Commerce

Secure product data throughout the chain

Product information is more than content. It is the foundation for flows, decisions and trust from supplier to end customer.

Product data that lasts

When product data works, it's barely noticeable. Flows are connected, information is collected, and changes are made with control.

When it doesn't, uncertainty arises. Additional work, manual corrections and errors that have to be caught in retrospect, often far from where they occurred.

Secure product data is not built from more information, but from the right structure from the start. A foundation that holds up even when the range, markets and requirements change.

PIM creates order in complexity

As product ranges grow, markets expand, and requirements increase, product data quickly becomes difficult to keep together. Information is spread across systems, files, and people, and what was once clear becomes difficult to understand.

PIM collects product information in a common structure.
Not to collect more data, but to create clarity: what is right, what applies and where the responsibility lies.

When order is in place, product data becomes something you can trust even when reality changes.

Secure product data starts with order. That's where we start.

GS1 - a common language for product data

GS1 standards make product data comparable, machine-readable and automatable. The aim is simple: to ensure that the same product can be understood in the same way regardless of the recipient.

  • In practice, it is about:
    unique identities for products and packaging levels
  • clear definitions of attributes such as dimensions, weight and content
  • a consistent way to share product data between parties

When everyone interprets data in the same way, the risk of errors is reduced and trust can also be built between organizations.

PIM as the basis for GS1

GS1 describes how product data should be structured and shared. PIM is what makes the structure actually maintainable in everyday life.

In practice, PIM is often the engine behind GS1 work. It is where product information is collected, quality assured and managed over time – not just for a launch or a single flow.

This includes, among other things:

  • model products and packaging hierarchies to reflect reality
  • ensure data quality with rules and validation that catch errors early
  • create clear workflows for enrichment, review, and approval
  • build traceability: where the data comes from, who changed what and when

When PIM and GS1 are linked, the standard does not become a separate requirement, but a natural part of how product data is managed.

This is when security remains even when product ranges, markets and systems change.

GS1 only works when the product data is in order.

Common challenges in practice

When product data is to function throughout the chain, challenges often arise that are not due to a lack of ambition but to complexity that has developed over time.

This concerns, for example:

  • packaging levels and relationships that are not connected
  • critical information that requires constant updating, such as ingredients and allergens
  • different requirements per channel or market leading to parallel versions of the same product data

Each of these may seem manageable. Together they create uncertainty, extra work, and a daily life where it is difficult to know what information actually applies.

When the foundation doesn't hold

When product data is lacking, it is rarely noticed directly in a system – but rather in the business.

Time is spent correcting, supplementing and double-checking. Launches take longer and each change poses a new risk.

The consequences are often:

  • increasing manual labor and difficulty in scaling
  • longer lead times when launching new products or markets
  • increased risk of errors in logistics, listing and customer information
  • reduced trust internally and externally

What is missing is rarely more information. What is missing is a foundation that holds up, even when demands increase.

How we help you

We help organizations with complex product ranges create order in product data from structure and working methods to system support and interaction between parties.

With experience from trade, suppliers and e-commerce, we know where there are often shortcomings, and what is required to make PIM and standards like GS1 work in practice.

The focus is always on what makes a difference in everyday life:

  • a data model that reflects assortment and packaging hierarchies
  • governance and workflows that make data quality sustainable over time
  • integrations and flows that are robust, traceable and easy to manage

We often start with a limited scope: a product group, a flow or a market.
By mapping the current situation, identifying gaps and prioritizing the right initiatives, we create rapid impact and a foundation that can be built on.

Jens Ode

Business Manager Commerce

jens.ode@omegapoint.se

Contact us