Due to new legal requirements or changing demands of retailers, new product data is required on a regular basis. Organizations have to be able to respond rapidly to the changing product information management requirements. In this blog, we highlight the most important developments regarding product information management you can expect in the near future.
Product images will be more important
With the continuous growth of e-commerce, the demand for product images is rising. Since November 1, 2018, GS1 for the food-, pharmacy- and DIY sectors already made it mandatory for suppliers to add product images to their product data. Moreover, new specifications for images will go into effect on January 1, 2020.
Suppliers are expected to publish a public URL for each product image. This means suppliers need the tools to store product images and publish the public URLs to a data pool. To support this process, SRC-PIM has an integrated Digital Asset Management (DAM) module that enables users to manage product images and publish them to internal/external users of product information or data pools.
Data Management Services
In the food industry, it is required to compare the physical aspects of products with the product data stored in the supplier’s PIM-system. These data inspections are carried out by Data Management Services (DMS). For example, they will check if the size of a product or the label is an exact match with the data entered in the PIM and the GS1 data pool.
Next to the food industry, these inspections will be obligated for the pharmacy industry, and we expect that GS1 will make them required for the do-it-yourself sector as well. To provide a ‘DMS proof’ solution, SRC partners with the DMS suppliers.
GS1 will be more prominent
There is a fast growing demand for relevant product data driven by increasing e-business. E-tailers and retailers are requesting additional product data from suppliers that is not published through GS1 (for example the supplier portal used by Intergamma besides GS1 or the the Superunie ADAM validations). GS1 also notices this. They respond to these developments by constantly updating the datamodels by adding new attributes or validations. Some argue that GS1 will become obsolete as they struggle to follow these fast changing demands. However, we expect that GS1 will stay in place as there always will be a demand for collective market standards. GS1 is the only one setting the standards for food, DIY, fashion and health – and yes, collectivity and commitment from all parties involved does take its time.
How does SRC-PIM support your organization?
To support organizations with developments in data management, SRC-PIM constantly keeps the available data models up-to-date. With the validation functionality, users are able to check real-time if their data complies with the current data standard.
Some new developments change the way you process your data (e.g. adding product images). To support these changing processes, SRC-PIM makes sure the right tools are available for you, such as the newly integrated (DAM) module.
Make sure your product data is complete and up-to-date in order to publish efficiently to GS1. Make an appointment and learn everything SRC-PIM has to offer.