Today's customers move seamlessly between websites, social media, mobile apps, physical stores, and other digital touchpoints. They gather information, compare products, and buy where the experience is right. According to Salesforce, this is just as important as price for 88 percent of consumers. This makes it all the more important that information is consistent and trustworthy across all channels.
When product descriptions differ, prices don't match, or availability is misrepresented, uncertainty quickly arises. Trust declines, purchases are abandoned, and the next provider is just a few clicks away.
A Product Information Management (PIM) system provides clarity here. It consolidates all relevant product data in one central location, reduces manual maintenance, and ensures that the same information is available everywhere. Companies gain control, efficiency, and consistency across all touchpoints.
This article explains how PIM can become the foundation for a seamless omnichannel experience and what specific benefits it offers companies that want to win over customers across multiple channels.
What is an omnichannel strategy?
An omnichannel strategy connects all sales channels so that customers can switch between them at any time. The switch is seamless and without repetition. The focus is on a consistent experience throughout the entire customer journey.
Anyone who finds information on a website, comes across the product again later on social media, and finally buys it in a store expects to find the same information everywhere. Product descriptions, prices, and availability must be consistent across all channels.
It is not about being present on as many platforms as possible. What matters is that communication is consistent and the shopping experience is convincing. This is the only way to build trust in the brand, the product range, and the service.
Why is a good omnichannel experience so important?
Today's customers gather information across multiple channels, often over a period of days or weeks. According to a study by Harvard Business Review, 73 percent of buyers use more than one channel on their way to making a purchase decision.
What appears to be a seamless process to the outside world is a major challenge for many companies internally. Wherever information is not maintained consistently, gaps in the customer experience arise. The consequences are noticeable. Typical problems with inconsistent product communication include:
- Different prices between online shops and stores
- Discrepancies in product descriptions or missing details on marketplaces
- Unsynchronized availability and delivery times
- Outdated images or contradictory size information
Customers react sensitively to such inconsistencies. Trust is lost, purchasing decisions are delayed or canceled altogether. For companies, this means in particular:
- Consistency creates orientation and reduces queries
- Uniform data reduces the error rate throughout the entire sales process
- Only those who have the information situation under control can present themselves convincingly across all channels
How can a PIM help with a seamless omnichannel experience?
A product information management system forms the central basis for providing product information in a structured, up-to-date, and consistent manner across all channels. Instead of maintaining content multiple times in different systems, everything is bundled in one place. From there, the data can be automatically distributed to websites, shop systems, marketplaces, apps, or store systems.
Changes no longer have to be made manually. Any adjustments to product descriptions or prices are applied directly to all touchpoints. This reduces errors, saves time, and ensures that all sales channels work with the same information.
A PIM provides clarity and control in an area that is often characterized by distributed Excel lists, multiple teams, and inconsistent data sources. This is a decisive advantage, especially in an omnichannel context. Only those who can control everything centrally can communicate reliably across channels.
Below, we show how a PIM specifically solves the individual challenges along the omnichannel experience, from consistent product data to localization and integration into existing systems.
Consistent product information across all channels
If product data is not managed centrally, discrepancies between different channels can quickly arise. A description is updated in the online shop, but the old version remains on the marketplace. An image is replaced, but the previous one still appears in the app. Such inconsistencies look unprofessional and cause customers to question information or abandon their purchase altogether.
A PIM ensures that each piece of product information only needs to be maintained once and is then automatically distributed to all connected channels. This prevents different versions from developing or changes from being overlooked. Content is synchronized and up to date at all times – whether on the website, in the marketplace listing, or at the point of sale.
This strengthens trust in the brand and reduces the effort required for maintenance and control. Teams gain confidence in handling product data and customers experience a consistent, traceable offering across all channels.
Example: If a product description is changed in the PIM, it automatically appears in identical form in the web shop, on marketplaces, and on digital displays in the store. No manual post-processing is necessary.
Lokalisierung und Internationalisierung leicht gemacht
As soon as a product is offered in multiple countries or language regions, the demands on data maintenance increase significantly. Product texts must be translated, units of measurement adapted, prices displayed in the appropriate currency, and legal requirements taken into account. Anyone who manages these adjustments manually or across different tools will quickly reach their limits.
A PIM system facilitates localization by making separate versions of product data centrally and transparently manageable for each region. Content can be differentiated by language, country, or market without losing overview. Translations can be stored directly in the system or integrated via interfaces. Region-specific images, size specifications, or country-specific shipping information can also be assigned in a targeted manner.
This ensures that every customer sees a tailor-made, locally relevant offer – whether in Switzerland, Spain or Canada. At the same time, companies retain control over all variants and avoid duplicate maintenance or inconsistent content.
Example: A size guide is displayed in inches for the US market and in centimeters for the European market. Prices also appear automatically in the relevant local currency.
Real-time updates across all touchpoints
Product information is subject to constant change. Prices are adjusted, new images are added, and availability changes at short notice. If such changes are not visible everywhere at the same time, gaps in the customer experience arise. A price in the web shop does not match the price in the store, or a product is displayed as available online but has long since sold out in the warehouse.
A PIM enables product data to be updated in real time and controlled centrally. As soon as a piece of information is changed, it is automatically transferred to all connected systems – from the e-commerce front end to marketplaces and the POS system. This prevents media breaks and reduces queries, returns, and complaints.
This speed is crucial, especially in an omnichannel environment. Customers expect information to be correct at all times, regardless of where they shop. Real-time updates ensure that the company reliably meets this requirement.
Example: If a price is updated in the PIM, customers see the change immediately on the website, in the mobile app, and at the checkout in the store. There is no discrepancy between channels.
Nahtlose Integration in die bestehende Systemlandschaft
A PIM system only reaches its full potential when it integrates seamlessly into the existing IT environment. Product data is not only relevant for marketing, but also for purchasing, warehousing, sales, and customer service. The better the PIM is connected to other systems, the more efficiently processes can be controlled and data kept consistent.
ERP
Modern shop systems such as Shopify, Shopware, Odoo, and Magento require clean, structured product data. Through integration with PIM, this data can be obtained directly from the central system. This simplifies maintenance, improves the quality of presentation, and reduces sources of error—especially with extensive product ranges or frequent product updates.
E-Commerce
Modern shop systems such as Shopify, Shopware, Odoo, and Magento require clean, structured product data. Through integration with PIM, this data can be obtained directly from the central system. This simplifies maintenance, improves the quality of presentation, and reduces sources of error—especially for extensive product ranges or frequent product updates.
Point Of Sale
Information must also be accurate in brick-and-mortar stores. Connecting the PIM to the POS system ensures that product data such as prices, variants, and promotions at the point of sale match those in the online store. This enables a consistent shopping experience, regardless of whether customers are browsing online or buying in-store.
CRM and OMS
Customer data and order processes are closely linked to product information. By connecting PIM with customer relationship management and order management systems, you can efficiently control product availability, customer-specific prices, and return processes, for example. This means that all systems access the same data pool without duplicate maintenance or inconsistencies.
Example: As soon as new stock is entered into the ERP system, the updated availability automatically appears in the online shop, on marketplaces, and in the store systems. Order management also accesses the same information.
Improved customer experience through centralized product data
A consistent, trustworthy shopping experience has long been a decisive competitive factor. Customers expect to receive the same information on every channel—whether they are browsing the website, discovering a product on social media, or asking about it later in the store.
A central PIM system ensures that this is possible. Product data is complete, up-to-date, and available in the same quality everywhere. This creates reliability and reduces typical friction points in the customer journey, such as conflicting information, missing images, or unclear availability.
At the same time, a PIM enables the provision of high-quality content that goes far beyond basic data. Technical details, application notes, videos, or product comparisons can be displayed in a targeted manner and offer customers real added value. This creates a coherent overall picture that builds trust and positively influences the purchase decision.
A consistently maintained database also ensures that customers can switch between online and offline at any time without information gaps, duplicate queries, or uncertainties.
Example: A customer researches a product on the website, adds it to her shopping cart, visits a store later, and receives the same information there, including images, variants, and availability.
Trends
PIM systems are increasingly evolving from pure data management tools to intelligent platforms that actively contribute to value creation. Several trends are emerging that are set to change the way product data is handled in the long term.
One clear driver is the use of artificial intelligence. More and more PIM solutions are integrating functions such as automated text creation, AI-supported translation suggestions, and intelligent categorization. This makes it possible to maintain large product ranges more quickly and tailor content to different target groups or markets.
The link between PIM and digital experiences is also becoming closer. Companies are increasingly relying on headless architectures, in which PIM serves as a central content hub and content is delivered flexibly to front ends such as web shops, apps, or interactive displays. This speeds up market launches and enables personalized communication across all channels.
Another trend is the closer integration of PIM and digital asset management. Media content such as images, videos, and 3D views are no longer managed separately but are integrated directly into the PIM system in a context-sensitive manner. This simplifies maintenance and ensures a consistent brand experience across all touchpoints.
Companies that embrace these developments early on will not only improve their data quality, but also lay the foundation for scalable, digital product communication that can be flexibly adapted to new market requirements.
In summary ...
A PIM system creates the basis for consistent, up-to-date, and structured product information across all channels. It reduces maintenance effort, prevents errors, and enables companies to centrally control and efficiently deliver content.
In the omnichannel environment in particular, the quality of product data is becoming a decisive factor for trust, satisfaction, and conversion. Providing reliable information creates a seamless shopping experience and strengthens customer loyalty.
With the increasing digitalization of commerce, the demand for flexibility, speed, and personalization is also growing. PIM systems that meet these requirements are becoming a central building block for long-term growth and a future-proof commerce strategy.
Your product data as a competitive advantage
Whether you have a growing product range, new markets, or complex channel landscapes, we help you set up your PIM project so that it really delivers. Together, we create the basis for clean data, clear processes, and a compelling product experience at every touchpoint. Contact our PIM agency today and start your journey into the future with structured product data.
