Blog » How PIM Improves Customer Experience Across Channels
Every great shopping experience starts with reliable product information. But maintaining product data quality across websites and other channels? That requires the right tool. PIM software is that tool as it establishes the consistency and accuracy of all product details. In this article, we’ll explore how a product information management (PIM) system fosters product data management to deliver great customer experiences on any and every channel.
Why Is Customer Experience Critical in ECommerce?
Ecommerce sales channels make it easy for businesses to reach their target customers. However, they also spoil consumers with a bounty of choices. In most industries, buyers have a variety of brands to choose from. They can compare options before committing to a purchase and switching from one business to another is just as easy.
With this competitive dynamic, customer experience can make or break how buyers perceive your business. If you provide a lackluster experience, the odds of losing out to the competition increase. Research shows over 50% of customers will switch to a competitor after a single bad customer experience. Moreover, customer experience is closely tied to brand reputation as poor experiences can erode trust and lead to negative reviews.
Understanding PIM and Its Role in Customer Experience
High-quality product information is a key part of the customer experience. Research shows that 87% of customers view product content as the most important factor when making an online purchase. Buyers expect accurate and consistent product details while shopping across your sales channels. Any errors in product information can quickly spiral out of control, leading to frustrated customers and lost sales.
PIM software addresses this potential problem. A PIM system transforms how your business manages product data, turning it into a powerful tool for enhancing customer experiences. PIM experience ensures all product information is consistent, accurate, and up-to-date. This applies to all your sales channels, not just the products on your eCommerce site.
How Does PIM Ensure Consistent Product Information Across Channels?
PIM systems act as a centralized hub for managing product data. They store all product-related information in one place. This includes descriptions, specifications, images, and more. Acting as a single source of truth, any updates or changes to product data reflect across all channels simultaneously.
For example, if you use your PIM to update a product’s details, these changes will automatically sync across your website, marketplace listings, and other sales channels. As a result, customers see up-to-date information regardless of where they shop. Additionally, a PIM’s automated nature eliminates the need for repetitive data entry, helping to reduce errors while boosting operational efficiency.
Key Ways PIM Enhances the Customer Experience
Let’s examine some of the most impactful ways PIM can improve the eCommerce customer experience:
1. Ensuring Accurate and Consistent Product Information
Shoppers rely on product details to make informed purchasing decisions. Any inconsistencies or inaccuracies can lead to confusion or post-purchase problems. Below are two examples of PIM solving problems through accurate and consistent product data.
Preventing Misinformation and Customer Frustration
If a product description contains errors or lacks key details, many shoppers will be hesitant to complete a purchase. For example, a potential buyer who sees different physical dimensions for the size of a clothing item listed on both your website and a marketplace won’t be certain if the product will fit. This kind of inconsistency can lead to frustration, making it more likely they seek out more reliable competitors for all future purchases.
PIM optimizes data management, reducing the work needed for accurate data across all platforms. PIM as a service often comes with data validation functions that automatically check for errors or inconsistencies. With this functionality, you can easily maintain a high standard for data quality. Every detail, from dimensions to materials, is verified and standardized to ensure no channel suffers from misinformation.
Reducing Returns
Inaccurate or incomplete product information is one of the leading causes of eCommerce returns. If product details contain errors, customers can end up buying something that doesn’t meet their expectations or simply isn’t what the description says it is. The PIM process fixes this by creating total alignment between product information and the actual physical item. When buyers receive goods that align with the information used to inform their purchase decision, they are less likely to return the item.
2. Improving Omnichannel Experience
Effective omnichannel selling requires a smooth and cohesive shopping experience across all touchpoints. PIM helps connect your channels to create a frictionless omnichannel journey. It is the ultimate organizer for all your product data. With a PIM, no matter where your customers look, they get reliable information.
How PIM Customer Experience Improves Across Websites, Marketplaces, and Physical Stores
The eCommerce customer journey is rarely linear. Customers might discover a product on Instagram, compare prices to competitors on Google Shopping, and complete their purchase on your website. PIM ensures that customers see the same product details regardless of the platform. It does this while synchronizing data in real time.
Additionally, PIM gives you the flexibility to optimize product data for each channel. You can customize the data feed for each platform to get an optimized output that still meets each channel's unique requirements and standards. As a result, your product content is positioned for maximum impact and high customer satisfaction at every touchpoint.
3. Enabling Faster Time-to-Market
Speed matters in eCommerce. Getting products to market quickly can be a considerable competitive advantage as it allows you to capitalize on market demand before your competitors. That said, when poorly executed, new product launches can be time-consuming and error-prone. A PIM for eCommerce can address these concerns and accelerate time-to-market without compromising on quality or consistency.
How PIM as a Service Helps Companies Launch Products Faster
PIM accelerates product launches by centralizing and organizing product data in a single place. It simplifies the process of adding new product variations, seasonal items, or even global product listings. Customizable workflows enable teams to work more efficiently while data validation functions prepare all necessary information for launch without errors. This reduces time-to-market and bolsters the confidence of sales, marketing, and other areas of the organization.
4. Personalizing Customer Interactions
Personalization is a great way to foster customer loyalty. It is also good for your bottom line. According to a Twilio study, 57% of consumers say they are willing to spend more on a brand that personalizes experiences. PIM enables targeted personalization by providing a robust data hub that the rest of your systems can use for displaying highly relevant products and categories.
Examples of PIM Enhancing Personalization
Imagine a shopper who regularly visits your website for eco-friendly products. With a PIM, you can use product relationships and other classification features to connect all your eco-friendly items. You can then use this product grouping to showcase product recommendations featuring an assortment of eco-friendly goods. These personalized interactions will create a better experience for the shopper while increasing the likelihood they convert into a customer.
Business Benefits of PIM for Customer Experience
A great customer experience is a direct driver of business growth. Happy customers are loyal customers. Loyalty translates into repeat purchases, positive reviews, and organic referrals. So, implementing product information management in business can have a ripple effect that extends far beyond the initial customer interaction.
How PIM Helps with Master Customer Experience Management
The goal of master customer experience management is to create meaningful interactions at every touchpoint. PIM facilitates this by giving you the means to distribute high-quality product experiences at scale. When you use a PIM for handling product data and digital asset management, you have more time to build meaningful connections with your customers, instead of worrying about misaligned information.
How Product Information Management in Business Drives Revenue
PIM empowers businesses to bring products to market faster while enabling high-quality product content that improves discoverability across channels. This translates to more sales opportunities and higher conversion rates. Consumers are more likely to trust and purchase from a brand that consistently provides reliable information. Furthermore, improved personalization features can help boost average order values (AOV) to further drive business revenue.
Real-World Examples of PIM in Action
Here are a few examples of how businesses are using PIM to improve their customer experience.
RBI Leverages PIM Customer Experience With PIMinto
Large catalog distributors like RBI Corporation face a monumental challenge managing vast product catalogs across multiple sales channels. Without a reliable system to automate and distribute product data, these companies risk delays in getting accurate information to customers and partners.
RBI addressed this challenge by implementing PIMinto with their eCommerce sales channels. Using the API integration, the company benefits from real-time data integration that supports automatic updates. Conversely, the data management team is free to use the PIM interface for consistent manual enrichment of product data. This implementation has allowed RBI to satisfy its operational requirements while creating an exceptional experience for its customers and suppliers.
Hussmann Transforms Product Data Management with PIMinto
To enhance the customer experience, Hussmann aimed to enrich its product data by adding competitor compatibility details and filterable attributes specific to each product category. Using PIMinto, they seamlessly imported initial product data from spreadsheets and configured automated feeds to update and add SKUs. This implementation extended Hussman’s product line data and allowed the business to provide customers with enriched product information.
Conclusion and Next Steps
Managing product data doesn’t have to be complicated. PIMinto simplifies data management, helping you deliver accurate, consistent content at scale.
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Modified on: 02/04/2025