Mens Et Opera - Reloaded

I recently came across an interesting executive summary of a report conducted by Capgemini involving 62 global leading online retail and consumer products (CP) companies in the grocery category (it’s a bit dated but I think still pertinent). The aim of the research was to “evaluate how visible and consumer driven the product data is in retailers’ and CP companies’ digital channels.” The research finds that in many cases the “digital product information provided to shoppers is inaccurate, incomplete or missing entirely” which doesn’t perfectly square with the need for rich consumer-oriented product data, driven by the explosion of digital channels. According to the report, the key step to provide better information and enhance the dialogue with shoppers is to “improve the visibility of product data in digital channels.” This resonates with me greatly. However, the question is “how?” That is: How to make product content relevant and consistent* across all channels?   The fol...

According to the authors, convergence is the key to reaching customers in the new world of digital communication. If you are like me interested in how digital innovation is transforming businesses at their core, this book is for you.    Convergence is all about breaking down silos to build a more cohesive organisation to respond to the exigencies of the new and empowered customer. The authors make a strong argument against the traditional way of structuring marketing, technology, and creativity.  They no longer must be separate worlds, speaking different languages, using different kinds of talent. For businesses to succeed today, this has to change. Their argument revolves around five fundamental principles: 1.   Customer centricity. Instead of paying lip service to it, the authors actually point out that customer-centricity inevitably lead to disruption. Most organizations are beholden to some age-old organizational chart and not structured around th...

OK there is a big difference between MDM and PIM. Apparently not everyone agrees.  Regardless, things can become even more confusing when analysts, vendors, consultants, and academics all give you their perspective on what MDM and/or PIM really is. I know it’s hard to sort through it. But let’s try to keep it very simple. Note 1 : my apology to the experts to leave out important aspects Note 2 : I took inspiration for the example below by reading "Master Data Management", written by the well-respected David Loshin. Now, take the following transaction from a generic order fulfillment system: I am sure you have identified the three master data domains in this transaction: Customer: Michele M. Arpaia Product: Seat 15B (what about Flight 238?) Location: Sydney, SYD, Melbourne, MEL Can you see the beauty of MDM? Ideally, every transaction (occurring everywhere in your organization) relies on accurate, consistent, fresh, and complete master d...

Jorij Abraham is the founder of the E-commerce Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping organizations and industries improve their e-commerce activities. He advises companies on e-commerce strategy, Omnichannel development and product information management. He also works as Director Research & Advise for Ecommerce Europe. He's written a fine book about PIM but don't expect a technical book at all! This is what marketing teams, merchandisers, product category teams, digital strategist, should be reading. Like him or not, when he talks you’d better listen! Michele: Let's start with a view on the PIM market. Where are we globally? Jorij: We are just starting. Most retailers still do not realize how important product information is to sell digital. In some countries the expectation is that in 2020 30 - 50% of all consumer goods are bought online. PIM no longer is an option. It is essential to be successful in 2020. M.: What was the main...

This is a guest post by Chris Jobse of Eperium Business Solution ( http://www.eperium.com/ ). He is a senior PIM architect advising customers to organize their data in the most efficient way to serve their eCommerce goals . The management of correct and detailed product information is becoming increasingly important for many companies. The volume of information is growing, the number of products increasing, the products are sold in more countries and laws and legislation impose demands on the product information. Implementing a PIM (Product Information Management) system is more frequently becoming a strategic choice. Why one PIM system is more expensive than the other is a question that is frequently raised. Understandably, after all suppliers state that they manage product information and this is certainly so in all cases. There are big differences among the various PIM systems. The differences are mainly in the underlying technology, the functionality set and la...