5 Benefits of Automation and How PIM Solutions Can Help
Ah yes, the benefits of automation…having technology do things for you so you don’t have to. This is particularly true of automating product information management (PIM).
As business owners, manufacturers, and digital marketers, you need your business to run as efficiently as possible and incorporating a PIM solution can be a key component in your business strategy. Results are evident across the board – increased accuracy, functionality and time/cost savings. It also drastically improves the customer experience, which is essential for building brand trust and loyalty.
The Benefits Of Automation For PIM
Let’s start by a quick level set of what’s what!
What Is PIM?
According to Techopedia, Product Information Management is a set of processes to identify and evaluate product data or information. Once it’s evaluated, PIM automatically manages and distributes that data across multiple platforms. This lets you modify all of your product data at once.
A few examples Of Product Data Managed By PIM Include:
- SKUs
- Item numbers
- Images
- Video
- Where it is located
- Documentation
Many business owners and product manufacturers believe that PIM is only necessary for huge companies with massive inventories. However, we believe (and the evidence shows!) that a PIM system can benefit any eCommerce business engaging in multi-channel sales and marketing.
On Automation And PIM
The International Society Of Automation defines automation technologies as “the creation and application of technology to monitor and control the production and delivery of products and services.” Automation is being embraced by virtually every industry using databases, eCommerce, and digital marketing. That’s 77.6% of small- to medium-sized businesses and most major corporations.
Consider how business has gotten exponentially more competitive in the Digital Age. Fortunately, we also have many more powerful tools and resources available.
The Benefits Of Automation
There’s a massive difference between busy and being productive. In a recent article for the BBC, author Oliver Burkeman explains the difference as well as why we all feel so overwhelmed.
“There are always more incoming emails, more meetings, more things to read, more ideas to follow up — and digital mobile technology means you can easily crank through a few more to-do list items at home, or on holiday, or at the gym. The result, inevitably, is feeling overwhelmed,” according to Burkeman.
Accuracy
Human beings are prone to making mistakes. It’s called “human error” and it’s nearly impossible to avoid. They’re also notoriously difficult to detect. Cleaning and organizing your database is a time-consuming and often costly investment.
The potential for error increases with each piece you add into your workflow. For businesses with a lot of moving parts, such as digital marketing or updating multiple websites, the odds are good someone’s going to make a mistake.
Saves Time
PIM automation removes unnecessary repetitive tasks such as data entry. It also saves you from having to do the same thing over and over on multiple platforms. Repetitive tasks that could be avoided are not only bad for productivity, they also drain company morale.
In the book Product Information Management: Theory And Practice, author Abraham Jorij analyzes how PIM can optimize a business with a lot of products. “According to Goodmasters, 25 min per SKU per year is spent on manual item data cleaning which would take only 4 min with automatic synchronization. In other words, 20 man months per 10,000 SKUs!”
Note that your mmployees will feel more valued and engaged at work when allowed to work on meaningful contributions. They’ll also be better able to focus on more human-centric tasks, such as customer engagement or outreach.
Saves Money
Improving your accuracy and efficiency cuts expenses in numerous ways. You’ll save money on labor hours by removing unnecessary busywork and repetitive tasks. You’ll also see up to 23% fewer product returns, according to Abraham Jorji. Yankee Group senior analyst Kosin Huang finds that businesses employing PIM automation improve up to 25%, annually.
Improves Efficiency
Decreasing the amount of busywork allows your employees to focus on more high-value activities. This increases company morale, as well. PIM Automation also helps reduce laying blame, as there is real-time documentation of every automated process. You’ll know exactly what is happening and when it happens. Finally, PIM automation ensures everybody’s on the same page. It’s an invaluable tool for remote collaboration, which is becoming increasingly prevalent in today’s digital economy.
Consistency
Even with individual tools for consistent results, there will still be variations due to individual styles and preferences on the enterprise level. PIM automation takes care of the tasks that require conformity and repetition, providing your team with more time to focus on creativity and problem-solving.
Automation For PIM
Think about PIM and automation with product bundling, product descriptions, product mapping and discounts & promotions.
- Â inventory processes on the same page
- easily test your product data for errors and consistency
- data sent to all of your digital platforms, reducing both time and errors.
- integrates all of your product and sales data from each platform, serving as a de facto CRM
PIM automation should be seriously considered for anyone looking to flourish in today’s digital economy. Eliminating busywork and unnecessary repetition will let you and your employees focus on applying the human touch on important tasks.
Ready To Find Out How PIM Automation Can Help Your Business?
We’ve barely skimmed the surface of the possible benefits of automation. New uses are being developed daily, as well, as more and more businesses explore the power of machine learning and neural networks.
If you’d like to find out how Product Information Management can help your business, contact us today!