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PIM for retail

ace digital and in-store sales with PIM

By integrating Product Information Management software into their tech stack, it’s game, set, and match for forward-thinking retailers looking to maximize in-store and digital sales.

In an increasingly competitive retail marketplace, the need for retailers to provide exceptional product experiences and buyer journeys has never been stronger. A compelling shopping experience is key to winning new customers and maintaining the satisfaction of existing customers in all markets and across all channels. 

However, providing these winning experiences across an increasingly omnichannel sales environment can be challenging. This is particularly true for retailers who do not have a solid handle on their product data across all internal and external-facing channels.  

That’s why so many retailers are turning to the power of Product Information Management (PIM) software. An advanced PIM platform supports even the most complex omnichannel strategy and delivers winning product experiences and personalized buyer journeys at every endpoint. Here’s how. 

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Read the success story of the leading sporting goods retailer.

What is a PIM system? 

A PIM solution is a centralized hub for all product data for both internal and external channels. An advanced PIM system ensures accurate, up-to-date, and consistent data flows throughout the value chain. By onboarding raw data into their PIM platform, retailers can transform it into complete, compelling, and compliant product information that can then be distributed across all digital channels and physical in-store locations. 

Benefits of PIM for retailers 

Today’s digital age demands product information that is accurate, accessible, and consistent across all platforms. This is especially true for retailers weathering the storm of rapid e-commerce evolutions such as the rise of social media as a buying platform and ever-changing consumer preferences. 

Advanced PIM architecture offers a suite of benefits that can transform the way retailers manage and utilize their product data—streamlining internal processes for enhanced customer experience and, ultimately, contributing to increased sales and market growth. 

Here are some of the many benefits:  

Mannequin at fashion store

The benefits of PIM for retail are far-reaching, impacting everything from operational efficiency to customer satisfaction and engagement. By adopting a robust PIM system, retailers can streamline their retail product information management and create a more dynamic, proactive retail environment. 

Key PIM features for retailers 

PIM retail solutions are pivotal in the dynamic e-commerce environment to stay ahead. Through the comprehensive management of product content and information, retailers can create product experiences and buyer journeys that maximize the value of their product information. 

The key features of an advanced PIM system built for retail include: 

customer shopping in sporting goods store

By investing in an enterprise-grade PIM system that encompasses these PIM features and capabilities, retailers can gain a significant competitive advantage, marked by personalized, consistent brand experiences that resonate with today’s consumers. 

Omnichannel retail with a PIM solution 

In omnichannel retail, customers engage with branded experiences across many touchpoints including mobile apps, online stores, physical showrooms, marketplaces, social channels, and more. Presenting a unified brand identity across these touchpoints is critical—and doing so requires keeping product data synchronized. 

PIM software serves as the vehicle for omnichannel execution by streaming reliable product information out to all channels while collecting back channel-specific customer analytics. A PIM’s flexible syndication tools power the entire circular ecosystem. 

How PIM improves the in-store retail experience 

Even as retail shifts online, brick-and-mortar stores remain vital for showcasing products and nurturing customers. If an in-store experience doesn’t live up to a customer’s expectation, it can mean losing their trust for good.  

In terms of stock availability, PIM ensures shelves remain stocked with the right products, eliminating under or over-stocking. Digital displays dynamically update to match availability. In-store marketing efforts can also match online channels by centralizing the data management behind the scenes. 

With a PIM at the core of your product information, you never have to question whether the product information online and your in-store experience match—they’ll be in lock-step. 

The product journey in retail 

In a departure from the “make-use-dispose” model of the past decades and even centuries, retailers today are growing aware of the need to build circularity into their products. This is driven by evolving consumer expectations surrounding sustainability, regulatory demands for transparency, and retailers themselves seeking greener products and processes. 

The transition to a more circular business model, through the re-imagination of product journeys, is a key aspect of this shift towards traceability and sustainability. An advanced PIM system supports this shift by enabling retailers to effectively manage product data at every stage of the circular product journey: 

  1. Source + Design  
  2. Make 
  3. Take to Market  
  4. Sell  
  5. Use + Reuse  
  6. Repair + Retire + Recycle 

For more information on the circular product journey, and how PIM powers the transition towards circularity for retailers across all sectors and industries, read the complete inriver guide

Image of sport colorful shoes on showcase of sports shop

Integration with e-commerce platforms 

While a modern storefront, flexible CMS, and reliable infrastructure provide a strong foundation for retail businesses, the lynchpin for success online and in-store is a PIM system. Understanding the differences between PIM and CMS is crucial for leveraging both to their fullest potential.

With advanced connectors and APIs, retailers can propagate enriched product data directly from PIM into front-end e-commerce databases and store themes in real-time. This eliminates reliance on manual duplication across disconnected systems which inevitably drifts into inconsistencies. Instead, teams simply manage data from a unified PIM—and better customer experiences flow outward.  

The impact on customers is immediate—visually consistent, complete, and compelling product pages that build credibility and conversions. And internally, PIM integration reduces your tech stack, breaks down data silos, and unlocks more of your team’s bandwidth.  

Why is PIM important for retailers? 

Succeeding in retail today is a high-demand, on-demand job. Retailers must juggle marketplace requirements, regulations, and consumer demands. This juggling act can quickly lead to data fragmentation. On average, a brand’s analytical process involves: 

This fragmentation can easily debilitate retailers through disjointed visibility, wasted resources, and broken customer trust. 

By consolidating product data into a connected hub, PIM solutions transform retailers into agile enterprises. This centralization ensures synchronized data, streamlined workflows, better consumer experiences, and a more powerful omnichannel presence.  

Colorful sports team shirts hanging at clothes rails

Choosing the right PIM solution for retail 

For retailers seeking a PIM solution, the ideal platform stands apart in its ability to deliver complete omnichannel agility. And can support digital transformation from basic syndication into flexible, customizable, and circular solutions.  

The right PIM system for retailers should:  

With an advanced PIM solution for retail in place, retailers can streamline their product information management and simultaneously enhance customer experiences, paving the way to business transformation and growth.  

inriver: The complete PIM for retail 

With complex omnichannel sales strategies, heightened customer expectations, and increased requirements from channels and regulators alike, the challenges facing retailers are clear. That’s why so many global retailers are turning to Product Information Management software from inriver to help them use product data to meet the needs of today and exceed the expectations of tomorrow.  

The multi-tenant inriver PIM solution offers complete product software for retailers, transforming raw value chain data into rich, meaningful, and engaging product information for the right audience, on the right channel, at the right time. With API-based syndication and digital shelf analytics integrated into the inriver platform, retailers can build a brighter future for their customers, their products, and their profit margins, only possible with inriver. 

want to see the inriver PIM in action?

Schedule a personalized, guided demo with an inriver expert today to see how the inriver PIM can get more value from your product information.

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inriver PIM buyer guide

Ace in-store and digital retail with PIM

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