Case Study: The Power of Centralized Product Data Management in eCommerce

Transitioning from manual to digital product data management is a journey fraught with challenges. This case study delves into a luxury beauty brand’s journey toward enhancing accuracy and operational efficiency through innovative data management solutions. 

In an industry dominated by personalization and rapid trend adaptation, the brand’s shift to Pimcore revolutionized its product management processes. The case unfolds the strategic integration of automated systems, showcasing how a market leader in beauty products leveraged technology to maintain its competitive edge.

Challenges

The brand faced a set of distinct challenges that impeded its operational efficiency.

Diverse data sources

The company’s product data was scattered across multiple platforms, including NetSuite and various Excel sheets. This dispersion of data necessitated a complex and time-consuming collection process, as information had to be gathered and consolidated from these disparate sources.

Data cleanup

Before products could be successfully deployed, the data associated with them required extensive cleanup. Attributes of products, which are essential for categorization and searchability, needed to be standardized. The cleanup process was crucial to ensure accuracy and consistency in product information, which in turn affected the reliability of the deployment process.

Unified data structure

The existing system lacked a standardized structure for product data. Although the attributes might have been the same in essence, they were often referenced differently across various systems. This lack of uniformity led to confusion and inefficiencies, as the same attribute required reconciliation and could not be seamlessly integrated or compared across the brands’ platforms.

Approach and solutions

To address the challenges the brand faced with manually creating and enriching product listings, we implemented Pimcore as a centralized repository for managing product data. This approach eliminated data duplication and improved accuracy. Manual product creation was replaced with a more intuitive process in Pimcore, streamlining updates and product listing enhancements.

Centralized data repository

Pimcore served as a unified platform for all product data. This centralization eliminated inconsistencies and data duplication, leading to a more organized and efficient handling of product information. By having a single source of truth, the brand ensured that internal stakeholders and customers always have access to the most current and accurate product data.

User-friendly interface for product management

Replacing the manual processes with Pimcore’s intuitive interface drastically reduced the time and effort required for product creation and enrichment. This user-friendly system empowered team members to update and improve product listings quickly, without extensive technical know-how. It streamlined workflows, making it easier for staff to manage large volumes of product data, leading to a more agile and responsive product management process.

Enhanced brand-specific data management

With Pimcore, the brand implemented user permissions that allowed internal stakeholders to control their respective product data and categories. This feature was critical in maintaining the distinct identity and data requirements of every product category while leveraging the benefits of a centralized system. It also improved collaboration among teams, as they could easily access and manage data relevant to their specific product group, fostering a more tailored and effective marketing strategy.

Scalability and flexibility

As the brand continues to grow and evolve, the scalable nature of Pimcore ensures that the platform could accommodate new products and market demands. This flexibility is crucial in a rapidly changing eCommerce landscape, allowing the brand to adapt and expand without the need for significant overhauls to their data management system.

Results

The results were transformative: Pimcore not only established a single source of truth for all product information but also significantly increased operational efficiency. Moreover, the enhanced control over product category-specific data, facilitated through user permissions, allowed for more effective product group-specific data management.

The company featured in this case study is under the umbrella of a large international group of beauty brands. The next step is to streamline data management across the group’s multiple eCommerce brands. 

scandiweb is a Platinum Partner of Pimcore. We have a team of certified Pimcore experts that can take on any project that could benefit from Pimcore PIM. If you are facing challenges with product information management, get in touch today and we’ll be happy to help.

Share on: