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Managing product data with PIM

Manage your product data smarter and faster with an AI-powered PIM system.

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Fonda PIM, B2B organisatie gebruikt PIM om hun productdata optimaal te benutten
A Product Information Management (PIM) system is essential for manufacturers and wholesalers because it acts as central hub for all product data, allowing you to efficiently manage thousands of complex products and distribute them consistently across all sales channels.
Fundamental

What does a PIM system do?

We cannot emphasize enough the importance of a PIM system, the three pillars show why that is the case.

Een icoon met databank en cirkel dat illustreert hoe een PIM productdata centraliseert

1. Centralizes product information

The core of every PIM system is a central database that acts as the single source of truth for all product information:
  • Structured storage of all product attributes, specifications, and media
  • Consistent taxonomy and categorization
  • Version control and change history
  • Data Validation and Quality Control
  • Relationships between products (cross-sell, up-sell, parts)
Een icoon met tandwiel, pijlen en gebruiker dat illustreert hoe een PIM productdatabeheer automatiseert

2. Automates product information management

An effective PIM system includes robust features for process automation and cooperation:
  • Role-based access control for different user groups
  • Approval processes for content changes
  • Task Management and Notifications
  • Enrichment workflows for adding product information
  • Automated data entry validation
  • Integration with other business systems (ERP, CRM)
Een icoon van een databank met nodes dat illustreert hoe een PIM productdata ontsluit naar de buitenwereld

3. Unlock product information to the outside world

The third pillar provides effective dissemination of product information:
  • Multi-channel export and publishing mechanisms
  • Formatting and transforming data by channel
  • Multi-language and localisation support
  • APIs for integrating with web shops and marketplaces
  • Syndication to dealers and partners

The benefits of a PIM system for manufacturers and wholesalers

For manufacturers and wholesalers, accurate and consistent product information is essential for both internal operations and customer experience. Here are some concrete benefits:

  • Consistent product data
    A central PIM system ensures that all product information is uniform, regardless of the sales channel. This strengthens the brand identity and builds customer trust.
    For example: A manufacturer that produces technical components can use the PIM system to ensure that both technical specifications and operating instructions are displayed exactly the same in the company website, product catalogs, and partner portals.
  • Efficiency and time savings
    Employees only have to enter data once, which prevents manual synchronization across multiple systems.
    For example: A wholesaler can quickly upload new product data with a PIM system and have it distributed automatically to various e-commerce platforms, significantly reducing the time to market.
  • Improved collaboration
    By using a single source of truth, marketing, sales and IT work with the same, reliable data. This encourages collaboration and ensures that strategic decisions are based on consistent information.
  • Integration with ERP and other systems
    PIM systems can be seamlessly integrated with ERP, e-commerce and CRM systems, ensuring smooth data traffic and real-time updates.
    For example: When an ERP system reports a change in inventory, the PIM system can immediately update the availability on the web shop, so that customers always see the most up to date information.

Read more about PIM systems here

Illustration showing data going into a PIM system with help from AI. The output is going to a B2B webshop.

Smart automation of a PIM system with AI

AI-driven PIM systems automate time-consuming tasks by making intelligent suggestions for product attributes, categories and descriptions based on existing data. The system learns from patterns in your product catalog and suggests relevant information for new products.

Quality Control becomes proactive by automatically detecting missing information, inconsistencies, and errors. Instead of solving problems afterwards, the system warns preventively when product data is incomplete or contradictory.

The search functionality benefits enormously from natural language processing. Users can find products using natural language, even with misspellings or alternative terms, which speeds up the daily work of product teams.

The PIM system is a fundamental part of Fonda

Fonda's Core module forms the basis of your business

This module includes a PIM system and this ensures centralized management of product data, which is crucial for efficient and consistent business operations. In addition, the Core module offers robust security and authorization features, allowing only authorized users to access specific data and functions, increasing safety and efficiency. We use Akeneo PIM for Fonda, read here why we chose Akeneo as a PIM system for manufacturers and wholesalers.

Schema dat toont hoe PIM een fundamenteel onderdeel is van Fonda
PIM is a fundamental part of Fonda

How Fonda supports organizations with PIM integrations

  1. planning: Together with you, we analyse which data is essential and how it can best be structured in the PIM system.
  2. Fill in the data: Fonda includes AI-supported technology to fill out a PIM system more quickly.
  3. Deployment and Integration: Fonda ensures that the new PIM system integrates seamlessly with existing ERP, e-commerce and CRM systems. This guarantees a smooth data flow and real-time updates across all channels.
  4. Support: Continuous support.

PIM FAQ

Specific to manufacturers

How do I distribute product information to different sales channels?

PIM systems offer functionality that allows you to automatically export product data to web shops, marketplaces, catalogs and partner portals. For each channel, you can decide what information is shared and in what format (XML, JSON, CSV, etc.). Real-time APIs ensure continuous synchronization.

How do I translate product information quickly?

PIM systems support multilingualism and offer integrations with translation tools (such as DeepL or Google Translate), or manual translation and approval workflows.

How do I control product information versions and updates?

Via version control, audit trails, and change logs. You can see who modified what and when, and possibly go back to previous versions.

Specifically for wholesalers

How to import product data from different suppliers?

PIM systems support multiple import methods: automatic feeds (EDI, APIs), excel uploads, and portals where suppliers can enter data themselves. The system can normalize various formats and apply mapping rules to standardize data according to your product catalog, supported by AI.

How to manage a wide range of products from different brands?

By using flexible attribute sets per product category or brand. You can define brand-specific properties while keeping general features standardized. Workflows ensure that different teams (purchasing, marketing, sales) can add their specific information.

How to deliver product information to retail customers?

Via a customer portal (Fonda Customer Portal) where retailers have access to their product range, with their specific prices and inventory information. You can automatically generate product feeds for their web shops or create catalogs in their corporate identity. API links enable real-time synchronization.

General

How do I efficiently manage thousands of product variants?

A good PIM system, such as Fonda Core, offers hierarchical product structures and bulk editing features. You can create master products that include variants that inherit properties. Master-level changes are automatically applied to all variants. AI-driven automation supports the assignment of properties.

Can I link technical specifications, manuals, and media (such as photos and videos) to products?

Yes, PIM systems support linking files such as datasheets, certificates, images, 3D models, and videos. You can also manage variants (e.g. color, size) with associated media.

How does a PIM integrate with my ERP system?

Via the standard Fonda connectors (or custom connections). For example, the PIM extracts basic data from ERP (SKU, inventory, price) and enriches it with marketing information.

Kevin Braem, CEO Starring Jane en oprichter van Fonda

Curious about Fonda's impact on your organization?

Kevin is happy to tell you more during a short (online) demo by Fonda.

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