Is SAP a PIM System?

Your business has a wealth of information to manage on a daily basis. You have to make sure that you keep track of all the data connected to your different products. This information needs to be updated regularly, and everyone in the business needs access to the same information to reduce the risk of errors or incorrect information spreading to customers.

For many organizations, managing all the data and information is a challenge. You might end up with multiple copies of key product documents on different computer systems. Edits made to one version do not necessarily get made to other copies. Similarly, if you get excellent product reviews that you want to add to your product promotions, these reviews might only end up on the radar of the sales department. If they do not get the attention they deserve from the customer service team, who might use them to better understand customer use cases and how to help their clients maximize their use of the products, then their full potential is not realized.

Fortunately, solutions exist that can help companies like yours manage all this information, known as a Product Information Management system, or PIM. However, the use of PIM systems, and whether they are the same things as SAP software, can confuse many business professionals. Let’s look more closely at what a PIM offers and what you should know about how they operate.

What Is a PIM?

If you have not heard of the PIM system meaning before, going through the definition is a good place to start. A PIM system is a Product Information Management System. It is software that provides a central location to store and manage all the different product data that your business naturally accumulates. Businesses across a number of different sectors, such as retail or manufacturing businesses, find themselves with countless different products, each with their own data sets, such as:

• Product descriptions

• SKU

• Pricing

• Features

• Benefits

• Dimensions

• Functionalities

Keeping all this information organized presents challenges for businesses. Considering all the different digital assets you can also accumulate for your products, such as product photos, how-to videos, owner’s manuals, and spec sheets, magnifies these obstacles.

The PIM system optimizes your organization for all this product data. It keeps the data connected and organized so that everyone at your business can quickly find precisely what they need regarding the product. This helps the business communicate internally and ensures a consistent experience for customers.

If the PIM solution has a built-in Digital Asset Management (DAM) functionality, the software can also help you organize all the digital assets you create for your products, such as the how-to videos and owner’s manuals we mentioned above. Together, these platforms make it easy to keep track of all the information you have about your products.

These systems also allow multiple authorized users to log onto the platform and update product data in real-time. This means that updates made to your products can be sent out to everyone in the business immediately and the software itself becomes a single source of truth for all your product information. You can reduce the risk of errors and confusion resulting from people not receiving all the relevant updates or accidentally making duplicate assets.

Who Uses PIM Software?

PIM software is used by businesses across a wide range of industries. Specifically, organizations often in the following sectors will find using a PIM solution to be a good option for their internal operations:

• Manufacturers

• Retailers

• Distributors

• Other companies that need to centralize the management of product data

Often, companies establish internal operations so that the PIM solution is owned by the marketing or product management teams. However, some companies have a dedicated, standalone team that focuses exclusively on the company's product information management responsibilities. Regardless of the system, knowing who is responsible for keeping it updated remains a critical part of effective usage.

Even though the management of the PIM system may be owned by a particular team, often the information contained within the system is used by multiple departments in the company. For example, your sales team, customer support team, product management department, and others who need to have the latest information on the products will want to have access to the PIM. Given the wide range of people who need the data these systems contain, it becomes clear why having a central source of truth so that all these groups access the same source of information becomes critical to business operations.

What Is an Example of PIM?

As businesses begin to investigate all the different PIM solutions available, they quickly discover that finding the best PIM can be a challenge. There are a variety of different PIM tools in market. However, looking at the top 10 PIM software examples can be an excellent way to learn more about what the software can provide for businesses and can help companies like yours better understand what they should look for when they select the optimal PIM for their organization. Some of the common PIM software examples include:

• Plytix PIM

• Pimcore PIM

• Salsify PIM

• Inriver PIM

• Catsy PIM

• Lumavate PIM

• Akeneo PIM

• Acquia PIM

Each of these solutions offers your business the chance to centralize your management of product data. Some solutions may also offer additional functionality. However, Lumavate remains the preferred solution for many businesses because of its robust functionality. It not only fully equips you with a PIM, but it also offers a Digital Asset Management (DAM) solution and a Digital Experience Platform (DXP). This enhances your full organizational potential.

Is SAP a PIM System?

Product information management software offers your business an excellent platform for managing all your product data. A SAP does not offer the traditional PIM solution, although sometimes large enterprises would be able to construct their SAP to serve a similar purpose. To achieve this level of usability, however, you would have to make a significant investment in time and resources and spend a lot of time constructing the proper configuration. Most businesses find it substantially easier to use an existing PIM solution to maximize their business’s ability to use the software and boost their efficiency.

Get Started With Business Development With Lumavate

If your business has recognized the value that a PIM system can offer your operations, you want to invest in a system that can quickly be set up and used. The Lumavate system was designed to bring together the key tools you need to keep all your product information organized and accessible across your organization.

Get started now to see what the convenience and utility of Lumavate can offer your business.