Product information is the basis of any sales strategy. 87% of shoppers1 consider it to be a vital element of their decision to purchase making it necessary to provide them with comprehensive, accurate and up to date product information. To achieve this, using Excel is just is not enough.
For businesses managing countless different product references, there are many drawbacks to working with Excel: challenging to read data, impossible for several contributors to work simultaneously on a file, no visibility of the changes made by each contributor…
To resolve these issues effectively, numerous businesses are now using PIM (Product Information Management).
PIM: for efficient management of product information
Product information needs to be managed with appropriate resources. PIM simplifies the process of product data preparation before distribution on sales channels.
Boost team productivity
Among the limits of Excel is the lack of collaborative features. Product and Marketing teams cannot work simultaneously on the same file, nor access revision archives. For product information to be input and enriched, numerous spreadsheets need to be exchanged, reducing team productivity and wasting time finding the reference Excel file, the one with the right product information.
PIM allows you to centralize all product information (Marketing, Logistics, Technical...). The Product and Marketing teams can use versioning features and rely on a unique centralized data base containing the most up to date version of their data, at all times.
Guarantee the quality of product data
It can rapidly become complex to maintain a reliable version of a file on Excel. Its presentation does not allow for easy reading of product data. This of course increases the risks of errors in the information presented to the customer: duplications, input errors, inconsistencies…
With PIM you can manage a huge number of product references through a user-friendly interface. Product data is checked and approved through a workflow engine before transmission to selling channels.
Monitor progress
Excel does not have a Dashboard enabling each contributor to monitor the progress of product pages, a lack of visibility which makes it difficult to enrich product information.
With PIM, product information is enriched collaboratively. Its multi-user features allow each contributor to modify product information, according to their user rights. A workflow engine also makes it possible to follow the progress of each product page through to validation.
Goaland PIM and Excel: optimized control over your data
It makes no sense to compare PIM with Excel spreadsheets. Used correctly, they can work well together to become a real asset. The Goaland PIM is equipped with connectors enabling it to connect with Excel. Through its configurable import/export features, you can select product data before importing into the tool. After importing, you can manage your product information through a simple and intuitive interface with its collaborative features also enabling each team to work on the quality of product information, subject to their user rights. After validation, Goaland transmits your data accurately and speedily on all selling channels.
1Chrum, A.10 Stats That Prove the Importance of Product Content for E-commerce [Infographic].