PIM comparison
ConnectingTheDots vs Pimberly
Two SaaS PIMs with a DAM and supplier validation, one quoted per proposal and one with published tiers. How ConnectingTheDots and Pimberly differ on scope, data model, channels, AI, architecture and pricing, from public sources only.
Same category, two different emphases
ConnectingTheDots
In its own words “Good product data starts before your PIM.”1
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.
Pimberly
In its own words “Integrated PIM & DAM Platform Driving eCommerce Success”33
A UK SaaS vendor founded in Manchester in 2015 and still led by its founder. Its platform combines PIM and DAM, with add-ons for supplier and customer portals, catalogues, spec sheets and AI, and it publishes its tier prices. Pimberly says it is built for manufacturers, brands, distributors and retailers.
“Both cover the core PIM job. Look at how supplier data gets in, what each package includes, and what you need to know about cost up front.”
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 are sold as SaaS, and neither lists a self-hosted or open-source edition.
- Both include a DAM in the platform and validate supplier data as it comes in.
- Both build workflows visually, and in both, AI suggestions pass through steps a person can review.
- Neither has channel performance analytics in its line-up.
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.
| ConnectingTheDots | Pimberly | |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2008, according to its LinkedIn page; its About page says active since 2009. It traded as ID interactive until a 2017 rename.213 | 20153249 |
| Headquarters | Zwolle, the Netherlands (Nervistraat 2). The registry lists ID Interactive B.V., with ConnectingTheDots as its trading name.45 | Manchester, United Kingdom, with an office in New York.32 |
| Ownership | A private limited company (B.V.). Co-founder Max Schrevelius is named as an owner. We found no announced outside investment.53 | Founder-led and venture-backed. Mercia and NPIF first invested in 2018 and backed a £4m round in February 2024, taking total funding past £14m. Virgin Money provided £5m of venture debt in December 2025.4849 |
| Chief executive | Arnout Schutte, co-founder and managing director. Co-founder Max Schrevelius is commercial director.67 | Martin Balaam, founder32 |
| Size, in the vendor's own words | 50+ implementations, as stated by ConnectingTheDots. Its LinkedIn page lists 51-200 employees. No customer count published.12 | 87 employees and 169 customers in July 2026. The corporate page now lists 175 customers.5032 |
| Delivery | SaaS, as described by ConnectingTheDots. The hosting provider and data region are not published.87 | SaaS, deployed on AWS. We found no self-hosted edition.47 |
| Published pricing | No prices published. PIM and PIM Enterprise are quoted per proposal, with implementation as a separate one-off cost.10 | Published per year: Regular €36,000, Pro €60,000, Corporate €90,000. Enterprise is quote only.34 |
| Security certifications | Not published: no security certification named on the ConnectingTheDots pages we checked. | Not published: no security certification stated on the 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
ConnectingTheDots includes Import & Onboarding and Publishing & Channels in both plans and adds ESG and compliance data such as EPR exports and Digital Product Passports; it lists no print module. Pimberly includes the DAM and unlimited export channels in every tier, and sells customer portals, InDesign catalogues, PDF spec sheets and AI as priced add-ons.
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, with Import & Onboarding in front of it and modules for the data model, workflows and AI, publishing, reporting and user management.9
The PIM, with built-in validation rules, completeness tracking and workflows.35
Master data beyond products
Supplier onboarding
Digital assets
Syndication
Channel performance analytics
No channel performance or digital shelf analytics in the line-up. Reporting covers data quality, completeness and progress per channel.15
Sharing with partners
Print and publishing
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
ConnectingTheDots models entities, product families, variants and relations, with fields per language, market and channel and category trees that can follow GS1 or ETIM. Pimberly scopes products with attributes and assets by channel and locale, and keeps a product unchanged until its approval workflow reaches an accepted state.
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
Entities, product families, attributes, variants and relations, with contextual fields per language, market and channel. Category trees can follow GS1 or ETIM.12
Data quality
Workflow and governance
Visual workflows where each step is done by a person, an AI agent or the workflow, with tasks, notifications and deadlines. The pricing table lists advanced governance and audit trails for Enterprise only.1310
A drag-and-drop builder for approval and automation workflows. A product stays unchanged until its approval workflow reaches an accepted state.37
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
ConnectingTheDots publishes through templates for Amazon, Bol and Kaufland, delivers GDSN records through a GS1 Connector (Qmica) and lists integrations for commerce platforms from Shopify to Lightspeed. Pimberly includes unlimited export channels, lists marketplaces such as Amazon, eBay, Walmart and Wayfair, and builds its own Shopify and BigCommerce connectors.
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
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.18
Connectors built by Pimberly for Shopify and BigCommerce, plus a Commerce Connector middleware for other cloud commerce platforms.44
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
ConnectingTheDots runs agents for classification, enrichment, translation and channel checks as workflow steps, uses AI to map supplier feeds, and publishes no statement on MCP access. Pimberly runs prompts on products through Pimbles with approval steps, fills attributes from images with ImageAI, and says outside agents connect through its API rather than a hosted MCP server.
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
Not published: no statement on an MCP server or other access for outside AI tools.
No hosted MCP server, as stated by Pimberly in October 2026. It says agents can connect through its API.43
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
ConnectingTheDots is SaaS and does not publish its hosting provider or stack; it offers an open API, feeds and webhooks and a SAP Business One integration. Pimberly runs on AWS and offers one API that it says covers everything in the interface, with connectors from Pimberly and partners such as Xiatech; we found no app marketplace for either.
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
SaaS, as described by ConnectingTheDots. The hosting provider and data region are not published on the pages we checked.87
SaaS deployed on AWS, also listed on AWS Marketplace.47
Technology
Not published: no statement on the languages, frameworks or databases behind the platform.
Not published as such. AWS and MongoDB appear among the partners on Pimberly's partner page.45
APIs
An open API for custom integrations, plus feeds and webhooks. Wehkamp syncs changes to its webshop and app over Apache Kafka. We found no public API documentation.91823
An API that Pimberly says covers everything available in the interface.43
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
ConnectingTheDots publishes no prices and quotes PIM and PIM Enterprise per proposal, with implementation as a separate one-off cost. Pimberly publishes yearly tier prices from €36,000 (Regular) to €90,000 (Corporate), scaled by SKUs, users and storage, with Enterprise quote only.
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. ConnectingTheDots makes a proposal after reviewing requirements.10
Yes. Tier prices per year in euros, pounds and dollars, from €36,000 (Regular) to €90,000 (Corporate). Enterprise is quote only.34
Packages
PIM and PIM Enterprise. Enterprise adds multiple brands and markets, advanced governance and audit trails, and high-volume automation.10
Pricing unit
No single unit: product range, data sources, sales channels and automation needs set the price. Implementation is a separate one-off cost.10
Tiers scale by SKUs, users and storage: Regular covers 50,000 SKUs and 20 users. Channels, currencies and brands are unlimited.34
Open source
No open-source edition. The terms grant a non-exclusive licence to use the software in object code and prohibit decompiling.29
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
ConnectingTheDots publishes no tiers or partner count and agrees one of three collaboration models with each partner (referral, reseller or implementation partner), with training and certification. Pimberly names agency, consultancy, SI and technology partners such as Orium, Space48 and Infoverity, and does not describe partner tiers on the pages we checked.
Who implements the platform, and with what. The partner you pick shapes the project as much as the software does.
Partner network
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.28
Agency, consultancy, SI and technology partners, including Orium, Space48 and Infoverity.45
Partner tiers
No tiers published. Three collaboration models (referral, reseller and implementation partner), chosen with each partner, with training and certification.28
Not described on the pages we checked.
Partner-built tooling
The GS1 Connector carries Qmica's name and uses validated GS1 data from Qmica; who builds it is not stated. We found no other partner-built tooling.2018
Xiatech connects its Xfuze integration platform to Pimberly under a partnership announced in November 2025.46
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
ConnectingTheDots is not among the 16 vendors in the 2026 Gartner Magic Quadrant for PIM, and we found no IDC coverage of it. Gartner's report places Pimberly as a Niche Player and Pimberly states a Major Player placement by IDC without naming the edition; we found no Forrester statement from either.
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
Not among the 16 vendors in the edition, per Gartner's report.30
Niche Player, per Gartner's report. We found no Pimberly announcement of the placement.31
IDC MarketScape, latest PIM or MDM edition
We found no IDC MarketScape for PIM that includes ConnectingTheDots, and no ConnectingTheDots statement on one.
Major Player, as stated by Pimberly in September 2025. Pimberly does not name the IDC edition.51
The Forrester Wave, latest PIM or MDM edition
We found no Forrester Wave for PIM that includes ConnectingTheDots, and no ConnectingTheDots statement on one.
We found no Pimberly statement on The Forrester Wave: PIM, Q4 2023, the latest edition.
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 ConnectingTheDots when
- many suppliers send feeds in their own formats, and AI should suggest mappings before data reaches the PIM
- content goes to marketplaces such as Bol and Kaufland, or to GS1 data pools through the Qmica connector
- category trees should follow GS1 or ETIM, with fields that change per language, market and channel
- compliance work such as ESG evidence, EPR exports and Digital Product Passports should run from the same product record
Teams tend to shortlist Pimberly when
- the budget has to be set from published tier prices before the first sales call
- content goes to many channels, currencies and brands, and the team wants them unlimited in every tier
- customers should pull approved product data from a portal of their own
- print catalogues in InDesign and PDF spec sheets should come from the PIM, added when the team needs them
Expert view
ConnectingTheDots or Pimberly: it depends on your requirements
Leave pricing aside for a moment, and ConnectingTheDots and Pimberly have much in common: both are SaaS PIMs for product data, both include a DAM, both validate supplier data as it comes in, and both keep a person in the loop for AI. The differences show up in packaging and pricing: what is included, what costs extra, and how much each tells you about cost before the first meeting.
ConnectingTheDots, with Import & Onboarding in front of the PIM, marketplace templates and ESG data, suits retailers, wholesalers and brands that take in data from many suppliers and want a proposal shaped around their requirements. Pimberly, with published tiers, unlimited export channels and priced add-ons, suits manufacturers, brands, distributors and retailers that want to see the cost up front and add portals, print and AI later. Neither profile matters unless it answers a requirement you can name.
What works best for you depends on your unique requirements. Write them down first, then ask both vendors to import a real supplier file and publish to one of your channels. Talk to us before the demos and we will gladly help you prepare them.
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.
- Pimberly
Pimberly says ARR passed USD 10 million
In its 28 July 2026 update, Pimberly said annual recurring revenue reached USD 10.4 million in early June 2026, up 25% year on year, across 169 customers.
Pimberly - 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 - Pimberly
Pimberly raises £5 million in venture debt from Virgin Money.
The funding supports expansion in the UK and the US.
BusinessCloud - Pimberly
Pimberly and Xiatech announce a partnership
The companies said they would connect Xiatech's Xfuze platform with Pimberly PIM and DAM.
Pimberly - Pimberly
Pimberly reports USD 8.1 million ARR for the first half of 2025
In its 15 September 2025 update, Pimberly said annual recurring revenue had risen 25% year on year to USD 8.1 million and that it had 149 customers.
Pimberly - Pimberly
Pimberly receives a King's Award for Enterprise
Pimberly announced on 12 May 2025 that it had received the King's Award for Enterprise in International Trade.
Pimberly
Frequently asked questions
What is the main difference between ConnectingTheDots and Pimberly?
Both are SaaS PIMs for product data with a DAM, supplier validation and visual workflows. ConnectingTheDots puts Import & Onboarding in front of the PIM in both of its plans, publishes to marketplaces such as Bol and Kaufland, manages ESG and compliance data, and quotes per proposal. Pimberly publishes its tier prices, includes unlimited export channels in every tier and sells portals, print and AI as add-ons. Which difference matters depends on your suppliers, your channels and your budget process.
Do ConnectingTheDots and Pimberly publish their prices?
Pimberly does: Regular costs €36,000, Pro €60,000 and Corporate €90,000 a year, and Enterprise is quote only, with add-ons such as Pimberly AI from €7,500 a year. ConnectingTheDots publishes no prices and makes a proposal for PIM or PIM Enterprise after reviewing requirements, based on product range, data sources, sales channels and automation needs, with implementation as a separate one-off cost. Compare offers over three to five years, including add-ons and implementation.
Can you self-host ConnectingTheDots or Pimberly?
Neither lists a self-hosted edition. ConnectingTheDots is SaaS and does not publish its hosting provider or data region; its general terms mention client-managed servers, but no such offer is described on the pages we checked. Pimberly is SaaS deployed on AWS, and is also listed on AWS Marketplace.
How do the AI features of ConnectingTheDots and Pimberly compare?
ConnectingTheDots runs agents for classification, enrichment, translation and channel checks as workflow steps, with suggestions a person can review, edit and revert, and uses AI in Import & Onboarding to suggest mappings. It publishes no statement on MCP. Pimberly's Pimbles runs prompts on products with approval steps, ImageAI fills attributes from product images, Pimberly AI is an add-on, and Pimberly says agents connect through its API, not a hosted MCP server. Test both on your own products.
How do ConnectingTheDots and Pimberly handle supplier data?
ConnectingTheDots' Import & Onboarding, included in both plans, collects, maps and validates supplier feeds before they reach the PIM, uses AI to recognise formats and sends failing records to a work queue. Pimberly's Vendor Portal offers product data templates per vendor and applies the same validation rules as the core PIM; its pricing page gives it no price or plan. Ask both vendors to import one of your real supplier files.
How do you choose between ConnectingTheDots and Pimberly?
Write down your requirements first. Then run a scripted demo in which both vendors import a real supplier file, model your own products and publish to one of your channels. Compare the offers over three to five years, including add-ons, implementation, connectors 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
- 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
- Gartner Magic Quadrant for Product Information Management Solutions Published 12 Oct 2026
- Pimberly About Pimberly
- Pimberly Homepage
- Pimberly Pricing
- Pimberly Product information management platform
- Pimberly Digital asset management
- Pimberly Workflows
- Pimberly Vendor Portal
- Pimberly Customer Portal
- Pimberly Pimberly Catalog
- Pimberly Automated product spec and sell sheets
- Pimberly Pimberly AI
- Pimberly What is agentic PIM? And why it's not agentic commerce Published 12 Oct 2026
- Pimberly Integrations
- Pimberly Pimberly partner network
- Pimberly Xiatech and Pimberly announce strategic partnership Published 3 Nov 2025
- AWS Marketplace Pimberly SaaS PIM/DAM
- Mercia Product information platform set for further US growth after £4m fundraise Published 27 Feb 2024
- Pimberly Pimberly secures £5 million venture debt funding from Virgin Money to accelerate global growth Published 17 Dec 2025
- Pimberly Pimberly crosses $10M ARR: inside a landmark first half of 2026 Published 30 Jul 2026
- Pimberly Pimberly business update for mid-2025 Published 16 Sept 2025