Product Information Management (PIM): A Buyer’s Guide

Your new product range is ready to launch, but the product data isn’t. Dimensions are buried in a supplier spreadsheet, approved descriptions sit in a shared drive and the marketplace needs attributes your website doesn’t use. Someone has to pull everything together and enter the same details into several systems.

It’s a familiar problem for eCommerce teams selling across multiple channels. When product listings don’t match between your website, Google Shopping and retail partners, customers may spot the inconsistencies before you do.

Product information management (PIM) helps bring that information together. A PIM system provides a central place to manage product content, check its accuracy and publish it across your sales channels. Understanding how it works, how it differs from your existing systems and what to look for when choosing software will help you decide whether your business needs one.

What is PIM and how does it work?

When choosing multichannel eCommerce solutions, it’s worth considering where product information should be managed. A PIM’s specific job is to manage the information customers see when they browse and buy your products.

That includes product attributes, descriptions, technical specifications and translations, as well as links to images and other media. Rather than keeping this information in separate files and systems, a PIM gives your team a central record to work from.

Most PIM software follows four main stages: collect, validate, enrich and distribute. Governance runs through the entire process.

• Collect. Bring product data together from supplier spreadsheets, your ERP, manufacturer portals and internal teams. The PIM organises it into a consistent structure.
• Validate. Check that information is complete and correctly formatted. Are all the required attributes present? Are measurements in consistent units? Do barcodes follow the expected format?
• Enrich. Merchandisers, copywriters and category teams turn the raw data into useful product content. This might include clearer titles, descriptions that explain product benefits, size guidance, related products and translations.
• Distribute. Send approved product information to your website, apps, marketplaces, retailer portals and feed tools. This process is often called product syndication.

Governance determines who can edit each attribute, who needs to approve a product before it goes live and what counts as complete for each channel. Teams can track products through an agreed workflow rather than chasing approvals over email.

This makes it easier to see what’s ready to launch, what’s still missing and who needs to take action. For businesses managing large catalogues across several channels, that visibility can make a real difference to day-to-day operations.

A PIM also needs to work alongside the systems that manage stock, transactions and sales channels. Before deciding whether you need one, it’s worth understanding how those responsibilities differ.

PIM vs ERP vs eCommerce platform vs feed tool

A PIM doesn’t usually replace your existing systems. Instead, it takes responsibility for managing product content, leaving each of the other systems to do its own job.

An illustrative product-data journey

Imagine a homeware retailer preparing to launch an outdoor furniture range.

The ERP creates each SKU and records its cost, supplier and stock level. The PIM takes those product records and gives the category team a place to add dimensions, materials, weight capacity, care instructions and descriptions, along with links to product photography.

Once the content is approved, the eCommerce platform displays the products alongside live stock information from the ERP. A feed tool then adapts the approved product data for Google Merchant Center and a marketplace, mapping attributes to each channel’s requirements and adjusting titles where necessary.

If the dimensions of a table change, the team can update the information in the PIM and distribute the revised details to the relevant channels, rather than editing several separate listings.

In practice, the boundaries aren’t always this clear-cut. Some eCommerce platforms have sophisticated catalogue management features, while some PIM products include syndication tools that overlap with the dedicated feed software used to optimise Google Shopping product feeds.

The important thing is to agree which system owns each attribute. If two systems can edit the same field, conflicting values can creep in, leaving teams unsure which version is correct. The right arrangement will depend on your existing systems and processes, so use the table as a starting point for deciding where responsibility should sit.

Where DAM fits

Product information also needs to connect to the right files. Images, videos, manuals and certificates are often managed in a digital asset management (DAM) system, which handles file storage, versions, formats and usage rights.

A PIM generally links to these assets rather than storing them directly. Some PIM products include basic asset management, which may be sufficient for smaller libraries. Businesses with larger or more complex media libraries may benefit from a dedicated DAM.

Whichever approach you take, make sure it’s clear which system owns each asset and how the other systems access it.

What typically triggers a PIM project?

There’s no universal SKU count that tells you when it’s time to invest in a PIM. The decision is more likely to come down to how well your current processes cope with the amount and complexity of product information you manage.

Look out for these common problems.

• Spreadsheets have become the system. Product information is scattered across multiple files, and people aren’t sure which version is up to date.
• New sales channels bring new requirements. Marketplaces, retailers and advertising platforms all have their own specifications. Google’s product data specification, for example, sets character limits for titles and descriptions and makes certain attributes mandatory depending on the product or country.
• You’re entering new markets or languages. Translations, local measurement units and market-specific compliance requirements add to the information you need to manage. For consumer products within its scope, the EU’s General Product Safety Regulation requires online offers to display information such as manufacturer details, product identification and relevant warnings or safety information. The regulation has also applied in Northern Ireland since 13 December 2024.
• Product launches keep getting delayed. Stock is available, but listings can’t go live because descriptions, specifications or approvals are missing.
• Listings are inconsistent. Customers, retail partners or marketplace dashboards flag conflicting specifications, missing attributes or rejected listings.
• You’re planning an eCommerce replatform. Moving to a new platform creates an opportunity to clean up product data and decide where it should be managed in future.

One of these issues doesn’t automatically mean you need new software. If incomplete records, inconsistent listings and slow launches are persistent problems, however, it’s worth looking at whether better processes would solve them or whether a dedicated PIM would make a difference.

When a PIM may not be the answer yet

A PIM isn’t necessary for every business. If you have a relatively small range and sell mainly through one online storefront, your eCommerce platform’s existing catalogue tools may be enough.

It’s also worth sorting out ownership before investing in software. If nobody is responsible for maintaining product data, a PIM won’t resolve that problem by itself. Similarly, if supplier information is incomplete or inaccurate, the system can help you identify the gaps, but your team will still need to fill them.

The aim is to address the underlying problem, rather than introduce another system to manage.

How to choose PIM software: a buyer checklist

PIM platforms vary in their capabilities, pricing and suitability for different businesses. A good demonstration will show you what the software can do, but the more important question is whether it can handle your products, channels and workflows.

Use these questions to assess potential suppliers.

1. Data model flexibility. Can the software represent your products as they actually exist, including attributes, variants, product families, hierarchies, bundles and kits? Ask the supplier to model one of your more complex categories rather than relying on a standard demonstration catalogue.
2. Integrations. How does it connect to your ERP, eCommerce platform, feed tool, DAM and marketplaces? Find out which integrations are available out of the box, which rely on third-party connectors and which would require your team to build against an API.
3. Workflow and user roles. Can you configure approval stages, permissions and completeness rules for different categories and sales channels?
4. Retailer and channel requirements. If you sell through marketplaces or supply retailers, check how the PIM handles their data templates and specifications. Ask who maintains those mappings and whether the work belongs in the PIM or a separate feed tool.
5. Multi-language and multi-market support. Look at how the platform manages translations, local attributes and measurement units. What happens if a translation is missing or a product needs different information in another market?
6. Usability for merchandisers. The people updating product content every day may not have technical roles. Involve your content team in a trial and test everyday tasks such as bulk edits, imports and product approvals.
7. Data quality reporting. Can you check content completeness by channel, category or supplier? Will the reports show what’s missing and why a product isn’t ready to launch?
8. Implementation time and total cost. Software licences are only part of the expense. Include implementation fees, integrations, data cleaning, training and the time your own team will need to invest. Ask existing customers what took longer or cost more than expected.

The most important criteria will depend on what prompted your search in the first place. If marketplace rejections are a recurring problem, prioritise validation and syndication. If launches are held up by approvals, focus on workflow and usability. If you’re expanding into new markets, look closely at translation and localisation features.

Separate the requirements you can’t compromise on from those that would simply be useful. Then test each platform against real examples from your own catalogue, rather than relying on a generic demonstration.

References can help you understand what implementation is like beyond the sales process. Ask to speak to a business with a similar catalogue structure and channel mix, and find out what it took to get the system working in practice.

What implementation really involves

Choosing the software is only part of a PIM project. The quality of your existing product data and the way your teams manage it will have just as much influence on the outcome.

Two areas deserve attention before configuration begins.

Cleaning the data. Moving product information into a PIM often reveals duplicate records, missing attributes, inconsistent measurements and descriptions that were never formally approved. Allow time to resolve these issues, and agree what a product record needs to contain before it’s ready to migrate.

Agreeing ownership. Decide which system is responsible for each attribute and which team will maintain it. eCommerce, merchandising, marketing and IT may all be involved, alongside buying or compliance teams. Without clear ownership, the same disagreements that caused problems with spreadsheets can follow you into the new system.

Other common risks include underestimating the time needed to clean up data, relying on ERP or platform teams that have competing priorities, and poor adoption if the new system feels slower or more complicated than existing spreadsheets.

A phased rollout can help manage these risks. Rather than migrating the entire catalogue at once, start with a category or channel where the problems are clear. Frequent launches, repeated marketplace rejections or entry into a new market can all provide a useful starting point.

This gives your team a chance to test the data model and workflows before expanding the project. It also creates a baseline for measuring progress, using indicators such as the time between range approval and a live listing, listing rejection rates and the proportion of products with complete content.

Finally, plan for ongoing maintenance. Someone needs to own the data model, introduce new attributes when requirements change and keep completeness rules up to date. Without that responsibility, product information can become inconsistent again, even with a PIM in place.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between PIM and ERP?

An ERP manages operational and financial information, including SKU codes, costs, suppliers, stock and orders. A PIM manages customer-facing product content, such as attributes, descriptions, specifications, translations and links to media.

The systems usually work together, with each responsible for different information.

Do I need a PIM if I already use a product feed tool?

Not necessarily. If you have a small catalogue, sell in one market and already manage complete, approved product content through your eCommerce platform, a separate PIM may not add enough value to justify the cost.

Feed tools focus on adapting product data for individual channels. They’re not generally designed to manage the full process of enriching, approving and translating product content.

If missing or inconsistent information is causing feed errors, a PIM can help address the problem earlier in the process.

Can a PIM improve product page SEO?

A PIM can support your SEO efforts by helping you maintain complete, consistent product attributes and organise the information needed for product descriptions, structured data and filterable category pages.

It won’t improve rankings by itself. The quality of your content, how it’s published and how well it’s maintained still matter.

What is the difference between PIM and DAM?

A PIM manages structured product information, including attributes, descriptions and specifications. A DAM manages digital assets such as images, videos and documents, along with their versions and usage rights.

The two systems often work together, with the PIM linking to assets stored in the DAM.

Discuss your product data requirements at the eCommerce Forum

If you’re reviewing PIM software or looking at how product data moves between your existing systems, speaking to solution providers can help you explore the options and test your requirements before making a decision.

The next eCommerce Forum takes place on 4 February 2027 at Hilton London Canary Wharf. The invitation-only event brings eCommerce decision-makers together with solution providers through pre-arranged one-to-one meetings, seminars and panel discussions.

When you apply, you’ll outline your upcoming projects and the product and service areas you want to explore, helping to make the meetings relevant to your business.

See whether you qualify to attend as a buyer and find out what to expect.