For a while now, there’s been a natural convergence of digital asset management (DAM) and product information management (PIM) in the market. PIM solutions have taken on DAM capabilities; DAM tools have taken on PIM capabilities. That capability sharing makes sense. 

When you consider the modern customer experience, rich media assets like images and videos, which are organized via DAM, and product information like descriptions and measurements, which are organized via PIM, are experienced together. Customers see both on a single page, but companies don't always manage them together behind the scenes. Naturally, Widen customers began managing product information as asset metadata in their DAM site, so many asked if we would build PIM capabilities in Widen DAM. So we did!

The difference between product information management (PIM) and product lifecycle management (PLM) systems can be easily misunderstood — even among those in e-commerce. Although both of these tools are designed to streamline how products are brought to market, they play distinct roles in business operations. While there may be some overlap, it’s important to note that both are valuable solutions. And fortunately, they can work together to create operational efficiencies.. 

If and how organizations use PIM and PLM tools comes down to individual business needs. So instead of pitting them against each other, we’ll take a look at the unique and overlapping features of both to help you determine which system you need to best support your business. 

At Widen, we know that consumers expect accurate, coordinated, and compelling product content across every channel and touchpoint. And our customers agree:

Being organized is important because the retailers have spoken: strong product assets are no longer a luxury, they are an expectation.

Martin Hill, Director of Digital Sales at PRADCO Outdoor Brands

But bringing a unified and compelling experience to life is a complicated endeavor — especially as e-commerce continues to expand. It requires a clear strategy, cross-team collaboration…and the right technology. 

In our new guide, How to Prepare for Product Launches with DAM, we outline how Widen, our digital asset management (DAM) and product information management (PIM) solution, can help teams scale their product content workflows to keep pace with digital business — and accelerate time to market.  

Online customers can’t pick up products off the shelf so they rely on accurate product information and content to make purchases. Agencies who create digital experiences for their clients use product information management (PIM) software to deliver world-class omnichannel campaigns. Whether you’re in marketing, advertising, creative, or SEO, product information is central to any customer experience you build. 

PIM solutions bring all of your technical product data, marketing content, and digital assets into one system to launch and optimize successful omnichannel campaigns. Using a PIM solution gives you the ability to manage product information for many clients, publish products across multiple channels, and sync product data with tool integrations. You’ll even be able to measure the success of the assets you create. 

Here’s a look at how PIM software enables agencies to get results for global brands who want to compete and grow in the ever-changing digital landscape. 

Instead of a physical retail shelf full of choices, the digital shelf is made up of every customer experience your buyers have with your product — search results, mobile apps, websites, social media, in-store shopping, etc. If you want to win on the digital shelf in e-commerce you need to stock every location with high-quality product information. 

This change from physical to digital is challenging for some, but it also presents a big opportunity. You now have more control over the appearance of your product and story (e.g. branded videos and 360º photography). To start stocking your digital shelf, identify and prioritize your most important products, clarify price points, invest in search engine optimization (SEO) strategy, and garner as many reviews as possible. 

There’s a key connective web between new products and customers in the market — product marketing. This multifaceted discipline brings together vital components of sales, marketing, and customer success to share a new product with the world. Product marketing requires a unique role to bring products to life and sell them — product marketers.

Product marketers are the ones who research, define, and articulate the position of your product in the market. They create a plan and work across departments and teams to bring products to customers. These unique product experts are responsible for everything from launching new products and building awareness to getting user signups, converting sales, and growing revenue.

In this product marketing guide, we’ll cover what product marketing is, what product marketers actually do, how they measure their success, and the tools they use to bring products to market. Let’s get started by defining product marketing.

A lot of hard work goes into launching profitable products. Many teams and stakeholders are involved — including product marketing and product management. This kind of sounds like different ways of saying the same thing, like Gershwin's tomato and tomahto. But they actually are more like apples and oranges...they are separate disciplines with distinct responsibilities.

If you’re in e-commerce and want to grow a successful digital brand you need to focus on something fundamental — your product information. You need quality product information (product data, marketing content, and digital assets) to build omnichannel customer experiences. When you define a product information management (PIM) workflow you can transform your brand and improve efficiency across your company.

Your product information can either be a messy liability or a strategic asset. To cultivate accurate, robust, up-to-date, and compelling product details you need to create a clearly defined way to work with your product information. The basic components of any PIM workflow can be broken down into four parts — product onboarding, content updates, sales channel syndication, and communication.

Before we dive into the specifics of each component, let’s start with a definition of what a workflow is and then build a picture of what makes an efficient PIM workflow. 

E-commerce wouldn’t exist without product information; plain and simple. The problem is there’s a lot of quality information needed to support a single product. A digital buyer can’t take a product off the shelf, feel its weight, and experience it in the same way they can in person. They rely on the information they read, see, and hear about a product online — the product’s specs, text about its benefits, how-to videos, images, and so much more. 

Organizations need accurate, robust, up-to-date, compelling product information to compete (and ultimately win) in the digital arena. Managing all of this information is challenging without the help of product information management (PIM). Today we’ll discuss what PIM entails and how it’s helping a wide range of organizations and roles harness the true power of their product information to find greater e-commerce success. 

Marketing that moves people often requires a human connection. That connection was lost as the pandemic reduced in-person experiences with some of your most valuable assets – your people and products. This void forced many brands to accelerate their growth in digital spaces.