Finally getting around to writing a short blurb on the IRCE show that happened last month:
As PIM consultants and self-proclaimed “PIM Guys" with more than 15 years of personal PIM experience each, when we hear that PIM is one of the up-and-coming solutions, we kinda go “huh?” But, with PIM taking center stage at the most recent Internet Retailer Conference & Exposition (IRCE), it’s apparent that the Small and Medium size business users are suddenly trying to find product management solutions. And, of course, it’s confusing.
Exhibitor perspective: Going into the show, we had identified more than 60 PIM providers that we track. We thought we knew it all. But, we were surprised. We found several more. And, we found some that may claim they are PIMs, but they may only be data or asset management tools. We’re not sure if it’s a spin, or if it’s just being generous with the PIM definition. Overall, we would say that the PIM traffic was strong – those that had just started their journey, those ready to pull the trigger and even some that were second-guessing decisions they’d already made. The key, of course, since it was the IRCE, was providing data to web sites. But, multichannel concerns and desires still exist.
PIM Vs. eCommerce, WCMS and DAM: There continues to be some confusion, both from the provider and the buyer side about these applications. To simplify - PIMs manage products; DAMs manage digital assets that can get associated to products if desired; WCMSs manage web content (not multichannel); and eCommerce systems allow customers to buy off of a site. Yes, in theory, that’s simple. However, from a use-case, it can get very complex.
Customer perspective: Did you ever feel like you were on candid camera? I did a couple of times at the show when talking with prospects about PIM. Is PIM like Google Docs? Is PIM like Dropbox? It can sometimes be hard to not laugh, feel sorry, or even get frustrated. But, we understand the PIM journey, and some start at the “very” beginning. In fact, we hear that a lot from the PIM providers - “We need to educate the prospects.” And of course, there’s always the $64K question - “What’s it cost.” Well, between $5K and $800K. ;-)
Confusion runs rampant in the PIM journey, and that’s why we do what we do.
