PIM comparison
Centric PXM vs ConnectingTheDots
Two SaaS PIMs with supplier onboarding in front of the PIM. How Centric PXM, formerly Contentserv, and ConnectingTheDots differ on scope, data model, channels, AI, architecture and pricing, from public sources only.
Same category, two different emphases
Centric PXM
In its own words “AI-powered product experience management”9
Centric PXM, formerly Contentserv, is the product experience management suite of Centric Software, a Dassault Systèmes subsidiary that agreed to buy Contentserv in February 2025. It combines PIM and DAM with content syndication through Centric Shoppingfeed, digital shelf analytics and an Onboarding Portal for supplier data. It is aimed at brands, manufacturers, retailers and distributors, and Centric says it connects natively to Centric PLM and its planning and pricing products.
ConnectingTheDots
In its own words “Good product data starts before your PIM.”28
A Dutch PIM vendor based in Zwolle, run by ID Interactive B.V. under the ConnectingTheDots name. It sells a SaaS PIM in two plans, with an Import & Onboarding layer that maps and validates supplier data before it reaches the PIM, and AI agents for classification, enrichment and translation. It is aimed at retailers, wholesalers and brands; its published customer cases include Wehkamp, de Bijenkorf and ANWB.
“Both clean up supplier data before it reaches the PIM. Choose on where your content has to go next, and on which systems it has to connect to.”
What they have in common
Read the differences below against this common ground. Both are credible options for the same broad job.
- Both are PIM-first and product-focused: neither line-up has customer or location master data domains.
- Both put a supplier onboarding layer in front of the PIM, where AI helps map and validate incoming data before it reaches the product record.
- Both have a DAM beside the PIM, and neither has a print module in its own line-up.
- Both are sold as SaaS without an open-source edition, and neither publishes prices or says which cloud provider hosts its PIM.
- Both handle Digital Product Passports (Centric PXM through Centric DPP, ConnectingTheDots as a publishing target), and both can classify products on ETIM.
When to look beyond both
You want a fully MACH, composable PIM with AI built in.
Bluestone PIM
Ergonode
You need multi-domain PIM and MDM, or GDSN and retailer compliance drive the project.
Syndigo
Stibo Systems
You need multi-domain PIM and MDM with AI features.
Viamedici
Informatica Product 360
You want commerce and PIM in one platform, with AI built in.
Crystallize
Pimcore
At a glance
The basic facts side by side. Every cell links to the public page it comes from.
| Centric PXM | ConnectingTheDots | |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2000, in Germany, as Contentserv.6 | 2008, according to its LinkedIn page; its About page says active since 2009. It traded as ID interactive until a 2017 rename.292830 |
| Headquarters | Centric Software is based in Campbell, California. Contentserv offices in Munich and Rohrbach (Germany), Lier (Belgium) and Faro (Portugal).12 | Zwolle, the Netherlands (Nervistraat 2). The registry lists ID Interactive B.V., with ConnectingTheDots as its trading name.3132 |
| Ownership | Part of Centric Software since 2025. Investcorp, majority owner of Contentserv since 2019, agreed to sell at an enterprise value of €220 million. Dassault Systèmes took a majority stake in Centric in 2018.6798 | A private limited company (B.V.). Co-founder Max Schrevelius is named as an owner. We found no announced outside investment.3230 |
| Chief executive | Fabrice Canonge, CEO of Centric Software since October 2025. A June 2025 release names Michael Kugler as Managing Director of Centric PXM.109 | Arnout Schutte, co-founder and managing director. Co-founder Max Schrevelius is commercial director.3334 |
| Size, in the vendor's own words | 1,600+ customers in 90 countries when the deal was announced in 2025. Centric Software as a whole states 1,500+ employees.611 | 50+ implementations, as stated by ConnectingTheDots. Its LinkedIn page lists 51-200 employees. No customer count published.2829 |
| Delivery | SaaS. We found no current statement on an on-premise edition.5 | SaaS, as described by ConnectingTheDots. The hosting provider and data region are not published.3534 |
| Published pricing | No prices published. The Centric PXM pages point to a demo request.1 | No prices published. PIM and PIM Enterprise are quoted per proposal, with implementation as a separate one-off cost.37 |
| Security certifications | Centric Software lists ISO/IEC 27001:2022, 27017 and 27018, and SOC 2 Type 2, without naming the products in scope.13 | Not published: no security certification named on the ConnectingTheDots pages we checked. |
Factor by factor
Eight factors, each with how the two approaches differ. Open a factor for the sourced facts and the questions to ask both vendors. Nothing here is scored.
How a capability is deliveredDescribes packaging, not quality.
- In the platform
- Separate module
- Apps or partners
- Not offered
- Not publicly documented
01 · How they differProduct scope and packaging
Centric PXM groups Centric DAM, Centric Shoppingfeed, Centric DSA and an Onboarding Portal around its PIM, adds Centric DPP as a standalone product, and says it connects natively to Centric PLM. ConnectingTheDots puts Import & Onboarding, a DAM component and Publishing & Channels in both of its plans, covers ESG and compliance data such as EPR exports, and reports on data quality and completeness rather than channel performance.
What each vendor sells around the product record, and how it is packaged. Packaging decides what is in the licence, what costs extra, and who you call when something breaks.
Core PIM
The PIM sits at the core of Centric PXM, with DAM, syndication and digital shelf analytics around it.12
The PIM, with Import & Onboarding in front of it and modules for the data model, workflows and AI, publishing, reporting and user management.36
Master data beyond products
Product content only: no customer, supplier or location domains in the Centric PXM line-up.1
Supplier onboarding
Digital assets
Centric DAM, with AI tagging, similarity search, versioning and rights-checked delivery per channel.2
Syndication
Channel performance analytics
Centric DSA tracks prices, availability, content, ratings and sentiment, and sends weak SKUs back to the PIM.4
No channel performance or digital shelf analytics in the line-up. Reporting covers data quality, completeness and progress per channel.42
Sharing with partners
Not published: no statement on a portal for sharing catalogues with distributors or retailers.
Print and publishing
Other modules
Centric DPP, a standalone Digital Product Passport product from September 2026, with native connections to Centric PXM and Centric PLM.14
Ask both vendors
- Which of our requirements are in the base subscription, and which are separate modules, add-ons or partner apps?
- Who supports a partner app when it breaks: you, the partner or us?
- Can we add a module later without a new implementation project?
02 · How they differData model and governance
Centric PXM models hierarchies, attributes, validations and relationships with variants and regional assortments, with built-in approval workflows and role-based access. ConnectingTheDots models entities, product families, attributes, variants and relations with fields per language, market and channel, and runs visual workflows in which each step is done by a person, an AI agent or the workflow itself.
How products, variants and relationships are modelled, and how each platform keeps data complete and approved. This decides how much of your catalogue fits without workarounds.
Modelling approach
Hierarchies, attributes, validations and relationships, with variants and regional assortments. A paid Classification Library app builds models from ETIM and ECLASS.217
Entities, product families, attributes, variants and relations, with contextual fields per language, market and channel. Category trees can follow GS1 or ETIM.39
Data quality
Workflow and governance
Built-in workflows for tasks, approvals and collaboration, with role-based access and permissions.2
Ask both vendors
- Model our three hardest products live: a configurable item, a bundle and a spare part with fitment data.
- How do completeness rules differ per channel and per locale?
- What does a change to the data model cost once we are live?
03 · How they differSyndication and channels
Centric PXM syndicates through Centric Shoppingfeed, which reaches 1,000+ endpoints such as Amazon, eBay and TikTok Shop, syncs marketplace orders and names commerce platforms such as Shopify, PrestaShop and VTEX. ConnectingTheDots publishes by push, feed or API with templates for Amazon, Bol and Kaufland, sends GDSN records to data pools through a GS1 Connector (Qmica) and lists commerce integrations such as Shopify, Shopware and commercetools.
How product content leaves the PIM: to your own webshop, to marketplaces and retailers, and to commerce platforms. If the number of channels is your bottleneck, this factor weighs more than the editing screens.
Delivery to retailers and marketplaces
Commerce platform connectors
Shoppingfeed names Magento, Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, PrestaShop and VTEX. SAWS, a partner, builds paid Shopify and Shopware connectors.32021
Integrations listed for Shopify, Magento and Adobe Commerce, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Shopware, Salesforce Commerce Cloud, commercetools and Lightspeed. The page does not say who maintains each one.45
Ask both vendors
- Show a live feed to one marketplace we use, including what happens when the channel rejects an item.
- Which channel connectors do you maintain yourselves, and which do partners maintain?
- When a retailer changes its template, who updates the mapping, and at what cost?
04 · How they differAI features
Centric PXM cites over 75 AI use cases and offers a paid AI Connector on the customer's own model account; Centric AI MCP, announced in September 2026, does not say what it exposes or when it is available. ConnectingTheDots runs AI agents for classification, enrichment, translation and channel checks as workflow steps with an audit trail, and publishes no statement on MCP or other access for outside AI tools.
What AI does inside each product, as announced by the vendor. Vendors ship AI features several times a year, so read this as a snapshot and test on your own data.
Agents in the platform
AI in onboarding
Access for outside AI tools
Centric AI MCP, announced in September 2026 for the Centric portfolio. The release does not say what it exposes or when it is available.15
Not published: no statement on an MCP server or other access for outside AI tools.
Ask both vendors
- Which AI features are in the subscription, and which are priced per use or per credit?
- Run the enrichment on ten of our real products and show what a reviewer still has to correct.
- Where is our data processed, and is it used to train models?
05 · How they differArchitecture and integrations
Centric PXM integrates through REST APIs, connectors and a marketplace of free and paid apps, and names SAP among its ERP connections, with no SAP-certified connector that we found. ConnectingTheDots integrates through an open API, feeds and webhooks, with no public API documentation or app store that we found, and its SAP Business One integration pulls items, bills of materials, price lists and stock into the PIM.
How each platform is hosted, built, extended and connected to ERP, commerce and DAM systems. This is where IT teams spend most of their evaluation time.
Hosting
Technology
Not published: no statement on languages, frameworks or databases on the Centric PXM pages we checked.
Not published: no statement on the languages, frameworks or databases behind the platform.
APIs
Extensibility
The Centric PXM Marketplace lists free and paid apps from Centric PXM and partners, for channels, DAM, translation, AI and print.16
SAP S/4HANA
Centric PXM names SAP among the ERP systems it connects to through connectors and APIs. We found no SAP-certified connector.1
Ask both vendors
- Which connectors for our ERP and commerce platform are yours, and which are built by partners?
- What are the API rate limits, and how long does a bulk import of our full catalogue take?
- Where is our data hosted, and can we choose the region?
06 · How they differPricing and licensing
Neither publishes prices or offers open source. Centric PXM names no packages or pricing unit, points to a demo request and marks its marketplace apps as free or paid; ConnectingTheDots quotes its PIM and PIM Enterprise plans per proposal, sets the price on product range, data sources, channels and automation, and charges implementation separately.
How each vendor packages its offer and what moves the price. Compare offers over three to five years, including modules, connectors, partner work and your own team, not on the first-year licence.
Published prices
None. The Centric PXM pages point to a demo request.1
None. ConnectingTheDots makes a proposal after reviewing requirements.37
Packages
No editions or packages named on the Centric PXM pages. Marketplace apps are marked free or paid.116
PIM and PIM Enterprise. Enterprise adds multiple brands and markets, advanced governance and audit trails, and high-volume automation.37
Pricing unit
Not published: no statement on whether price follows products, users, channels or modules.
No single unit: product range, data sources, sales channels and automation needs set the price. Implementation is a separate one-off cost.37
Open source
No open-source edition. The terms grant a non-exclusive licence to use the software in object code and prohibit decompiling.56
Self-hosted licence
Not published: no current statement on an on-premise or self-hosted licence.
No self-hosted edition is listed. The general terms mention client-managed servers on which the software runs, but no such offer is described.56
Ask both vendors
- Which metrics drive the price: products, users, channels, locales, API calls or modules?
- How are renewals priced, and is there a cap on increases?
- What does year three cost if our catalogue doubles?
07 · How they differPartners and implementation
Centric PXM lists 56 partners across Europe, the Americas and Asia Pacific, in two types without tier definitions, and partners sell apps in its marketplace. ConnectingTheDots works with implementation partners, agencies, system integrators and technology partners under three collaboration models (referral, reseller and implementation partner), with training and certification.
Who implements the platform, and with what. The partner you pick shapes the project as much as the software does.
Partner network
56 partners in the Centric PXM directory, across Europe, the Americas and Asia Pacific.24
Implementation partners, agencies, system integrators and technology partners. The partners page shows six logos: WoodWing, Qmica, PIMvendors, PIMDAMPET, Tweakwise and Bynder. No partner count published.55
Partner tiers
Two partner types: Service & Support Partners and Technology Partners. No tier definitions published.24
No tiers published. Three collaboration models (referral, reseller and implementation partner), chosen with each partner, with training and certification.55
Ask both vendors
- Which certified partners in our region have delivered a project like ours in the last two years?
- What does your own team do during the implementation, and what is left to the partner?
- Can we speak to two customers in our industry?
08 · How they differAnalyst coverage
Gartner's 2026 Magic Quadrant for PIM places Centric Software as a Niche Player, and ConnectingTheDots is not among the 16 vendors in that edition. Contentserv announced a Strong Performer placement in The Forrester Wave, Q4 2023, where we found no statement from ConnectingTheDots, and we found no IDC MarketScape for PIM that includes either vendor.
Where analyst firms placed each vendor in recent editions, as announced by the vendor or the analyst. Analysts weigh criteria you may not share, so read this as a map of the market, not a ranking for your project.
Gartner Magic Quadrant for PIM, 2026
Niche Player, listed as Centric Software, per Gartner's report. We found no Centric announcement of the placement.25
Not among the 16 vendors in the edition, per Gartner's report.57
IDC MarketScape, latest PIM or MDM edition
We found no IDC MarketScape for PIM that includes Centric PXM. Centric's October 2026 IDC Leader announcement covers merchandise financial planning.26
We found no IDC MarketScape for PIM that includes ConnectingTheDots, and no ConnectingTheDots statement on one.
The Forrester Wave, latest PIM or MDM edition
Strong Performer in the Q4 2023 edition, as announced by Contentserv. We found no Centric statement on a later edition.27
We found no Forrester Wave for PIM that includes ConnectingTheDots, and no ConnectingTheDots statement on one.
Ask both vendors
- Which of the analyst's criteria match our requirements, and where did you score lowest?
Where each tends to fit
Teams tend to shortlist Centric PXM when
- content has to reach a long list of marketplaces, with marketplace orders synced through the same syndication product
- the team wants digital shelf analytics on prices, availability, ratings and sentiment, linked back to the PIM
- product content should connect natively to Centric PLM, or to Centric's planning and pricing products
- Digital Product Passports should run as a product of their own, connected to both the PIM and Centric PLM
Teams tend to shortlist ConnectingTheDots when
- AI agents should run as steps in visual workflows, with suggestions the team can review, edit and revert
- the catalogue is sold through Bol, Kaufland or Amazon, with channel-specific prices and mappings
- ESG and compliance evidence with validity dates, or EPR exports, has to be managed with the product data
- the ERP is SAP Business One, and items, bills of materials, price lists and stock should flow into the PIM
Expert view
Centric PXM or ConnectingTheDots: it depends on your requirements
Follow a supplier file from arrival to channel and Centric PXM and ConnectingTheDots cover much of the same ground: supplier onboarding in front of the PIM, with AI that helps map and validate incoming data, a DAM beside it, SaaS delivery and no published prices. The differences show up in how each is put together: Centric PXM as one suite in Centric Software's portfolio, with syndication and shelf analytics as products of their own, and ConnectingTheDots as one PIM in two plans, with onboarding and publishing in both and AI agents running inside its workflows.
Centric PXM's Shoppingfeed syndication, digital shelf analytics and native links to Centric PLM suit brands, manufacturers and retailers that want channels, shelf monitoring and product development from one portfolio. ConnectingTheDots' Import & Onboarding layer, AI agents as workflow steps and templates for Amazon, Bol and Kaufland suit retailers, wholesalers and brands that want supplier data checked at the door and AI that follows their own rules. Neither profile matters unless it answers a requirement you can name.
What works best for you depends on your unique requirements. List them, then ask both vendors to onboard the same supplier file, model your trickiest products and publish to a channel you already sell on. Talk to us if that sounds useful: we are glad to help you run both demos on equal terms, vendor-neutral.
Independent advice that starts from your requirements, not from a platform.
Recent moves
Releases, deals and leadership changes from both vendors, newest first, each with its source.
- ConnectingTheDots
ConnectingTheDots partners with Qmica on product data.
On 27 January 2026 the companies said they will combine the PIM with Qmica commerce tools for product data flows.
ConnectingTheDots - Centric PXM
Centric presents Contentserv, now called Centric PXM, at K5.
The June note also says Centric acquired Contentserv in February 2025.
Centric Software
Frequently asked questions
What is the main difference between Centric PXM and ConnectingTheDots?
Both are product-focused SaaS PIMs with supplier onboarding in front of the product record. Centric PXM, formerly Contentserv, is part of Centric Software and sells syndication through Centric Shoppingfeed, digital shelf analytics through Centric DSA and native links to Centric PLM. ConnectingTheDots, a Dutch vendor based in Zwolle, sells one PIM in two plans, with Import & Onboarding, a DAM component, Publishing & Channels and AI agents that run as workflow steps. Which difference matters depends on your channels, your suppliers and your wider IT landscape.
What has changed since Contentserv became Centric PXM?
Centric Software, a Dassault Systèmes subsidiary, agreed to buy Contentserv in February 2025, and Investcorp, majority owner since 2019, agreed to sell at an enterprise value of €220 million, according to Investcorp. The suite now trades as Centric PXM, with modules such as Centric DAM, Centric Shoppingfeed and Centric DSA, and Centric says it connects natively to Centric PLM. In September 2026 Centric launched Centric DPP and announced Centric AI and Centric AI MCP for its whole portfolio.
Do Centric PXM and ConnectingTheDots publish their prices?
No. Centric PXM publishes no prices or packages, and its pages point to a demo request. ConnectingTheDots quotes its PIM and PIM Enterprise plans per proposal, based on product range, data sources, sales channels and automation needs, with implementation as a separate one-off cost. Ask both which metrics drive cost and compare offers over three to five years.
How do Centric PXM and ConnectingTheDots handle supplier data?
Both validate and map supplier data before it reaches the PIM. In Centric PXM, AI in the Onboarding Portal validates and maps supplier and brand data, and inside the PIM, validation rules and AI flag gaps and inconsistencies across the assortment. In ConnectingTheDots, Import & Onboarding collects, maps and validates supplier feeds, AI suggests field and category mappings and flags deviations that fixed rules miss, and failing records go to a work queue. Test both with a real supplier file.
How do the AI features of Centric PXM and ConnectingTheDots compare?
Centric PXM cites over 75 AI use cases and sells an AI Connector that runs on the customer's own ChatGPT, Azure OpenAI, Gemini or Mistral account; Centric AI MCP was announced in September 2026 without a stated scope or date. ConnectingTheDots runs AI agents for classification, enrichment, translation and channel checks as workflow steps under the customer's rules, with suggestions that can be reviewed, edited and reverted, and publishes no statement on MCP. Test both on your own products.
How do you choose between Centric PXM and ConnectingTheDots?
Write down your requirements first. Then run a scripted demo in which both vendors model your own products, import a real supplier file and publish to one of your channels. Compare the offers over three to five years, including modules, marketplace apps, implementation and partner work.
Read next
How this comparison was built
We compared the two vendors on public information only: their own websites, documentation and press releases, plus reporting that names its source. We did not run either product for this page and we do not score or rank. Where a vendor does not publish something, the page says so instead of guessing.
We have a relationship with every vendor on our platform. None gets preferential treatment: all are compared in the same way, on the same factors, for our customers.
Spotted something out of date? Email info@pimvendors.com and we will check it against the source.
Sources
- Centric Software Centric PXM
- Centric Software PIM and DAM software
- Centric Software Digital Shelf Analytics
- Centric Software Centric PXM for Industrial Manufacturing
- Dassault Systèmes Dassault Systèmes announces Centric Software's acquisition of AI-powered PXM solution, Contentserv Published 25 Feb 2025
- Investcorp Investcorp agrees to sell software vendor Contentserv Published 25 Feb 2025
- Dassault Systèmes Dassault Systèmes to acquire majority stake in Centric Software Published 14 Jun 2018
- Centric Software Contentserv, now Centric PXM, to showcase AI-powered product experience management at K5 2025 Published 19 Jun 2025
- Centric Software Fabrice Canonge named Chief Executive Officer of Centric Software Published 30 Oct 2025
- Centric Software About us
- Centric Software Contact and offices
- Centric Software Security and data privacy
- Centric Software Centric Software launches Centric DPP Published 24 Sept 2026
- Centric Software Centric Software unveils Centric AI to power smarter product decisions at NRF 2026 Published 10 Sept 2026
- Centric Software Centric PXM Marketplace
- Centric Software Classification Library
- Centric Software AI Connector
- Centric Software Digital Publishing Connector
- Centric Software Shopify Connector
- Centric Software Shopware Connector
- Centric Software Integration Suite
- MuleSoft Anypoint Exchange Contentserv API Published 24 Feb 2021
- Centric Software Centric PXM partners
- Gartner Magic Quadrant for Product Information Management Solutions Published 12 Oct 2026
- Centric Software Centric Software named a Leader in 2026 IDC MarketScape for Worldwide Retail Merchandise Financial Planning Solutions Published 14 Oct 2026
- Contentserv via ECのミカタ Contentserv named a Strong Performer in The Forrester Wave: Product Information Management, Q4 2023 (in Japanese) Published 19 Dec 2023
- ConnectingTheDots About ConnectingTheDots
- LinkedIn ConnectingTheDots company page
- Emerce Author profile: Max Schrevelius
- ConnectingTheDots Contact
- OpenCorporates ID Interactive B.V. company record (08185975)
- ConnectingTheDots Agentic commerce starts with product data. Not with AI. Published 8 Oct 2026
- ConnectingTheDots Webinar: Import & Onboarding in partnership with PIMvendors.com Published 8 Apr 2025
- ConnectingTheDots Implementation Consultant vacancy
- ConnectingTheDots PIM platform
- ConnectingTheDots PIM pricing and plans
- ConnectingTheDots Import & Onboarding
- ConnectingTheDots Data Model & Structure
- ConnectingTheDots Workflows & AI
- ConnectingTheDots Publishing & Channels
- ConnectingTheDots Reporting & Analytics
- ConnectingTheDots User Management
- ConnectingTheDots Product Information Management
- ConnectingTheDots Integrations
- ConnectingTheDots SAP Business One integration
- ConnectingTheDots GS1 Connector (Qmica)
- ConnectingTheDots Bynder DAM integration
- Bynder Marketplace ConnectingTheDots PIM
- ConnectingTheDots Customer case: Wehkamp
- ConnectingTheDots Customer case: Masimo
- ConnectingTheDots ESG and sustainability data
- ConnectingTheDots AI product data automation
- ConnectingTheDots Supplier data onboarding
- ConnectingTheDots Partners
- ConnectingTheDots Terms and Conditions
- Gartner Magic Quadrant for Product Information Management Solutions Published 12 Oct 2026