Managing product data in many B2B companies looks familiar: product specifications are in an ERP system, pricing gets updated in Excel spreadsheets, the marketing team maintains descriptions in Google Docs, and technical documentation sits in yet another folder somewhere on a shared drive. When a customer asks about a product, your sales team has to check multiple sources just to give them accurate information.
This scattered approach might work when a business is selling a few dozen products through a single channel. But as your business grows, the cracks start to show. A new product variant needs to be added across all systems manually. Price changes take days to propagate everywhere. Product descriptions differ between your website, sales presentations, and marketplace listings. Someone updates technical specs in one place but forgets about the others.
The problems often occur when stores expand to new markets or add sales channels. Each new marketplace has its own data requirements. International customers need product information in their language. B2B buyers expect detailed technical specifications, compliance certificates, and compatibility information that goes far beyond what typical B2C customers need. Your team ends up spending more time managing data than actually selling.
Here's where Product Information Management (PIM) systems come in. By centralizing all product data in one place and connecting it to your eCommerce platform, PIM solves the fundamental problem: instead of maintaining the same information in multiple disconnected systems, it offers a single source of truth that feeds accurate data to every channel automatically.
What is PIM and how does it work in B2B environments?
Product Information Management (PIM) is software that centralizes all your product data in one place, including descriptions, technical specifications, images, pricing, translations, and everything else eCommerce businesses need to sell products. Think of it as a master database that becomes the single source of information for the entire product catalog.
In practice, PIM collects information from various sources (such as ERP system, supplier feeds, marketing team, and technical documentation) and organizes it in a structured way. Instead of browsing through multiple systems, everything is managed through one interface. When product information gets updated, that change automatically flows to the eCommerce platform, marketplaces, sales presentations, and any other channel used.
For B2B companies, PIM becomes particularly valuable because wholesale relationships are more complex than typical retail. Products might have multiple variants, custom configurations, or components that need to be sold together.
PIM handles this complexity by managing relationships between products, organizing B2B-specific attributes (like MOQ, lead times, or volume discounts), and supporting multiple languages and currencies for international eCommerce For example, the system ensures your German distributor sees accurate specs in German with EUR pricing, while your Polish customer gets the same product information in Polish with PLN pricing all maintained from one central database.
The biggest challenges in B2B product data management
To understand why PIM often becomes essential, let's look at the specific challenges B2B companies face when managing product information.
Multiple data sources
With fragmented data structures, each team maintains their own version of information. Keeping everything synchronized becomes impossible to maintain, and errors from manual data entry become inevitable.
Complex product structures
B2B products are rarely simple, standalone items. Many products have dozens of variants based on size, color, material, or technical specifications. Some products are sold as configurable ones where customers choose components. Others come in kits or bundles that change based on the customer segment. Also, there can be accessories and compatible products that need to be linked properly. Traditional eCommerce platforms struggle to represent these relationships accurately.
Multi-language and multi-currency requirements
Selling internationally means offering the product catalog in multiple languages with proper translations. It involves not just product names, but detailed technical specifications, safety information, and marketing copy. Each market also needs pricing in local currency.
Partner and customer requirements
B2B customers and distribution partners often have specific requirements for product data. One marketplace requires a specific XML format, retail partners expect high-resolution images in specific dimensions, and corporate customers demand technical datasheets in PDF format.
How PIM integration with eCommerce platforms improves B2B processes
Connecting a PIM system to your eCommerce platform changes how product information moves through your organization.
Single source of truth
As mentioned earlier, PIM becomes the central database that feeds all your channels - webstore, marketplaces, and mobile apps. When we update a specification once, the change automatically spreads everywhere, eliminating the need to track down the latest version or verify which system holds the correct data.
Automated product distribution
Adding products happens through a single interface. Businesses can easily enter detailed information, images, and attributes in the PIM before distributing to the eCommerce platform. The system handles creating variants, categories, and channel-specific formatting, transforming what used to take days of manual work into a process done in minutes.
Data validation at entry
The system validates data as it's entered. Required fields, format rules, and attribute checks ensure that everything is set before anything goes live. Problems get caught during setup, not discovered by customers browsing the store.
Improved workflows
Teams can work simultaneously without interrupting each other. Marketing enriches product descriptions while product managers update specifications and sales access current data - all from the same central system. Changes appear instantly across the organization, eliminating the back-and-forth of verifying who has the most recent information.
Which PIM fits your B2B business?
While there are many PIM solutions on the market, let's look at three popular options that work particularly well with B2B eCommerce: Ergonode, Pimcore, and Akeneo. Each takes a different approach to product data management.
Ergonode works best for companies wanting a straightforward, user-friendly system that teams can start using quickly. It's great for mid-sized B2B stores that need useful PIM functionality without too much complexity. Ergonode starts at €5,990/year for the Essential Edition, making it accessible for businesses just beginning their journey with product information management.
Pimcore, in turn, fits businesses needing more than just product information management - particularly those wanting to consolidate PIM, DAM, and CMS in one platform. It's best suited for larger enterprises with complex product catalogs and multiple markets. Available in both on-premise (Community, Professional starting at €8,400/year, Enterprise editions) and cloud (SaaS) versions, Pimcore has been successfully implemented in B2B projects like Planeta Huerto and ArtNight. The Symfony foundation makes it especially attractive for companies already using Sylius or other Symfony-based systems.
Akeneo suits companies prioritizing strong API integration and those wanting a solution backed by a large community and an extensive marketplace of connectors. The free Community edition makes it appealing for businesses wanting to test PIM capabilities before committing to paid plans. Akeneo works well for B2B companies planning major growth, as the Growth edition (starting around $45,000/year) and Enterprise tiers (custom pricing) provide advanced features for scaling operations.
All three integrate effectively with Sylius and other modern eCommerce platforms, so your choice should depend on your specific requirements, budget, and technical preferences rather than integration capabilities alone.
Business benefits of PIM integration
Now, let’s summarize the main benefits that PIM integrations bring to the table.
Shorter time-to-market
With PIM, launching new products takes significantly less time, as the product information can be simultaneously uploaded across all channels. For B2B businesses selling seasonal products or responding quickly to customer needs, this speed means capturing sales that would otherwise go to competitors.
Reduced errors in product descriptions and data
Secondly, the chance of incorrect product specifications or wrong pricing decreases. PIM prevents these problems through validation rules and centralized data entry. Data is pulled from one consistent place, not manually copied between systems.
Easier scaling to new markets
As we mentioned above, the catalog is uploaded once, and it updates everywhere. New currencies, regional pricing, or market-specific variants without rebuilding everything. The infrastructure already exists when business is ready for a new marketplace or localized store, removing a major obstacle in the B2B market.
Improved B2B customer experience
In contrast to many B2C stores, business buyers need more technical specifications, compatibility details, and real availability data. PIM organizes this information and delivers it consistently across all touchpoints, helping customers make decisions faster without needing to contact the sales team.
Increased sales and product team efficiency
Instead of looking for scattered data, teams can focus on selling. Marketing creates better product stories instead of fixing inconsistencies across channels. Sales representatives have access to current pricing and product specifications. Product managers identify what's missing in the catalog and adjust based on real numbers. As a result, teams manage larger catalogs without proportionally growing the team.
How to approach PIM implementation in a B2B organization
Not every business needs PIM right away, but certain signs indicate it's time to seriously consider implementation. Here are a few of them.
When to consider PIM implementation
PIM system is worth consideration when product catalog exceeds 1,000 SKUs or includes complex structures like variants, configurations, and bundles. The system becomes irreplaceableif the store is operating in multiple countries with different languages and currencies. Companies should look for signs like frequent product updates that take excessive time to propagate across all channels, or multiple sales channels (website, marketplaces, B2B portals) with different data requirements that don't scale manually. Data quality issues - returns from incorrect information, repetitive customer questions, or sales teams correcting outdated specs - indicate the current approach isn't working.
The role of an implementation partner
PIM implementation affects how your entire organization handles product information, making an experienced partner valuable. We help with choosing the right system based on your specific needs - whether Ergonode, Pimcore, or Akeneo fits best. Our Vision-to-Plan eCommerce Workshops map out requirements and create realistic timelines before any development starts.
Integration complexity often exceeds expectations. Projects like Planeta Huerto required integrating Pimcore with Sylius through Kafka messaging, while Agro-Efekt needed SAP integration for millions of products. These implementations involve data migration and cleanup, training teams across different roles, and providing support as businesses grow and requirements change.
Our project teams include a Project Manager, Developers, Quality Assurance, and optionally Designers. We work through Slack for quick communication, use agile methodology with regular consultations, and offer both Fixed Price and Time & Material pricing models depending on project needs.
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Summary
Product Information Management systems solve a fundamental challenge in B2B eCommerce, which is managing product data across multiple channels, markets, and teams. Rather than treating it as just another software implementation, successful companies view PIM as infrastructure that enables growth - whether that means entering new markets, adding sales channels, or simply keeping product information accurate as catalogs expand.
The right system depends on your situation. Smaller operations might need straightforward solutions that teams can adopt quickly. Larger enterprises often require platforms that consolidate multiple functions beyond basic product management. Budget, technical capabilities, and growth plans all factor into the decision.
Implementation matters as much as the software itself. Data migration, system integration, and team training determine whether PIM delivers value or creates new problems. Working with experienced partners helps navigate these complexities and avoid common pitfalls.
<div class="rtb-text-box is-blue-50">If your company is struggling with product data management, it's worth considering a PIM integration. Get in touch with us – we'll help you find the right solution.</div
