Product information management

What it means

PIM, or product information management, is a system for managing product descriptions, specifications, images, documents and translations in one place. From there the data flow automatically to the online store, marketplaces, printed catalogues and product feeds.

It solves a common problem for growing retailers: information about the same item is scattered across spreadsheets, supplier emails and various systems, and appears slightly differently on every channel. PIM creates a single source of truth that is maintained once and used everywhere.

Unlike ERP, which handles prices, stock and accounting, PIM focuses on the content that sells the product. Unlike a customer data platform, it deals with goods rather than customers. Systems are connected through an API or regular exports.

How it works in practice

Implementation starts with a data model: which categories and attributes each product type has, which fields are mandatory and in which languages. Supplier data are then imported, gaps filled and a completeness check set up before anything is published.

When selling in several markets, PIM greatly simplifies translations and local adjustments. A single record generates the product feed for price comparison sites, ad platforms and marketplaces, each in the required format, without manual copying.

For a small shop with a few hundred products a separate PIM may be unnecessary, and the e-commerce platform's own features will do. It starts to make sense with thousands of items, several languages, multiple sales channels or several people working on content.

What to watch out for

PIM does not fix poor data quality on its own. If incomplete or contradictory supplier data go in, they simply spread faster to every channel. Clear rules are needed on who approves content and who is responsible for what.

PIM data are also commercial claims about the product. Wrong specifications, composition or labelling can lead to complaints, penalties for misleading information and problems with product safety and labelling requirements.