PIM Implementation Guide: Phases, Partners and Pitfalls

A PIM implementation that works is a planned one. By the time you get here, the need is clear, the team is formed and the system is chosen. What decides the outcome now is the sequence of work, who does it, and who owns the result. This guide covers the phases, the choice between a partner and in-house staff, the pitfalls, and the cost of a start that looks cheap. How to choose the system is in how to select the right PIM, and what it costs is in the PIM costs comparison.

The phases of a PIM implementation

The names vary per partner. The order does not: you set the destination, you build, you test with users, you go live, and you review. Project management keeps count along the way.

1. 1. Analysis and planning

   Set the destination and the route. With the stakeholders (purchasing, IT, product development, marketing, sales), describe the situation you want and what the implementation has to deliver. Decide what is in scope, what is out, and which goals the system has to hit.

   Workshops make this concrete. The questions are plain:

   • Where does a new product come from?
   • How does data move through the organization today?
   • What is recorded about an article, and for what purpose?
   • Where should an article end up?
   • Which integrations exist or are wanted?
   • Is there one webshop or several, a supplier portal, brochures, marketplaces?
   • What data exists now, and which systems are the source?

   The output is a solution design document: scope, data model direction, integrations and a global plan.

2. 2. Build

   The build has five parts, in this order.

   • Data model. What an article looks like in the software: which attributes exist, at which level they sit, and how products relate. Everything else depends on it.
   • Incoming flows. An article is often created in the ERP with a small set of characteristics and has to land in the PIM to be enriched. Supplier data is another incoming flow, and a second check of the model.
   • Migration. Article data usually starts spread across systems. Keep it and raise its quality where you can. A typical case: the source stores an attribute as free text, the model defines a list, and free entry produced many values that mean the same thing. Migration is where those are made uniform.
   • Outgoing flows. The PIM is the single source of truth, so every platform receives its data from the PIM, not from a side copy.
   • Process and workflow. The software follows the process, not the other way around. A workflow says who enriches or validates which data and when a product counts as complete.

3. 3. Testing, roles and training

   Load product data, often from an ERP, Excel or supplier feeds, and set roles and permissions. Train users so they can enrich what was loaded: texts, images, video.

   Run the user stories in a production-like setup, with a user at each level signing off when a test passes. Test automated workflows the same way, from approval through publishing, with sign-off from the technical and business owners. Feed what users report back into the configuration, or the training does not stick.

4. 4. Go-live

   Go-live is the switch from a loaded system to real data management. The output side is connected so product data leaves the PIM for the webshop without a manual export. Test those interfaces properly and show users how they behave. Until that is done, the PIM is a database with a promise.

   If the PIM serves more than one country, configure the localization requirements first. When tests are satisfactory, mark the system production-ready and cut over.

5. 5. Post-implementation review

   Review how the live system performs before you add to it. Then work through the wishes that surfaced during the project and the extensions you deliberately left out. Extra output channels are the usual addition: marketplaces, data pools or a print catalog. After this, the system moves into maintenance, where small changes happen without stopping the business.

Running the project

A PIM project needs what navigation software gives a driver: where it is, where it is going and which alternative is still open. Measure progress continuously and show it on a dashboard, so you adjust from facts, not from memory.

Reviews and retrospectives are the stops on the route. A review shows what is done and what the team takes on next. A retrospective asks four things: what have we done so far, what went well, how do we use that in the next period, and what should change.

Partner or in-house?

"PIM expert" covers very different jobs. Mixing them up is how companies pay a strategist to map attributes or ask a developer to decide on governance. Hire expertise for the job you cannot do yourself, and only for as long as you cannot do it.

The three roles

• PIM consultant. Works before and around the purchase. Maps your current product data flows, writes requirements, builds a shortlist and runs the vendor selection. A good consultant is vendor-neutral and tells you when you do not need a PIM yet.
• Implementation specialist. Builds the system: data model, families and attributes, workflows, validation rules, and the connections to ERP, webshop and channels. Usually comes from the vendor or a certified partner.
• Product data owner. Runs the PIM after go-live. Decides when data is complete, maintains the rules, onboards suppliers and keeps the taxonomy in shape. This role belongs inside your company, even if you start with outside help.

What each should deliver

Judge experts on outputs, not hours.

• Consultant: a current-state map of where product data comes from and goes, a ranked requirements list, a shortlist of three or four vendors with reasons, and scripted demo scenarios to run on your own data.
• Implementation specialist: a documented data model, working imports and exports per channel, validation rules that block incomplete products, and a handover your team can maintain.
• Data owner: completeness scores per channel, a supplier onboarding routine and a backlog of data fixes that shrinks.

When to bring each in

• Before selection: a consultant, when you know product data holds you back but cannot yet say why.
• During the build: the partner leads, but one internal person sits in every working session. That person becomes your data owner.
• After go-live: reduce outside help to a support contract and a periodic review.

Treat the implementation partner as part of the selection, not an afterthought. The platform is half the decision. Who implements it, and how well that partner understands your requirements and use cases, shapes the result as much as the software. Budget for all three phases from the start: licences are only part of the bill.

What to ask before you hire

Industry experience counts for more than general PIM experience. A manufacturer with technical attributes and ETIM classes has different problems from a fashion retailer with sizes, colors and seasons.

• Comparable projects. Ask for projects like yours, and for one that went wrong and what changed afterwards.
• Vendor ties. Ask which vendors they work with. A reseller agreement does not rule a partner out, but you should know about it.
• The actual team. The senior person in the pitch is not always the person in the project.
• Ownership. Documentation, the data model and the integration code should belong to you.
• Integration experience. Ask about your e-commerce platform, your ERP and API-based custom work. Check support terms and references from similar companies.

The trade-off

Outside experts cost more per day than internal staff and leave with their knowledge. Hiring only internally is slower and risks repeating mistakes others made years ago. What works in most mid-sized companies is to buy expertise for selection and build, and to grow ownership inside. Write that into the contract: every external role gets a named internal counterpart who takes over.

The hidden cost of a cheap start

A system that looks cheaper now can cost more later. If your business grows, a limited system may need expensive upgrades or a replacement. The technical foundation is a business decision, not an IT discount. Five questions show where the cost sits.

• Monolithic or modular? Older systems run as one connected unit and are slow to change. Modular systems are built from separate parts that each do one job, so you can adjust without being held back.
• On premise or cloud? On premise means hardware, upfront investment and your IT team running maintenance and security. It is now rare in PIM. Cloud software is hosted by the vendor, scales with use and is paid as you go. Most PIM is delivered as Software as a Service.
• Single or multi tenant? Single tenant gives you your own copy: more customization, usually higher cost, slower updates. Multi tenant shares one instance with strict data separation: you always run the latest version, and the vendor carries the operation.
• Suite or best of breed? A suite from one vendor is quick to start but can be expensive, lock you into one roadmap and carry features you do not need. Best of breed lets you pick the best tool per job, at the price of integration work across several vendors.
• API first and decoupled? Systems built around APIs connect easily to ERP, webshops and other tools. A decoupled or headless architecture separates the front end from the data engine, so you change one without breaking the other. See headless and composable commerce with a PIM.

Open source is not free either. There is no license fee, but customization, training, support and a skilled IT team to run it are on you, and security updates depend on you keeping up. Weigh it with open source PIM compared.

Where to go next

Now that you know the route, check that the system fits it. Compare what systems can do in PIM features and capabilities, shortlist in best PIM software, and write the requirements with the PIM RFP guide. Where the PIM stops and the ERP starts is in where ERP stops and PIM starts.

Where to go from here

Both tools are free and independent of any vendor.

Not sure you need a PIM yet?

A short check that shows whether a dedicated PIM helps your catalog, or whether spreadsheets and ERP still do the job.

Check if a PIM fits

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