Outdated Systems Are Costing You Sales
Managing product content with spreadsheets? That’s costing you sales. Here’s how a PIM can change the game.
Many manufacturers and distributors struggle with outdated, manual processes to manage product information across e-commerce channels. These inefficiencies lead to errors, slow updates, and lost sales opportunities. One e-commerce content specialist shared a case study that underscores the urgent need for a better system.
The Challenge: Scattered, Inaccessible Product Information
An industrial tool manufacturer’s CMO wanted to launch a direct-to-consumer storefront for replacement parts. Customers were already buying these parts—but from third-party distributors. The goal? Bring those sales back in-house by providing better product descriptions and a seamless purchasing experience.
The problem? Their internal team faced major roadblocks:
- No centralized product data – They relied on scattered spreadsheets with limited, often outdated information.
- Lost expertise – The engineers who originally designed the tools had left the company, taking critical knowledge with them.
- Inefficient workflows – All product content updates had to go through a third-party agency, adding delays and complexity.
Without a robust system, even simple tasks—like identifying best-selling replacement parts and compiling accurate descriptions—became overwhelming.
The Painful Reality of Manual Product Information Management
Faced with these challenges, the e-commerce team attempted to gather the data manually. Their approach involved:
- Requesting sales reports to determine the top 10,000 SKUs—an effort that took considerable back and forth.
- Extracting product details from an external agency, which controlled the content in a proprietary CMS.
- Verifying data accuracy across multiple sources, including distributor websites.
This painstaking process meant manually reverse-engineering product descriptions. The team had to scrape details from various sites, cross-check information using schematics, and even estimate product sizes based on background grid patterns in distributor images. It was slow, frustrating, and prone to errors.
To nuance just how tedious the information-gathering exercise can be…
One distributor included the line drawing and schematics for many of the primary tools with numbered callouts for the replacement parts—allowing for verification of at least one specific tool fit for a given part. This site placed tiny parts against a background grid of one-inch squares that enabled the team to determine approximate sizes.
Another site offered “For Use With These Tools” links that helped assign multiple compatible models to the part. Both sites often had details about how to replace the part or its purpose.
The list was sorted two ways. First, alphabetically by part name, allowing a setup of consistent descriptions, especially for common parts in different sizes like screws, washers, nuts, and belts. Then part numbers were sorted. One brand incorporated the model number into the part number, making it easier to match components. Similar numbering patterns were found in the other two brands.
All in all, it was possible to identify at least one specific tool model for about two-thirds of the SKUs on the list. For all SKUs, including the common items like screws, washers, and nuts, a statement asserting that the part in question was a certified Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) part, made to exact specifications of the brand, was included. If the buyer were ordering using the owner’s manual as a parts reference, there would be little chance of an error. One completed example read this way:
Drive Belt #16 for Brand X Model Z Sander. Rubber. This replacement part is made by the original manufacturer. For installation steps and tools, related parts, and precautions, refer to your owner’s manual and model schematics.
After 10 weeks of effort, the team successfully launched their replacement parts storefront—but this was only the beginning. Without a PIM, keeping product data accurate and up to date becomes an endless struggle.
Agility PIM: Transforming Product Information Management With AI
Download NowThe Solution: How Agility PIM Transforms e-Commerce Product Data Management
A Product Information Management (PIM) system could have transformed this project from an uphill battle into a streamlined, efficient process. Here’s how Agility PIM would have saved time and reduced errors:
- Automated Data Aggregation – Merge part numbers, names, prices, and sales data effortlessly.
- Faster Content Updates – Eliminate the need for external agencies by allowing teams to update product information directly.
- AI-Powered Enhancements – Use AI to generate missing descriptions, enrich product data, and maintain consistency.
- Centralized Product Repository – Ensure all departments have access to accurate, up-to-date product content.
Instead of manually pulling data from disparate sources, the team could have quickly populated their storefront with enriched, verified product details—giving customers confidence in their purchases.
Why Choose Agility PIM?
Agility PIM from insightsoftware is built for efficiency, offering seamless integration with e-commerce platforms and a user-friendly interface that empowers teams to take control of product content. With Agility PIM, you can:
- Eliminate redundant manual processes.
- Ensure data consistency across all channels.
- Scale product content management effortlessly.
Say goodbye to error-prone spreadsheets and fragmented workflows. With Agility PIM, you gain a single source of truth for your product information—so your business can move faster and smarter.
Is Your Business Ready for PIM?
Take our 3-minute PIM Readiness Assessment to discover how Agility PIM can optimize your product content management today.
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