Implementation of the PIM System: How to Make It Cheaper?

Implementation of PIM systems requires certain costs. Today I will tell you where these costs come from and recommend pim best practices to make it cheaper and more efficient.

The implementation of a PIM system can be a significant financial investment for a business. The main reason is the desire to integrate as many functions as possible into the box solution, adapting the system to the unique needs of the company. As a result, the cost of the project increases due to many modifications and improvements. In this article, we will consider how to optimize the process to reduce costs.

Reasons for the high cost of PIM implementation

1. Numerous modifications of the box solution

Businesses often try to adapt a standard solution to their specific processes, which requires significant costs for the development and support of customized functions.

Example: When designing, there is a request that after creating a product card, it should be automatically attached to the content that is on FTP using a complex algorithm. It is possible to implement it with refinement, but it would be much faster and cheaper to do this work in the tables before import by assigning identifiers for the images.

2. Absence of compromise

Instead of adapting business processes to standard system capabilities, companies insist on modifications that increase the cost and time of implementation.

Example: A company engaged in sales on the marketplace insists that the structure of the product card in the PIM system exactly corresponds to the structure in Salesforce. This leads to significant costs for improvements and adjustments when uploading cards to marketplaces, as they have a different data structure. The correct solution is to prepare the infomodel of the product card in advance so that it can be minimally configured for transmission to various sources. This will avoid additional costs and simplify the integration process.

3. Complex improvements at the initial stage

An attempt to immediately include many functions in the system, such as purchases, sales and analytics, increases the complexity of the project and, accordingly, its cost.

Example: The company decides that the system should be integrated with several external services for analytics and reporting from day one. Instead, it would be possible to start with basic analytics, and integrations will be implemented gradually, as necessary. Also, the company wants to launch a system for Procurement and for Marketing, not realizing that these are different processes and the product card for Procurement and Marketing is not the same thing, as a result, a huge amount of work is required to align both within the business and within the infrastructure.

How to make PIM implementation cheaper

1. Minimization of improvements at the initial stage: Implement the system with minimal changes, using the basic capabilities of the box solution. This will reduce costs and speed up the start-up process.
2. Focus on the “gold shelf” and gold product cards: Start by creating a product gold card — a complete and accurate set of product data. This is the main element of the PIM system, on which all further improvements are based.
3. Gradual expansion of functionality: After the successful launch of the basic version of the system, gradually add new functions in bundles. This will allow you to control costs and implement only those processes that are really necessary for the business.
4. Avoidance of redundant changes: Focus on using the standard features of the PIM system and adapting business processes to them, instead of changing the structure of the system.

Advantages of phased implementation

1. Reduction of costs by 80%: Minimization of initial improvements and gradual expansion of functionality allow to significantly reduce the total costs of implementation.
2. Fast start-up and adaptation: Fast implementation of the basic version of the PIM system allows the company to start using its advantages without a long wait.
3. Targeted improvements: After starting the system, you can conduct analytics and identify really necessary improvements, avoiding unnecessary costs.
4. Flexibility and scalability: Phased implementation makes the system more flexible and allows you to scale it as business needs grow and change.

And what in the end?

Implementation of a PIM system does not necessarily have to be an expensive and complicated process. Minimization of initial improvements, focus on basic functions and gradual expansion of functionality can significantly reduce costs and simplify the implementation process. Start with the gold product card and gradually add the necessary features to achieve the optimal balance between the cost and functionality of the system. This approach will allow your business to effectively manage product data without exceeding budget constraints.