The role of PIM in customer centricity: information as the key to good CX

• Basic features are implicitly expected and must not be missing.

• Features are deliberately researched by a prospect to inform their decisions.

• Delight factors are elements that positively distinguish a product from alternatives and that a prospect doesn't expect.

• Insignificant features are irrelevant to a prospective customer.

• Reversal features disqualify a product when they are present.

So it comes down to being able to provide specific prospect, already during their research, with features in way that convinces them of performance features, knows no rejection features are present and basic features are fulfilled. If they find equivalent products during search, delight features can be deciding factor in favour of one provider.

A modern PIM system helps here, with mechanisms for data quality assurance, to ensure that at least the basic and performance attributes of a product are available across the relevant channels, and that maintaining the excitement attributes is encouraged.

Data enrichment can be prioritised so that the focus always stays on the data quality of the most important products for the relevant prospects. Structured maintenance masks optimised for product and prospect help here, enabling efficient work and ensuring nothing essential is forgotten.

As expectations of prospective customers change over time and with alternative offers, and as a result excitement features become performance features, which in turn become basic features, new features are added and others lose relevance, a good PIM system must allow the data model to be adjusted easily and flexibly. Products already published should be automatically checked for updates and quickly brought up to date.

Not all prospects rate features equally important; ranking shifts between them depending on target-group context. Wording that fits one prospect group may also be seen as inappropriate for others.

This additional dimension can now also be represented by PIM systems in such a way that the frontend can show users the important, correct and current information depending on context.

In addition, different distribution channels have their own requirements for data and attributes. A cleanly structured data model then helps maintain the right information for exactly the products intended for the corresponding channel, so as to supply prospects with the information relevant to them there.

A good customer experience in the sense of customer centricity consists of more than just an appealing, easy-to-use and well-structured presence. Availability of the right information in the right places for relevant people is a basic prerequisite. Efficient product information management, able to provide this data with high quality and up-to-dateness, ensures this.

We're happy to help you choose and introduce your PIM system.