ROI of Product Data for Multichannel Commerce - … · Study ROI of Product Data for Multichannel Commerce Measurable Results in Terms of Margins, Revenue, Costs and Product Launches

Study

ROI of Product Data for Multichannel CommerceMeasurable Results in Terms of Margins, Revenue, Costs and Product Launches

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While every attempt has been made to ensure that the information in this document is accurate and complete, some typographical errors or technical inaccuracies may exist. Informatica does not accept responsibility for any kind of loss resulting from the use of information contained in this document. The information contained in this document is subject to change without notice.

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Protected by one or more of the following U.S. Patents: 6,032,158; 5,794,246; 6,014,670; 6,339,775; 6,044,374; 6,208,990; 6,208,990; 6,850,947; 6,895,471; or by the following pending U.S. Patents: 09/644,280; 10/966,046; 10/727,700.

This edition published November 2013

1ROI of Product Data for Multichannel Commerce

Study

Table of ContentsEditorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Partner

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Participants in the Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Summary of the Study Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Quality is Ranked Above Everything Else . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

PIM and the Business Model. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Expansion and Internationalization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Product Range Strategy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Customer-Specifi c Business Models/Product Ranges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Increases in Revenue and Profi t Using a PIM System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Data Maintenance and Speed. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Cross-Selling and Up-Selling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Customer Relations and Brand Loyalty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

PIM and Cost Savings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Data Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19Onboarding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Localization. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

PIM: The Optimization and Change Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Summary, Closing Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

2

EditorialDear Business Reader:This is one of the most internationally extensive studies regarding the business value of Product Information Management (PIM) solutions. It shows where and to which extent PIM provides utility in relation to business models, turnover, and costs for retailers and manufacturers.

We would like to thank the great international Informatica Partner Network – made up of universities, research institutes, consultants, and implementation partners from 17 countries. They have all contributed to designing and carrying out this study as well as supplying answers from a good 300 enterprise customers.

We would particularly like to thank Prof. Oliver Kretzschmar from Stuttgart Media University as well as Daniel Walter, the author of the Master’s thesis with the same name. The extensive results were evaluated under the leadership of the renowned consultant André Maletz. We would like to thank all these gentlemen for their professional cooperation.

We hope the study provides many helpful suggestions for your company.

Benjamin RundSenior Director Product Marketing PIM & Procurement

Partner

Research PartnerStuttgart Media Univerity

Business Model

CostCutting

IncreaseRevenue

Processes

Cresult, Hr. Andre Maletz

Bridging IT, Michael Weiß

Unic, Jorij Abraham

Viveris, Alain Huet

Werk II, Horst Huber

Descom, Juha Harju

Ideosity, Richard E. Dase

Listen Consulting, Claus Hänle

Eperium, Gertjan Schäfers

Theilgaard Mortensen, Morten Knold Lund

CSI, Chris Booker


Introduction

Motivation: Key Performance Indicators and Economic Impact of the Use of PIM and MDMOver the past few years there has been an increase in the introduction and implementation of complex PIM and MDM projects. Today, the systems available on the market have a powerful interface, integration, and workfl ow functions. The reorientation of business models for retailers and manufacturers, the increasingly growing cost pressures and the necessity for internationalization have generated the economic and operational necessity for PIM and MDM projects. Against this background, the present study is intended to shed light on the interactions between organization, market orientation, business models, and the supporting IT systems, as well as to provide new information on quantitative key performance indicators using PIM systems.

Methodology for conducting the study

The international online study was conducted jointly with 17 partner companies (see introduction); the preparation and the design of the survey was carried out by Informatica (former Heiler Software) as part of a master’s thesis for the Stuttgart Media University. The target groups were employees and managers responsible for processes in retail and manufacturing companies, with and without PIM experience in their own company. Out of a total of 430 participants, 310 survey results were assessed. This reduction in the number of participants can be attributed, on one hand, to participants failing to complete the survey and on the other hand to participants who did not fall within the scope of the research (e.g. did not represent either retail or manufacturing). With approximately 50 questions as the maximum number of users with PIM experience, the survey posed a challenge for all participants who had to be prepared to answer very extensive questions for approximately 20-30 minutes, some of which were very closely related to business processes. It can be seen as very positive outcome that 310 respondents answered all the questions in the questionnaire and thereby provided a sound foundation for reliable market data.

Approach to analysis: No PIM without a business model!

The questions and the data acquired allow various different approaches to analysis and forms of representation. A purely statistical, quantitative approach was not favored because this would not have done justice to the quality of the statements with regard to the impact of PIM/MDM on business approaches and cost/revenue trends. Instead the study has been organized according to questions that connect the process and business benefi ts with the survey results. The questions in the study were divided up into several sections according to business relevance so that the motivation of the study – the business relevance of knowledge of PIM/MDM – could be elaborated. All data from the survey has been included in the present study; none of the results have been excluded. Some topics with more quantitative content have not been presented in detail1.

In order to make the presentation of the results more transparent, the core statements of the retailers and manufacturers have provided the main focus.

Hypothesis: PIM makes a “real” change in a company!

The introduction of Product Information Management (PIM) is an important approach to a corporate desire to change. As well as the responsibility for data, which is often not clearly managed, change processes and information service levels, there may also be a technical systems solution; however the successful introduction of technology requires fundamental rethinking in the organization and in its processes of data and information management. The benefi ts in the business model and their potential for revenue and costs associated with the PIM “approach to change” become evident when the business case is examined holistically, in a way which, in addition to the technical assets, also includes the quality of processes and information in the calculation of expenses, costs and benefi ts2.

1 The purely quantitative data has been presented separately2 cf. Informatica PIM value model

4

Participants in the StudyWith 310 completed questionnaires, the present online study has gained access to a huge amount of experience in national and international businesses in the areas of retail and manufacturing.

Of the 310 participants evaluated, 46% represented retailers and 33% manufacturers. 21% of the respondents stated that they belonged to both groups3.

3 The analysis shows that many of the participants in the study had problems classifying themselves; the results have been omitted from the current study.

61% of the respondents reported that they belonged to management while 38% identifi ed themselves as being business users/specialists.

In total, 80% of the participants corresponding to 136 of 170 evaluated questionnaires were involved in the areas of IT (30.5 %), e-commerce (16.8 %), marketing (12.6%), master data management (11.4%) and product management (10.2 %).

The companies surveyed worked in a wide variety of business fi elds which means that a sector-neutral evaluation of the results could be carried out in the study, differentiated according to retailers and manufacturers.

At a little over 60%, the participating companies primarily serve business clients. 40% of the companies have a revenue of over €500 million per year, a further 23% achieve between €100-5000 million per year. 32% have a revenue of between €0-100 million per year and 5% of the respondents did not provide any information on their revenue.

Figure 1: Type of company

Type of your Company

Figure 2: Position in company

What is your position in your company?

What is your companys primary business?

Figure 3: Primary business fi eld


Of the companies surveyed, 65% have already introduced PIM/MDM. A further 11% are currently in the process of imple-menting a solution. 58% of the respondents have been using their system for longer than three years.

A signifi cant proportion (27%) of the companies work in a PIM/MDM environment that they have developed themselves, although 60% of this group admit that they are no longer satisfi ed with the system and need improvements or expansion.

Of those respondents who have not yet been introduced to a PIM/MDM solution, it is particularly noticeable that 60% of those cannot see a positive business case, yet 40% have no knowledge of the systems themselves or have no way of identifying the benefi ts. 40% of the companies who are not yet using PIM/MDM were not able to identify the need for it.

This information points to the need to explain the business case of a PIM initiative fully and to be able to identify the cross-departmental potential in purchasing, sales, product management, logistics, and IT.

The quantitative and qualitative responses to the study refl ect a very high proportion of practical experience.

This, in particular, supports the identifi cation of benefi ts based on sound practical experience. The many years of experience with PIM/MDM solutions of many of the participants make their statements very reliable, while the distribution over a wide range of industries confi rms the cross-sector relevance of the results.

Do you have a Product Information Management System (PIM) / Master Data Management (MDM) for your products?

Figure 4: Use of PIM/MDM

Figure 5 Lack of business case

Why are you not considering implementation of a PIM solution?

6

Summary of the Study Results

Quality is Ranked Above Everything ElseThe quality of products, services, and the range of products was rated very highly by all the participants, irrespective of their use of a PIM. In the companies with PIM, the quality of product information was seen as an important factor in differentiating themselves from the competition.

For the respondents with PIM experience (50%) the quality of product information was clearly ranked more highly than it was by the participants not using PIM (19%). A higher value was also placed on service (49% in comparison to 42%), and range of products (43% in comparison to 33%) by PIM users.

Alongside increasing customer satisfaction and customer loyalty (71%), the retailers surveyed also consider reducing errors related to product information (71%) and the completeness and enhancement of product data (64%) to be key areas of their activity. These are followed by the conversion rate (62%) and the reduction of costs for printed catalogs (63%).

Compared to retailers, 74% of the manufacturers surveyed that the enhancement and completeness of product information is relevant to selling their products. The reduction in errors, at 69%, was rated similarly; however, the increase in customer satisfaction was rated as being of less importance in the answers of the manufacturers (63%) than it was in those of the retailers.

When comparing the answers on the evaluation of the quality of product information (applicable to at least 90% of the product portfolio), it becomes clear that the experience with PIM systems leads to signifi cantly higher ratings for reduction of errors, added value from product data, and currency of information.

How do you differentiate yourself from the competition?

Figure 6: Differentiation from the competition

The importance of quality to Retailers/...

Figure 7 Relevance to product selling for the retailers

The importance of quality to Manufacturers

Figure 8: Relevance to product selling for the manufacturers


In addition, tool-based quality control is shown to have a positive effect and this is signifi cantly clearer in the view of those respondents using PIM.

64% of the manufacturers and 37% of the retailers with PIM use this quality option. This clearly differentiates them from the respondents without PIM (33% of manufacturers, 13% of retailers).

When comparing the self-assessments of manufacturers with and without a PIM solution, there are signifi cant improvements in the quota of returns, the completeness of the product data and a reduction in errors documented among PIM users.

When comparing the self-assessment of retailers, it can be seen that there is an improvement in the completeness of and reduction in errors in the product data.

Quality is and continues to be a key factor in differentiating the company on the market. This is the key to success for retailers and manufacturers, even if there are slight variations between them due to their different business models.

However, it is noticeable that, for those using Product Information Management, the factor “product data quality” (50%) clearly gains in importance, whereas the factors “product quality” (50%), “service” (49%) and “range of products” (43%) for those with PIM experience tend to be rated with similar importance.

This suggests that the companies surveyed have achieved a balance of the factors relating to their quality position and are therefore able to give their customers a promise of all-round quality.

The surveyed companies see many advantages, especially due to lower returns and error rates.

Is your measurement of data quality tool-based?

Figure 9: Use of tool-based quality control

Improvement of Product Returns, Data Completeness & Errors (Manufacturers)

Figure 10: Self-assessment of performance by manufacturers

Improvement of Product Returns, Data Completeness & Errors (Retailers)

Figure 11: Self-assessment of performance by retailers

8

PIM and the Business Model

Expansion and Internationalization

Expansion and internationalization are sustainably supported by Product Information Management. The results of the study clearly show that the business development of companies that have implemented PIM/MDM systems is faster and more effective in the market than that of retailers and manufacturers who do not use PIM.

The following chart demonstrates a clear difference between manufacturers with and without PIM in the number of languages in which a product description is available.

Plans to expand the number of language versions over the next three years are clearly more extensive among manufacturers with PIM.

The manufacturers with PIM systems plan to add an average of eight (8.4) further languages in the next three years. However, manufacturers without a PIM system are planning on adding only one (1.3) additional language.

Retailers plan to add, on average, 2 (2.4) further languages in the future4.

On average, manufacturers distribute their products in 36 countries. Within the next three years, they would like to distribute their products in a further 13 countries.

The retailers surveyed distribute their products in 12 countries. Over the next three years, the retailers

hope to reach an average of 8 further countries.

There is a clear difference between manufactures with and without a PIM system. 63% of manufacturers with PIM are represented in over 30 distribution countries, compared to only 21% of the manufacturers surveyed who do not use PIM.

4 Explanation: the retailers who took part in the study had a less international orientation than the manufacturers.

In how many languages is your product description available? (main product range)

Figure 12: Average number of languages for manufacturers

How many languages are you planning to add in the next 3 years? (main product range)

Figure 13: Average planned number of language versions

Distributing in more than 30 countries

Figure 14: Manufacturers’ distribution countries


Only 29% of the manufacturers without PIM systems are represented in more than 10 countries, whereas this fi gure is 81% for manufacturers with PIM.

Expressed as a statistical average, manufacturers with PIM systems are represented in 45 countries, manufacturers without PIM systems are represented in 17 countries.

The survey results show that making service and publication channels available is very important for expansion and internationalization.

Using the example of the manufacturers surveyed, it is clear that the importance of e-catalogs, web shops, print catalogs and product specifi cations increases with Product Information Management.

The use of PIM architecture and the resulting clean and consistent product data enables retailers and manu-facturers to speed up their internationalization and also ensures that the relevant information can be made available with consistent quality to the target markets.

The structural groundwork required to introduce PIM must be included as a part of the business case project because business planning can lead to advantages in terms of speed (time-to-market) and cost savings (e.g. acquisition, maintenance, translation …) that support the business model in the long term.

From the perspective of Product Information Management, support of business processes and internationalization objectives takes place through publication and output management in PIM.

Importance of output channels (Extremely important)

Figure 15: Output channels

10

Product Range Strategy

Various different questions in this study confi rm the reciprocal effect between business models/business strategies and optimized data maintenance, and data management. In cases where there was a product range strategy, the study then explored the question of whether PIM could support the expansion of the range. From this it became very clear that the size of the product range and the fast expansion of the product range were rated as being rather less important for the manufacturers surveyed. Consequently this presentation concentrates on the retailers surveyed.

Approximately 19% of the retailers surveyed without PIM reported that they have over 250,000 items in their range.

In total 36% of retailers with PIM had over 250,000 items for sale, 14% had more than 1 million items, and 8% more than 5 million items.

38% of the surveyed retailers with PIM stated that they were aiming to achieve more than 50% expansion in their range of products and 45% of them are planning an expansion of their product range of between 11% and 50% in the next three years. This fi gure was 20% lower for retailers without PIM.

Standardized approaches using Product Information Management support the expansion of the product range as a result of a number of factors: simplifi ed integration of the suppliers’ data, faster onboarding of suppliers, optimized localization and reduced costs for translations.

As far as business strategy is concerned, this reveals a number of factors supporting an extension of product range to help cost-effectiveness and profi ts when margins are low, as is common in retail. PIM therefore also supports the business case for the core business by providing optimized approaches.

How many articles / items / SKUs do you have in total (available for selling)? Retailer /...

Figure 16: Number of items for retailers

Are you planning to increase the number of items in the next 3 years by at least 50%?

Figure 17: Planned expansion of the range of products by retailers


Customer-Specifi c Business Models/Product Ranges

The requirements in the area of procurement lead to the necessity for retailers and manufacturers in different sectors to make customer-specifi c product ranges available. The time needed for maintenance, data management and data exchange can lead to solutions that are too costly or even to their being unable to fulfi ll the requirements. Respondents from both retail and manufacturing reported that their customers require customer-specifi c product ranges.

For the retailers without PIM, only half the respondents said 1-20 customers expected customer-specifi c product ranges, while 20% of the surveyed retailers without PIM said that 21-80 customers required them.

Among comparable manufacturers, 38% of those surveyed reported that 1-20 customers required specifi c product ranges, while 51% said 21-80 customers required them.

For the retailers with PIM systems, 75% stated that 1-20 of their customers expected a customer-specifi c product range; only 12% identifi ed that need in 21-80 customers. For the manufacturers with PIM, 55% stated that this was required by 1-20 of their customers; approx 35% stated that they had 21-80 customers with customer-specifi c product ranges.

30% of the customer-specifi c product ranges of retailers surveyed without PIM systems have between 1-100 items, 10% between 101-1000 items, 30% more than 1000 items and 20% more than 10,000 items. Of the manufacturers, 51% responded with 1-100 items, 25% specifi ed 101-1000; larger product ranges than these are not used by the manufacturers.

28% of the retailers with PIM systems reported that they had customer-specifi c product ranges of 1-100 items. 16% had 101-1000 items, 40% had more than 1000, while 28% had more than 10,000 items. 64% of the manufacturers said that they had around 1-100 items, 14 % said 101-1000. Manufacturers with PIM reported that 5% of their customers are also supplied with customer-specifi c product ranges of 1001-10,000 items.With regard to the expectations of customer-specifi c price models, only the statements from the retailers were relevant to the analysis: without PIM, 0% of the respondents reported no demand for customer-specifi c prices for more than 75% of their customers; however retailers with PIM reported 38% for this.

How many of your customers require customer-specifi c product ranges?

Figure 18: Customer-specifi c product range, retailers

How many of your customers require customer-specifi c product ranges?

Figure 19: Customer-specifi c product range, manufacturers

How big are these assortments on average? (>1000 items)

Figure 20: Number of customer-specifi c product ranges

12

When comparing the results from manufacturers and retailers, the study identifi ed an increased usage in companies with PIM. On the one hand, this can be attributed to the fact that the introduction of PIM makes it easier to develop a customer-specifi c range, while on the other hand, these retailers and manufacturers are also offering this option more frequently to suitable target groups as a part of their sales strategy.

In this business model, Product Information Management also makes a contribution to optimization and reduction of costs.

Increases in Revenue and Profi t Using a PIM SystemQuestions regarding indicators for increasing revenue and profi t are typically to be viewed critically in studies and surveys, on the grounds of participation and the comprehensibility of the answers. However, it was possible to arrive at reliable results in this study because of the correspondence between answers covering several factors. Both retailers and manufacturers reported that they observed a positive revenue and profi t effect when using PIM.

When examining the results of the survey it became clear that the factors

• conversion rate

• increasing margins

• acquisition of new customers

• revenue per customer5

represent very important aspects for the respondents.

For the retailers, the question on the current performance of the company in relation to the conversion rate showed no signifi cant difference: 60% without PIM, and 64% with PIM. For margin increases the responses of 53% without PIM and 52% with PIM remained almost identical.

5 cf Figures 7 and 8

However, the retailers showed clear advantages in using PIM in their performance relating to acquisition of new customers; with 48% without and 69% with PIM. Similarly, the development of revenue per customer was evaluated positively at 35% without PIM and 57% using PIM. In total the responses from the retailer segment demonstrated that Product Information Management makes a positive contribution to revenue/profi t. The positive assessment of current performance was even more pronounced for the manufacturers surveyed. The assessments of the respondents can be understood in relation to other results of the study concerning the business model of the manu-facturers (e.g. direct sales, etc.) and their internationalization plans.

The increase in the conversion rate, 27% without PIM compared to 62% with PIM, was seen as an important PIM advantage, as was the margin increase of 35% without and 80% with PIM. But also the acquisition of new customers, at 69% with PIM, was assessed as 30% higher than the performance without PIM.

Conversion Rate, Margin, New Customers, Wallet Share (Retailers)

Figure 21: Revenue factors for retailers with/without PIM

Conversion Rate, Margin, New Customers, Wallet Share (Manufacturers)

Figure 22: Revenue factors for manufacturers with/without PIM


The revenue per customer was assessed for manufacturers using PIM at 50%, 5% lower than the performance of the respondents without PIM. The results clearly show that manufacturers with PIM signifi cantly expand and increase their end-customer focus. The assessment of revenue per customer is more than balanced out by the assessment of higher margins and acquisition of new customers. This means that the manufacturers’ assessment that PIM signifi cantly promotes new business models and new markets can be taken as well-founded and sound.

With the retailers – and this is shown by the study in other places – assessment of the revenue and profi t factors remained the same. The advantages for the retailers result more from the combination of functions such as customer-specifi c tailoring and various reductions in costs (onboarding of suppliers, extension of product range…).

Nevertheless, the study results show clearly that the participating retailers and manufacturers attribute a positive profi t and revenue effect to the usage of Product Information Management.

Data Maintenance and Speed

An important aspect of the provision of product information is data maintenance and the expenditure of time and effort associated with this. Both for the retailers and the manufacturers it was clear that the amount of time and effort changes with PIM and the optimization potential is confi rmed.

25% of the retailers state that without using PIM it takes over 60 minutes to edit an item. In comparison, for retailers with PIM only 4% said it took a similar amount of time. In total 71% of the respondents with PIM reported that it took 1-10 minutes.

A different distribution of time spent on data maintenance is evident for manufacturers: while 66% of the respondents without PIM state that it takes 1-10 minutes per item, the length of time for data maintenance with PIM is 1-3 minutes for 8% of respondents, 4-10 minutes for 13% and 11-20 minutes for 42%. With an editing time of 21-30 minutes, the proportion with PIM usage reduces by 20%, from 33% to 13%.

This information supports the result of another question from the study, in which it became clear that with the introduction of PIM the relevant systems were focused on data maintenance.

How many minutes does it take to edit an average article/item (input / creation until output)? Retailer/...

Figure 23: Editing times retailers

How many minutes does it take to edit an average article/item (input / creation until output)? Manufacturer

Figure 24: Editing times, manufacturers

14

The answers from the retailers surveyed show 68% of those using PIM have one or two systems for data maintenance, while for those without PIM this fi gure is only 21%.

Benefi ts arising from using PIM could also be seen in both groups in relation to the speed of information searches.

The surveyed retailers stated that 32% of the employees involved spend less than 15 minutes searching for product information. Prior to using PIM, this was only 11%.

The situation is similar among manufacturers. Prior to using PIM, 17% spent less than 2 hours searching for information, after using PM this fi gure is 36%.

Central data storage and data maintenance is a decisive factor for performance in creating, editing and searching for product information. Although it could not be con-fi rmed in the survey that there is always a clear savings in time spent on maintenance and error identifi cation when PIM is used – the retailers and manufacturers have very different product and business models in this respect – it was still possible to see a clear trend: Product Information Management supports maintenance and editing processes.

The search for product information was seen to be signifi cantly better by the respondents when using PIM; it did not take as much time and it was therefore possible to support business targets more effectively.

Does an item only has to be edited in one or two systems?

Figure 25 Use of system, retailers

Does a worker with average knowledge spend less than 2 hours per week searching for product information? (Yes)

Figure 28: Search time for manufacturers

Does a worker with average knowledge spend less than 2 hours per week searching for product information? (Yes)

Figure 26: Search time for retailers less than 2 hours

Does a worker with average knowledge spend less than 15 minutes per week searching for product information? (Yes)

Figure 27: Search time for retailers less than 15 min


Cross-Selling and Up-Selling

Online business models in e-commerce in the B2B, B2C, B2BC segments etc. have already successfully shown that the networking of products, the utilization of partnerships and the highly integrated semantic quality of links all support business success.

The importance of enhanced product data increases for retailers from 58% for those who do not use PIM to 74% for those who do use PIM. The respondents also assess their performance with PIM to be 17% higher than it was prior to using PIM at 11%.

The manufacturers also report clear improvements in their responses to this question. With PIM, the importance increases from 40% to 64%. The performance is assessed at 18% (without PIM at 0%).

The signifi cance of publication and distribution channels increases among both manufacturers and retailers.

For retailers, e-catalogs, web shops and print catalogs gain signifi cantly in importance with the use of PIM. New customer acquisitions increase from 40% to 69%. The revenue per customer was rated as being slightly lower by the respondents in manufacturing; however, the clear increase in new customers makes it possible to conclude that, in spite of this, an overall improvement in performance is experienced.

The importance of web shops, e-catalogs and print catalogs gains a signifi cant importance for the retailers surveyed who use PIM.

In contrast to the manufacturers, the retailers using PIM evaluated their performance regarding revenue per customer as being clearly better, with 57% compared to 35% for those not using PIM.

Do you consider your performance in product Information enhancement / completeness as very high?

Figure 29: Product data quality, retailers

Importance of channels and performance

Figure 31: Importance of channels (manufacturers)

Do you consider your performance in product Information enhancement / completeness as very high?

Figure 30: Product data quality, manufacturers

16

A clear improvement is also seen in new customer acquisitions, with 69% for those using PIM compared to 48% for non-PIM users.

Also the use of links to other products etc., which is very relevant for up-selling and cross-selling, Retailers see a very clear increase from 16% prior to using PIM compared to 28% after using PIM.

The survey reveals that both retailers and manufacturers are able to recognize advantages in using Product Information Management in relation to their performance in up-selling and cross-selling. The technique of linking – a typical, tried-and tested process in e-commerce – increasing sales channels and all-round enhancement of product information are also areas in which PIM makes a successful contribution.

Customer Relations and Brand Loyalty

Customer relations and brand loyalty represent important factors for the success of retailers and manufacturers. The question of the use of PIM can only be linked indirectly to these areas and it is very dependent on the respective business models of the respondents.

The surveyed manufacturers do indeed report a link between their performance in connection with product information quality as a result of using PIM and customer loyalty in the survey: 39% of the respondents confi rm very high levels of customer satisfaction while only 9% of those not using PIM rate their performance to be similarly high.

For retailers, the difference between 31% for those using PIM and 20% for non-users is less, but nevertheless clear.

A further indication of the increase in the potential to improve customer relationships arises in the survey in connection with the option of creating tailored publications.

Importance of channels and performance

Figure 32: Importance of channels (retailers)

Does your average item have more than 5 links (to spare parts, accessories, related articles)? Yes

Figure 33: Number of links between items

Is the ability to create tailored print products extremely important to you?

Figure 35: Tailored print publications

Do you have very good performance in customer satisfaction / loyalty (Existing customers with purchase in buying cycle)

Figure 34: Customer satisfaction, manufacturer


Approximately 13% of the respondents from manufacturing with PIM rate the option to reach more customer loyalty with customer specifi c publications as very high, while only 7% of those without PIM rate it as very high.

In particular, the dealers with PIM can signifi cantly improve their customer loyalty due to more complete product information and media assets .

Twice as many dealers are in a position to offer a product image with PIM for nearly every article.

The conclusion that can be drawn from this assessment is that PIM promotes and supports customer relations.

Appeals to specifi c target groups, larger and more effectively tailored product ranges, products that are easier to fi nd and optimized comparison and fi lter functions support the management of customer relations. Product Information Management is an important component here.

The expansion of sales channels with e-commerce solutions that refl ect new customer needs (“VIP shops” for certain customer groups, portals focusing on specifi c target groups, brand shops etc.) and the expansion of publications to include tailored catalogs contribute to customer loyalty.

In various questions throughout the study it can be seen consistently that using PIM promotes these aspects of business models and market strategies.

Do more than 90% of your items provide the following features? (Retailer/…)

Figure 36: Data completeness for retailers

Do more than 90% of your items provide the following features? (Manufacturer)

Figure 37: Data completeness for manufacturers

18

PIM and Cost SavingsBased on the premise that process optimization in combination with software systems must lead to re-ductions in costs, this study also evaluated a series of questions in this context. In this section the aspects of

• data management

• onboarding (onboarding of suppliers)

• localization

• are examined specifi cally.

The study participants answered questions on various aspects related to lowering of costs and thereby made it clear that the most important savings potentials were related to the following aspects in particular:

• onboarding and consolidation

• customer support

• cost of translations

• catalog creation costs

58% of respondents with PIM from manufacturing said they achieved savings of more than 10% in all four areas at the same time. A further 38% of respondents reported they achieved savings of more than 20% in all four areas at the same time.

In the individual distribution, more than 70 percent of the respondents reported at least 10% savings in the afore-mentioned areas.

The reduction in costs considered individually by manufacturers showed that 36% of participants experienced more than 10% savings across all four cost factors at the same time when using PIM.

21% of retailers even said that they had cost savings of more than 20% over all four areas.

Looking at the individual fi gures, the following chart shows that the cost savings of more than 10% for retailers with PIM was found in the areas of on-boarding and catalog creation costs.

The results of the survey make it clear beyond doubt that signifi cant cost reductions can be achieved with process and IT optimization through Product Information Management.

The study confi rms that the potentials for savings should not be viewed in isolation, but the business case for PIM must be seen in a customer-specifi c context taking into account various different facets. The dependencies on the respective business models, the market strategy for internationalization, the product range development and the IT-specifi c architectural components represent the parameters for validating the cost savings, which make cost savings in different areas possible through PIM.

Saved more than 10% in...

Figure 38: Cost savings of more than 10% by manufacturers

Saved more than 10% in...

Figure 39: Cost savings of more than 10% by retailers


Data Management

Master data management, master data logistics and processes to create, make available, and maintain product information and master data continue to pose a great challenge for companies today – irrespective of the successful introduction of a powerful ERP system.

Whether Product Information Management, as a component of a technical IT solution, can generate advantages was one of the questions examined in the study. The assumption that this is possible was driven by the hypothesis that simplifi cation of complexity, consolidation of systems with master data and product data, and the improvement of IT processes and interfaces generates benefi ts.

The question of how many IT systems contain product master data revealed that 38% of the retailers and 57% of the manufacturers without PIM keep this data on 4-10 different systems.

In the survey, current PIM users were asked what their data storage was like prior to the introduction of the system and processes.

20% of the retailers and 50% of the manufacturers used 4-10 systems for storing product data.

For the manufacturing respondents, this changes signifi cantly following the introduction of the PIM system: only 18% report that their master data is still kept on 4-10 systems, while the percentage of manufactures who keep their data on two systems increases from 8% to 36%.

The more or less consistent rating of the retailers before and after introduction of PIM can largely be attributed to the fact that in the retail segment there are usually no development and production systems with product master data. The increase from 28% to 36% in cases where a system for master data storage is used should therefore not be overestimated here because there is no increase in the absolute numbers using 1-3 systems.

As the study shows, the reduction in the number of systems involved always has a direct effect on the expenditure of time and effort and the performance of data management and data maintenance. This is clear from the results for retailers who use PIM:

How many systems contain product master data?

Figure 40: Product master data, manufacturers

How many systems contain product master data?

Figure 41: Product master data, retailers

Do less than 3 systems contain product master data?

Figure 42: Number of systems for item editing

20

There is a signifi cant decrease in the number of systems used for item and product data maintenance among PIM users. The surveyed retailers with PIM report in this context that the time needed to edit an item has been reduced by approx. 30%.

E-commerce, as the strongest driver, brings with it high requirements in terms of data quality in the web shop. In this context, the amount of time from detecting an error to correcting it is an important performance indicator. For example, the use of PIM reduces the time required for this in a web shop signifi cantly, from four hours to one hour.

For the specialist areas, the technical implementation of data management in the IT architecture is what enables an effective, fast process chain to create, make available and maintain master data and product information. This aspect of the study also shows that PIM is not purely an IT project, but one that needs to be positioned and prove itself in the interaction with business processes, responsibilities for data and requirements regarding speed and processing times.

The cost reduction effect of optimized data management lies in the reduction of infrastructure and service costs for IT, as well as in the reduction in the time required for multiple maintenance, for quality control and for detecting errors.

The results from the retailers and manufacturers surveyed vary somewhat across these groups, but the signifi cance and the trend are clear and confi rm the potential for cost savings.

Onboarding

For many participants of the study, onboarding of new suppliers represents a signifi cant time and cost risk, particularly as the integration of data sources for product data quality and business process performance is of the highest importance.

The number of suppliers has an infl uence on the effort involved in data integration and is, in relation to the duration of that integration, a success factor for the company.

Two thirds of the participating companies reported having over 100 suppliers. Only 21% of the respondents have more than 1000 suppliers.

How many minutes does it take on average to edit an item (creation to output)?

Figure 43: Editing time of an item

How many hours does it take from detecting an incorrect article in the web shop until the error is corrected?

Figure 44: Period of time to correct an error

How many suppliers do you have?

Figure 45: Number of suppliers


The number of onboarding measures and data integration processes required varies a great deal. Nevertheless, more than 50% of the manufacturers and 59% of the retailers have to manage 11 or more integration processes per year.

Retailers have to integrate supplier data signifi cantly more frequently. In this context, 26% of retailers have over 100 data integration processes to manage every year.

The respondents’ answers make it clear that the time taken to integrate supplier data has been greatly reduced by using PIM. More than 54% of integrations are carried out within two weeks; prior to the introduction of PIM only 15% managed to achieve this. 45% were carried out within 3-4 days (with PIM 25%) and 35% took 1-6 months (today only 21%).

In the assessment of their own performance regarding the cost of onboarding, 28% of the retailers with PIM systems report that their own company is clearly better positioned in regard to cost savings, in comparison to 11% of those without PIM systems.

In contrast to retailers, manufacturers do not experience any signifi cant improvements by using PIM.6

The fast integration of large numbers of suppliers and supplier product data is one of the greatest challenges for commerce, in particular the speed-to-market, inter-nationalization and the expansion of the range of products are critical success factors.

The study confi rms that the retailers with PIM can achieve a faster integration of their supplier data and therefore not only generate cost reductions for their business strategy but also create effects that are relevant to revenue and profi t (speed, expansion of product range, integration of niche items).

6 The manufacturers primarily see their potential here in translation and catalog costs (see section on localization)

More than 50 initial supplier data integrations per year

Abbildung 46 Datenintegration bei Händlern und Herstellern

Very high performance in data onboarding (low costs)

Figure 48: Optimizing costs

How long does it take to integrate a new supplier / data source?

Figure 47: Length of time taken to integrate supplier data

22

Localization

Localization or customer specifi c adaptations of publications across various media, including catalogs, brochures and web shops, is a signifi cant cost driver for retailers and manufacturers. As was described at the start of this section, all the respondents rate the signifi cance of the cost pools for catalog production and translation as very high and the cost reduction potential among participants with PIM was rated as more signifi cant and more likely to be implemented.

The possibility of localizing information is illustrated by a comparison of the numbers of catalogs published by retailers and manufacturers.

Retailers and manufacturers with PIM clearly publish more catalogs than comparable market participants. The assumption that associated costs can be greatly reduced using PIM is confi rmed; the readiness of these respondents to implement more language versions (which brings with it the potentials identifi ed in this context above), and by the change in the extent to which information can be integrated and reused in print and on the web. This shows clearly an increase for those with PIM and therefore reduces time and effort.

Along with the reusability of text, the possibility of using the same images also increases with PIM. Respondents also give a clear picture here and confi rm the increase in such multiple usage.

Reducing agency costs, translation expenses and the costs of creating print catalogs (not to mention printing costs) represents a great challenge for all retailers and manu-facturers. The study clearly shows that users of PIM have clear advantages, even taking into account the slight differences in the quantity structures and focal points between retailers and manufacturers.

The respondents confi rm that in the optimization chain of the PIM business case based on unifi ed data management and the accelerated onboarding of suppliers and their master data, the localization of catalogs and web shops is a third cost reduction component.

How many print catalogs do you publish per year (including language variants)?

Figure 49: Number of print catalogs with/without PIM

Do you use the same descriptions (long text) in your print catalog and your web shop?

Figure 50: Reusability of long text in web and print

Do you use the same images (originating from same source image) in print and web shops?

Figure 51: Reusing images


PIM: The Optimization and Change ToolAll the results of the study confi rm the hypothesis that Product Information Management, as a systematic procedural model and trendsetting technology, supports the optimization of organizational and business processes for retailers and manufacturers, promotes new market entry scenarios and business models and at the same time opens up wide-ranging potential for cost reductions.

It is very evident that procedural models covering several business areas have the greatest effect. In this context, company-wide change management is needed to support the potential of the business case for Product Information Management.

The answer to the question as to which areas are responsible for product information, product management and master data administration can be seen and plays a particularly important role for retailers.

For manufacturers, the responsibility is more clearly in the hands of marketing rather than product management or e-commerce.

When comparing the answers given by retailers with and without PIM, 52% of the PIM users say that product management was responsible for data quality management.

In answer to the same question, 34% of the respondents from manufacturing cite marketing and product management, followed by IT with 24%.

Responsibility for product information and product range Retailer / Wholesaler / Distributor

Figure 52: Responsibility for product information, retailers

Responsibility for product information and product range – Manufacturers

Figure 53: Responsibility for data quality management, manufacturers

Who is responsible for data quality management in your company? Retailer/...

Figure 54: Responsibility for data quality, retailers

Who is responsible for data quality management in your company? Manufacturer

Figure 55: Responsibility for data quality management in your company

24

On closer examination it can be seen that both for the retailers (59%) and the manufacturers (60%) who do not use PIM, the workfl ows for data management are not clearly regulated in most cases.

Conversely, with a PIM system it appears that procedural defi nitions are clear.

47% of the retailers and 60 % of the manufacturers report that since the introduction of PIM, clear and regulated responsibilities have been defi ned for the work fl ow processes for data management.

In addition to these business process results, which are critical to success, the survey results make it clear that for both retailers and manufacturers, the service level for product information quality has been defi ned.

55% of the manufacturers and 78% of the retailers with PIM state that they have integrated this service level into their processes.

At 56%, this fi gure is almost identical for manufacturers without PIM. For retailers without PIM only 25% have introduced these process improvements.

Section 3 of the study indicated that 60% of the respondents who do not yet use PIM are not aware of a positive business case or cannot identify one. 40% state that they have no knowledge of the system or cannot identify the benefi ts.

While the signifi cance of Product Information Management for all areas of classic business processes for retailers and manufacturers makes the complexities of possible business cases clear, it also makes introducing and analyzing the topic easier because of the variety of approaches.

Unlike typical IT optimization processes, PIM is very often “driven” by needs and concepts for innovative business development and process optimization. In the case of corresponding change projects in larger companies in any industry, cross-departmental skill profi les are integrated into the conception, planning and implementation of the project. The business case for and the success of the PIM project are dependent on the willingness to reorganize, the defi nition of process-oriented responsibilities and the openness to solutions that cover all areas.

Does your data management workfl ow have clear responsibilities?

Figure 56: Responsible for workfl ow


Summary, Closing WordsThe results of the study show that the consistent use of Product Information Management in business pro-cesses, organization and IT is of fundamental impor-tance to the marketing position and success of today’s business models.

If, in the past, IT projects in media asset manage-ment or media-neutral publications were determined exclusively by cost savings targets, the answers of the respondents show that PIM today not only supports cost saving measures but increasingly serves as the “motor” or the basis for new business models, interna-tionalization and expansion.

Of course, it is not constructive simply to attribute the positive results of this study to the success of the techni-cal architecture known as “Product Information Man-agement”. Rather, it is a matter of casting a glance over all the processes in the companies, which – if the answers from the respondents have been correctly interpreted – is triggered in part by the technical appli-cation of PIM and has led to the analysis, optimization and adaptation of business processes across depart-ments, so that the benefi ts for new business models can be addressed.

The study confi rms that IT solutions such as Product Information Management can serve as the “enabler” for new strategies if the scope of the project fully integrates the organization and the consumers in the various business areas. It is here that business change management is required to support managers and em-ployees to forge new pathways or improve established ones.

The study clearly shows from their positive feedback about the introduction of a Product Information Management system that many of the executives, managers and experts surveyed have conceived and implemented exactly these changes.

The business case for PIM is accordingly not a case just for IT departments but one involving product man-agement, marketing and sales working together with IT, after-sales, service and support. Accordingly, the PIM business case is a strategic instrument of company leadership and management in the context of product development, product range and marketing strategies.

The Informatica PIM Business Model is a comprehensive planning and conceptual approach for your future business strategy using the support of Product Information Management.

Comment on, order, or recommend the study at: www.pim-roi.com

About InformaticaInformatica Corporation (Nasdaq:INFA) is the world’s number one independent provider of data integration software. Organizations around the world rely on Informatica to realize their information potential and drive top business imperatives. Informatica Vibe, the industry’s fi rst and only embeddable virtual data machine (VDM), powers the unique “Map Once. Deploy Anywhere.” capabilities of the Informatica Platform. Worldwide, over 5,000 enterprises depend on Informatica to fully leverage their information assets from devices to mobile to social to big data residing on-premise, in the Cloud and across social networks.

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