Comparing PIM and Pimcore?

As Pimcore product partners, we firmly believe that Pimcore is the most flexible, intuitive and sophisticated PIM tool on the market. Here we compare Pimcore's capabilities with some of the other PIM tools you might consider.

The case for PIM

A Product Information Management (PIM) system is a tool that is focused on unifying and centrally managing records and information about products. The PIM is built around the needs of the customer, and focused on the preparation and presentation of accurate and engaging product details. With an external focus, the PIM tool is often seen as an extension of a company's marketing activity, with added benefits for data compliance and information management.

How to define PIM?

According to G2, to be considered PIM software, a product must:

Collect and unify product information from various, separate files into one source
Identify and fix problematic or inconsistent product data and metadata
Provide search and filtering functions that can be used internally or online by buyers
Organise product data based on their characteristics, attributes, and similarities
Push product information out to e-commerce, retail, social media, and marketplaces
Analyse product data, its quality, and usage across multiple channels

What does PIM do?

There are several advantages to using PIM in your business. Most obviously, these advantages relate to improvements to data management processes. PIM systems help ensure consistency across multiple channels, which is critical for customer experience and brand experiences. PIM systems help create certainty and confidence in the mind of the customer.

Here’s our list of the most valuable features of PIM:

Data vault and document management provide for storage and retrieval of information
Workflow and process management control procedures for handling product data
Product structure management to handle product configurations and associated versions and design variations
Asset management, providing information on standard components and facilitating the re-use of assets
Program management, for work breakdown structures which allows coordination between product-related processes and resource scheduling

Disadvantages of companies not using PIM?

Companies that choose not to run a PIM system run the risk of being too internally focused, and prioritising operational needs before the needs of the customer. PIM tools can help you achieve higher returns on investment and connect with new and emerging markets.

An integrated PIM can drive your ecommerce activity, providing access to:

Managing inventory across multiple locations
Superior data and category management
Batch product modifications
Engaging product catalogues and marketing opportunities

Pimcore offers a robust methodology for product content syndication, which means it can handle and deliver data to more than 2,000 online marketplaces. Without Pimcore, your access to global markets may be disadvantaged.
There is a high level of accuracy and detail in the data that PIM sends to these marketplaces. And Pimcore’s single source of truth model ensures customers are getting the right information in every exchange or engagement.

Can PIM improve customer experience?

Although the correlation between PIM and outstanding customer experience may not seem immediate, a PIM tool can certainly impact customer experience. Consumers pay close attention to product information to make informed decisions before investing in any brand's offerings. As the significance of customer experience continues to grow, businesses need to ensure that high-quality and easily accessible product information is available to their customers.

Pimcore has extensive personalisation capabilities, consolidating information and behavioural data through a sophisticated CMS module. You can use Pimcore to can create customer personas and trigger-based actions to get relevant, personalised communications to you customer base.

Go global with Pimcore

Pimcore’s unique translation capabilities have been commended, enabling the delivery of accurately translated content in any supported language. This means your Pimcore users can work in their native language and supply accurate data to marketplaces across the globe. Pimcore has inbuilt data quality checkers, so you can assess the accuracy of your work at any time.

Can PIM help businesses in customer information?

PIM tools, especially ones as capable and expansive as Pimcore can help ensure customer information and records are maintained securely and in a compliant way. The solution provides several tools and settings to help you ensure you are compliant with regard to customer information.

Customer information retained in PIMs may include:

Names
Email addresses
Location data
IP/MAC addresses or other network
Online orders
Behavioural data

Pimcore has outstanding user profiles and settings. With Pimcore you can restrict access to data through the extensive permissions system. A user's permission can be set and checked with role allocations.

Pimcore's master record model also means that when a user's record is updated or deleted, this change will be rolled out right across the information network. With Pimcore, you only need to update a single record and you can be confident the change will be made anywhere that data is used.

How can PIM combine with ERP?

PIM tools can enhance existing ERP systems due to the slight differences in the objectives and functionality of the two products.

A PIM system is a targeted and powerful solution that can aid in omnichannel digital commerce, sales and marketing efforts, and product experience management. Although ERP software is exceptional for managing and monitoring business processes and data, it lacks the capability to handle the management of product data or rich product content.

Examples of Pimcore ERP integrations

The Pimcore website provides many international examples of where Pimcore has been integrated with a company's existing ERP to improve outcomes.

Swedish company Axel Johnson are manufactures with 110 companies in their portfolio. They integrated Pimcore with an existing ERP, enabling online purchases for B2B partners and implementing e-commerce for two online shops at the same time. Axel Johnson reported a shortened time to market and shortened purchase path, with increased web traffic and product discovery.

United Rentals, the world's largest equipment rental company, integrated Pimcore with their existing ERP called RentalMan, to create a unified, cloud based single source of truth for their staff. The United Rentals workforce was based at more than 110 locations around North America. The integration led to the rollout of a customer self-service portal and service quote mobile app, which reduced quote preparation time from one hour to just five minutes.

Florensis is a European provider of horticultural products; with more than 4 million data objects in their product records. Pimcore sits at the front of the ERP, validating data before it is imported into the ERP. Pimcore's intuitive and easy-to-use interface was adapted into the ERP system, meaning staff could modify and manipulate data quickly and easily. Florenesis reported a 30% improvement in time spent on data maintenance once Pimcore was implemented.

Here in Australia, we helped Waterco to roll up their multiple, complex websites with a single source of truth system that led to improved cohesion across marketing channels. We used Pimcore's plugin' Template Engine technology' along with an ecommerce plug-in for Epicore ERP. This combination made a difference both internally for the staff, through the creation of a cohesive master data set, and for customers, who could more easily find and engage with the product information they required.

Why is Pimcore unique compared with other PIMs?

There are many standout features that put Pimcore at the head of the PIM pack. Firstly, Pimcore is unique because it does more than just deliver PIM. Pimcore provides a single platform for Product Information Management (PIM), Master Data Management (MDM), Digital Asset Management (DAM), Customer Data Platform (CDP), Content Management System (CMS) and E-commerce functionalities. This all-in-one platform enables businesses to streamline their data management processes and harness the benefit of other related technological tools.

Secondly, Pimcore is open-source, which makes it highly customisable and flexible to meet the unique requirements of different businesses.

Further elevating its utility, Pimcore seamlessly integrates with existing IT landscapes and third-party applications, allowing businesses to create a central repository for all their data needs, enhancing data quality and consistency.

Furthermore, its advanced data modeling capabilities allows for complex data modeling, enabling businesses to create a detailed and structured representation of their data, enhancing analytics, and decision-making.

Moreover, Pimcore's architecture is highly scalable, ensuring reliable performance for both small businesses and large enterprises, regardless of the volume of data managed.

Benefits of open source PIM

Enterprises are increasingly opting out of using proprietary software as their first choice. This trend is due to the slow pace of innovation within the enterprise proprietary software industry. To stay ahead of the competition, enterprises are striving for greater innovation and speed, and as a result, are moving away from proprietary software.

More and more enterprises are turning to open source tools, to harness system benefits without the cost of licensing. This article suggests that more than 90% of companies are now using open source code in some way.

Data transformation with Pimcore

Data is a business asset. Pimcore puts your data at the heart of your operations, and treats data with as much value as your products. Pimcore has been designed to achieve data display and dissemination to a very high standard and with information best practice at its core.

Pimcore enables your business to revolutionise how it conceptualises data and delivers innovations in cross team communication. Outdated workflows are eliminated, internal barriers are broken down and data is no longer siloed. Key business process can be reviewed and refined. It becomes easier to enact your vision for data handling and governance with Pimcore.