MAIN Software 50

MAIN Software 50

Award Label of the University of Paderborn
Label of the University of Paderborn

Award Germany at its best

Germany at its best

Award IT Best List

IT best list in the "On demand" category

Quality check Simio

SIMINO Quality seal 

 

For more information about INCONY visit our About Us page and for deeper insights into ANTEROS book a free online demo!

About usOnline demo

 

User Reports

Read testimonials from companies such as Poloplast, Motul and Klickparts that use ANTEROS. Find out how the PIM systems were implemented in the companies, how the employees were involved and what the benefits are.

Benefit from the experiences of other companies!

User report by POLOPLAST

"The implementation went quickly, the data maintenance is very efficient and has increased our data quality and data integrity.“

Peter Sollak,
Project Manager at Poloplast

Poloplast
user report

Motul user report

"With ANTEROS we can maintain our complex product data across many countries in a very simple and well-structured way.“

Mark Grunert,
CPO at Motul

Motul
user report

Case study from Klickparts

"They showed a very good understanding of our specific data requirements and work was done quickly and very competently.“

Marko Wötzel,
CEO of Klickparts

Klickparts
user report

Contact INCONY

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Use Product Information Management (PIM) as the key to digitization and book your free demo of our PIM software ANTEROS now.

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