Unsurprisingly, ineffective product data management does not lead to success for retailers. Instead, quite the opposite.
The vast majority of retailers now sell via multiple channels including ecommerce, social media, bricks-and-mortar and concession stores. Managing product data for your own website can be overwhelming enough, but when you consider the fact that some of our clients export data to over 20 channels, this becomes hugely time consuming.
Without effective product data management, there is a danger that merchandising teams could become overwhelmed. But this isn’t the only challenge.
Other common challenges that most retailers face when it comes to product data management include:
- Legacy systems get in the way of scaling and flexibility
- Inconsistency and untruths in product data
- Teams can become overwhelmed with manual tasks
Legacy systems get in the way of scaling and flexibility
Origin, our PIM solution, overcomes all of the issues above. When scaling a business, no retailer wants to find out that they cannot expand into new product ranges because their legacy systems can’t keep up. With Origin, our clients are content knowing that their business is supported when scaling, whether it be a new product range, new channel opportunities or the need to hold additional data. Origin is completely customisable and new features are added and adjusted based on client requirements.
Inconsistency and untruths in product data
Without a PIM solution, many retailers could spend hours maintaining data in multiple spreadsheets. When these spreadsheets become mission critical, errors are inevitable. With Origin, our clients can define a single representation of product information and remove the need to spend hours manually populating the same information across different systems. Product data can be easily maintained in a single location and passed on to the systems that need it.
Teams can become overwhelmed with manual tasks
Inconsistent or ill-defined product data management can consume the working day and detract from essential retail tasks. When information is scattered and misrepresented over various systems, even the seemingly simple tasks become overwhelming and time consuming. Origin takes the pain out of product data management and maintenance, enabling teams to focus on their core activities.
How product data best practices can benefit shoppers
It’s not just retailers that Origin brings benefits to. Origin allows our clients to deliver a more positive experience to their customers when shopping online. If retailers provide detailed and accurate descriptions then their customers are less likely to be disappointed and the return levels are likely to be reduced. Origin also ensures that products are correctly attributed which means there are no shirts in the skirts section, or items with the colour ‘fuchsia’ spelt in four different ways.
To summarise, a successful PIM solution supplied a single location where product data information is stores, managed and enriched. Origin can make it quicker and simpler to deliver powerful product experiences, while also optimising process, increasing productivity and providing controlled flexibility across a business.
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