English
Problems with distributed data – how to effectively centralize it in PXM?
And how PIMCORE and OroCommerce can help you with this
Problems with distributed data – how to effectively centralize it in PXM
Introduction
Imagine a Monday morning in a B2B e-commerce company that sells hundreds or even hundreds of thousands of products. The sales department starts the day with frantic phone calls: a key customer needs a commercial offer for several specialized products immediately. Sales representative Krystian nervously jumps between the ERP system, an Excel spreadsheet and a PDF catalog from marketing. Each source provides different data – the price in the ERP is outdated, the technical description is missing in Excel, and the PDF catalog contains an old product model. Krystian is getting increasingly frustrated and the customer is losing patience. What was supposed to be a simple B2B offer turns into an investigation in information chaos, typical for scattered product data in B2B.
Sound familiar? For many managers and marketing specialists in B2B e-commerce and wholesale, this is an everyday occurrence. Dispersed product data, the lack of a single source of truth and inconsistencies between ERP, Excel and CMS systems lead to information chaos in B2B sales. In this article, we will show you the most common product data problems, how to centralize data using PIM and how PXM can help you organize your product data and improve the efficiency of B2B e-commerce.
Problem description
Dispersed product data in eCommerce B2B is a typical problem for companies that collect product information in different systems – ERP, CRM, CMS – without a consistent management center. The lack of a single source of truth leads to chaos in product information management. In companies with a wide product catalog, each department uses its own data, which exacerbates the problem of scattered product data and makes it difficult to conduct online sales.
A typical situation in B2B e-commerce looks like this: product data is scattered across the ERP system (inventory levels, purchase prices), CRM (individual customer price lists), CMS or e-commerce platform (descriptions, photos, technical specifications). On top of that, there are local Excel files that create data silos, with each salesperson or marketing department working with their own version of the information. This lack of system integration and inconsistency of product data causes enormous difficulties in managing B2B sales offers.
There can be many reasons for problems with product data in a B2B company. The most common are the lack of integration between ERP, CMS and CRM systems, as well as organizational silos – marketing, sales and IT do not cooperate in the area of product information management. When a company grows without a plan to centralize data, a historical mess appears - new systems are added, but there is a lack of consistency. Without tools such as PIM, it is difficult to control dispersed product data - employees copy data manually, which leads to errors, duplicates and information chaos in the entire B2B e-commerce.
Consequences of scattered data in B2B
Information chaos in B2B e-commerce is a real threat to business efficiency. The consequences of scattered product data are serious – they affect the quality of service, sales effectiveness and customer trust.
- Problems with B2B sales without data centralization are inevitable. Sales representatives are at risk of preparing incorrect sales offers – when each department uses different data sources, it is easy to end up with outdated prices, discontinued products or contradictory descriptions. Inconsistent data in B2B e-commerce can result in the loss of a customer who, instead of a reliable offer, is faced with chaotic information in a PDF, catalog or online store.
- The lack of consistent product information directly affects the quality of service in B2B e-commerce. Customers expect a quick response and uniform data - and if a trader has to check data in several systems, the risk of error and confusion increases. Such inconsistency in B2B product data undermines trust and destroys business relationships.
- Information chaos in product data also affects marketing communication. Without centralized and up-to-date data, marketing campaigns in B2B e-commerce can contain contradictory information – for example, a promotion for a new feature that does not exist on the website. Such errors reduce brand credibility and can lead to customer loss due to data errors.
- Not having a PIM system in B2B sales means losing business opportunities and efficiency. When salespeople waste time looking for data instead of selling, the company loses out to the competition. It takes weeks to introduce new products because the data has to be compiled manually. Data centralization is a prerequisite for effective B2B e-commerce today.
These consequences of scattered product data are not theory – they are real situations in companies. For example: the technical company Alpha did not have a centralized database – when a customer asked for a product catalog, it took more than two weeks to prepare the offer. The impatient customer chose the competition. The lack of PIM or data centralization in B2B results in the loss of customers and orders.
Data centralization as a necessity, not a choice
This is where Product Experience Management (PXM) comes in – a strategy that treats the centralization of product data as the foundation for effective product information management in a company. PXM is an extension of the PIM concept – while PIM is responsible for a single source of truth for products, PXM goes one step further and provides consistent data across all B2B sales channels, improving the B2B customer experience.
Why is data centralization so important in B2B e-commerce? A company without a centralized approach to product data is like a library without a catalog – the information is there, but finding it is a waste of time and money. By implementing PXM as a strategy in B2B, product data is organized, immediately accessible and presented in a consistent manner regardless of the channel. This is crucial for responding quickly to customer needs and selling effectively.
In today's B2B e-commerce, centralizing product data is no longer a choice – it is a necessity. Customers expect consistent, reliable information, and only one source of truth about products can meet these expectations. PXM as a B2B strategy not only allows you to organize data, but also to realistically increase sales, improve team efficiency, and provide a better B2B customer experience. The benefits are concrete - saving time, eliminating errors, and increasing brand trust.
Centralizing product data with Pimcore
Centralizing product data with Pimcore allows B2B companies to effectively consolidate information from various sources – ERP, CRM, Excel sheets and e-commerce platforms – in one place. Pimcore as a PIM system acts as a central data hub, providing a single source of truth in B2B e-commerce. For example, a technical wholesaler can integrate warehouse data from the ERP and price lists from suppliers in Excel, eliminating errors and manual copying. Pimcore automatically imports, synchronizes and unifies product data, which significantly improves the management of a wide range of products.
Managing data quality in PIM becomes easy with Pimcore. The system automatically validates product data by checking for completeness, format compliance and required fields. Errors – such as duplicates, missing descriptions or incorrect prices – are caught before they reach your customers. This not only improves the quality of information, but also ensures consistency of data across sales channels and minimizes the risk of errors in quotations. When the same product appears in multiple sources - e.g. ERP and Excel - Pimcore automatically detects duplicates and allows them to be merged. The system also allows enrichment of product data – marketing descriptions, PDF files, photos or translations are added to basic records (e.g. from ERP). Thanks to this, each product sheet is complete and ready to be used in sales. Thanks to Pimcore, an industrial components manufacturer can automate the process of creating rich product sheets. Data from the ERP (e.g. names and catalog numbers) is enriched with photos, technical specifications, manuals and other resources from the DAM – all according to established rules. By automatically standardizing product data, the company gains consistency and saves time. All product data updates in Pimcore go through quality control mechanisms, so that only verified, consistent information in real time reaches customers. This eliminates mistakes, e.g. in units of measurement or currencies, which in B2B can lead to costly problems.
Personalized catalogs for B2B customers: One of the key advantages of Pimcore for personalizing B2B offers is the ability to create customized product catalogs. Companies with a wide range of products (tens of thousands of SKUs) can flexibly tailor their offer to customer needs - e.g. to show individual price lists for B2B customers or product sets according to the industry or market specifics. Pimcore allows you to create different variants of product catalogs from a single database – e.g. for specific regions, sales channels or customer groups. This presentation of the B2B offer from a single data source ensures consistency, automation and control. Filtering product catalogs in e-commerce allows you to easily customize your offer – e.g. different prices or product names for key audiences. For example, an automotive parts distributor can generate a PDF with an individual product offer in Pimcore – just for a customer in the transportation industry, with their prices, language and dedicated product range. Such product data tailored to the customer increases sales efficiency and builds loyalty in B2B. Thanks to the consistency of data in B2B catalogs, Pimcore eliminates the risk of errors – outdated prices, descriptions or discontinued products. Updates are made centrally and automatically transferred to all views. Compared to manual catalog preparation, managing a B2B offer in Pimcore saves time and increases precision. As a result, Pimcore enables quick introduction of new products and full control over how the offer looks in the eyes of different B2B customers. It is the ideal solution for companies that want to operate dynamically and at the same time provide personalized product catalogs that are always up to date and tailored to the real needs of their customers.
Practical example (Pimcore): The implementation of Pimcore at a B2B company dealing in the distribution of industrial packaging solved a serious problem of data dispersion. Before the PIM system was implemented, the data was stored in various sources, such as ERP, Excel files from suppliers and manufacturers' websites (photos). This lack of centralization made work difficult, and the process of creating an offer was slow and prone to errors. The practical application of the PIM system allowed for the automation of product data management. Pimcore was integrated with various data sources – ERP, Excel files and external resources – which enabled quick standardization of product data and its central management. Data from various manufacturers, regardless of format, goes through the API to Pimcore, where it is standardized according to a defined scheme. The system automatically checks the completeness and correctness of the data, retrieves missing content from DAM and reports conflicts. As a result, the company gained a single source of information, and the integration of ERP with Pimcore accelerated the flow of data. Manual data entry has been almost completely eliminated. Pimcore is responsible for synchronizing data with e-commerce, PDF catalogs and other channels. Eliminating errors in product information has saved time and improved the quality of sales data. Improving the service for sales representatives is one of the key effects of implementing Pimcore – the data presented to customers (online or in PDF) is up to date and correct. This allows sales representatives to prepare offers quickly and reliably, and preparing product catalogs with Pimcore takes minutes instead of days. This increases customer confidence and sales efficiency. The company can now prepare a personalized offer catalog for a large customer in a matter of minutes, whereas previously it took days of tedious work.
A methodical approach to data centralization in PXM – specific steps
How can you implement PXM step by step and organize the scattered product data in a B2B company? Here is a proven action plan to help you bring information chaos under control:
- Auditing product data in your company is the first step in the centralization process. Identify all sources of information - ERP, CRM, CMS, Excel spreadsheets - and check for duplicates and inconsistencies. This stage allows you to assess the scale of the challenges and plan the next steps in centralizing product data - stages.
- The next step is to choose a PIM system for B2B, which will become the central location for managing product information. A tool such as Pimcore should be easy to integrate, scalable and tailored to the processes in your company. The effectiveness of the PXM implementation in the further stages depends on this choice.
- Integrating PIM with ERP and e-commerce is a crucial moment in the process. Determine which data sources have priority (e.g. ERP for prices, PIM for content). Thanks to API connections and automatic data flow, you will avoid manual copying of information, and the data will always be up to date and consistent between systems.
- The next step is to standardize product data – make sure that units and nomenclature are uniform and that there are no duplicates. Supplement the data with missing content: descriptions, technical specifications, and photos. Consistent and complete data is the foundation of a good shopping experience in B2B e-commerce.
- Training in PIM use and the establishment of clear procedures are key to lasting success. Define roles and responsibilities and train sales, marketing and IT teams. Everyone should know how the system works and why it is worth using it - then managing product information in B2B becomes a natural process.
- Finally, don't forget to monitor the quality of data in PXM. Use reports and indicators to assess the completeness and correctness of data on an ongoing basis. Optimization is an ongoing process - thanks to it, implementing PIM in a company step by step brings lasting results. Encourage the team to be vigilant and react
Automation of B2B sales with OroCommerce
Automation of B2B sales with OroCommerce is the answer to complex pricing models in B2B. The platform offers a pricing engine that supports dynamic price lists for B2B customers – multi-level prices, segmentation discounts, as well as individual price lists for B2B customers, calculated automatically in real time. This means that the offer is always tailored to the customer and their segment. OroCommerce allows you to create complex pricing models, e.g. segmenting customers in B2B e-commerce, assigning special discounts and prices for different groups - wholesale, industry or regional. Prices are calculated automatically, eliminating the need to set rates manually for individual customers. Automatic price calculation in real time is a key feature of OroCommerce. The platform allows you to create pricing rules that take into account variable conditions – order volume, segment affiliation or exchange rates – allowing you to instantly adjust your offer to changing situations. Changes in input data, such as a change in the customer segment, raw material costs or exchange rates, are immediately reflected by the system. Thanks to the B2B platform with individual price lists, the offer is always up to date, which allows companies to maintain price consistency and sales flexibility. The sales platform with ERP and PIM integration allows for full automation of sales processes. For example, a chemical manufacturer can set product price indexing based on changes in the oil price. Thanks to the API, prices are automatically updated in the shop, which allows for acceleration of the B2B sales process and adjustment of the offer to changing market conditions. Personalized pricing in OroCommerce allows you to assign unique price lists for individual customers or B2B groups. When a regular contractor logs in to the portal, they see their individual product catalog and contractually agreed prices, while other customers have access to standard rates. Sales workflow in e-commerce becomes much easier thanks to automation of dynamic pricing and segmentation processes. OroCommerce performs these tasks automatically, which allows sales departments to be relieved, eliminates pricing errors and streamlines the entire sales process.
B2B order management in OroCommerce covers the entire sales cycle - from the request for quotation, through negotiations, to order fulfillment and after-sales activities. OroCommerce has a workflow for approving B2B orders that automates multi-stage decision-making processes, e.g. manager approval after the budget has been exceeded. In addition, it enables full support for online requests for quotations (RFQ) and negotiation management directly from the platform. With the RFQ module in OroCommerce, customers can request a quote directly from the shopping cart. Automating the sales process in B2B e-commerce allows the seller to quickly prepare an offer and conduct negotiations – all without emails or spreadsheets, in one platform. All activities are recorded, providing the company with a history of orders and B2B negotiations, which facilitates analysis and customer relationship management. The platform offers functions typical for wholesale: quick orders for B2B customers, repeat purchases, management of multiple shopping carts and order handling for different branches. OroCommerce is a complete tool for placing bulk orders. After-sales service in OroCommerce is automated – document generation, notifications and courier integrations are all automatic. Customers can track their orders themselves, which improves convenience and encourages customer self-service on the B2B platform. Thanks to OroCommerce, the B2B sales cycle is shortened – inquiries and offers are handled in real time, and the salesperson can react quickly based on constantly updated data. The customer converts the offer into an order with one click, which eliminates errors in the purchasing process. Everything takes place within one platform, without the need to use emails or Excel sheets. This allows the company to eliminate errors in the purchasing process, speed up service and improve the customer experience - who benefits from a convenient, modern way of processing B2B orders.
Integration of OroCommerce with Pimcore and other systems (ERP, CRM) is possible thanks to the open architecture and extensive API. OroCommerce supports bidirectional B2B data exchange, ensuring full information consistency throughout the company's IT ecosystem. Thanks to integration, all sales channels – B2B store, mobile platform, PDF – use a single source of information. This ensures consistency of product data across multiple channels, which translates into a better shopping experience. Synchronizing data between PIM and e-commerce eliminates manual work. For example, OroCommerce retrieves current descriptions, images, and technical specifications from Pimcore, so that the B2B shop always displays up-to-date product data in e-commerce, without delays or errors. Changes made in Pimcore – e.g. description correction, new photo, price update – are automatically updated on the e-commerce platform thanks to the two-way integration. This means that the customer always receives the same, correct information – regardless of the channel. OroCommerce enables the integration of orders with ERP – the order goes from the B2B platform directly to the fulfillment system and the status is sent back to the customer. It is a B2B platform with ERP, PIM and CRM integration that streamlines the entire order process and reduces errors. Thanks to consistent data exchange, all departments work from one source of up-to-date information – which eliminates discrepancies, e.g. between availability visible to the customer and actual stock levels. In a B2B environment, where every customer experience depends on multiple systems, an e-commerce platform with an API for PIM is invaluable. OroCommerce supports integrations with SAP, Comarch and other tools, making it easy to create a customer experience based on integrated data. In summary, OroCommerce becomes the center of e-commerce integration, automating the flow of information, ensuring data consistency and creating a unified B2B customer experience at every brand touchpoint. A good example of this is a mechanical equipment manufacturer that has implemented the Pimcore + OroCommerce tandem: Pimcore manages all product information (including highly technical data and PDF documentation), while OroCommerce presents it to customers and accepts orders. When engineers enter a new product specification in Pimcore, customers immediately see the updated data on the OroCommerce portal – there are no delays or manual data transfers. Data consistency across all touchpoints improves the customer experience and facilitates the scaling of the business to new channels (e.g. integration with a B2B marketplace or a mobile platform), as new channels can be connected to the same integrated data sources.
Optimization of B2B sales processes is possible thanks to the synergy of Pimcore and OroCommerce - platforms designed with the needs of manufacturers and wholesalers in mind. Companies wholesale online with OroCommerce often handle tens of thousands of SKUs, substitutes, product sets or kits. The B2B platform with bundle and replacement support allows for the effective management of even the most complex product range structures. The system also supports the handling of multiple units of measurement in e-commerce, minimum order quantities and multi-warehousing. An e-commerce platform for B2B manufacturers must be flexible – OroCommerce allows you to run multiple shops from a single installation, in different languages and currencies. Thanks to the possibility of defining packages, kits and bundles, companies can easily manage different product variants according to industry requirements. Support for multiple units of measure in e-commerce is crucial, e.g. for construction manufacturers - OroCommerce automatically calculates pallets, pieces, packaging and verifies minimum order requirements. OroCommerce offers OMS functionality – integrating sales with production and warehousing allows you to track inventory, reserve goods and handle orders from multiple channels simultaneously from a single platform. Displaying technical data in PIM is a key feature for manufacturing companies. Pimcore stores the complete technical data – CAD files, parameters, safety data sheets – and OroCommerce enables them to be displayed to the customer on the website. This architecture is the ideal PIM for industrial manufacturers who offer complex products. Customers can easily browse, filter and select product variants thanks to the product configurator features from Pimcore, which enables the creation of dynamic and interactive catalogs for B2B e-commerce. OroCommerce also integrates CRM functions - every interaction with the customer, their orders, negotiations and sales history are available in one place. This allows for effective relationship management and real-time personalization of offers. The combination of Pimcore and OroCommerce enables the full optimization of B2B sales processes – from data and price list updates, to orders, to after-sales activities. The entire commercial process becomes more efficient, consistent and scalable.
Practical example (OroCommerce): Implementing OroCommerce in a B2B company that produces electronic components revolutionized the sales process. Previously, orders were placed by email or phone, price lists were checked manually in Excel, and the availability of goods required contacting logistics – everything was time-consuming and prone to errors. The entire sales cycle was inefficient and lacking in automation – this caused delays and the risk of mistakes. Thanks to digitization, the company launched a B2B platform with fast ordering and full self-service. The system ensures personalization of the offer in the B2B shop - after logging in, the customer sees an individual product catalog, tailored to the country, currency, segment, and contractual discounts. Automated price lists for B2B customers allow the system to apply the right prices and discounts automatically, depending on the customer profile and commercial conditions. Thanks to the quick order function, customers can place bulk orders in a matter of minutes. The B2B platform with ERP integration automatically checks stock levels and allows for instant purchases. Managing product availability in real time is possible thanks to ERP integration – the customer sees current stock levels and delivery dates without delays or inaccuracies. OroCommerce immediately transfers the data to the ERP, where the order goes for processing – and the customer tracks the status thanks to the e-commerce platform with a customer view. The system supports workflow rules – for example, an additional discount can be approved with a single click by the account manager when a certain order quantity is exceeded. Shortening the order cycle in B2B allowed salespeople to focus on customer relations and business development instead of creating offers from scratch. Customers gained 24/7 access to their offers and purchase history. This digitization of the B2B sales process has increased convenience, transparency and customer loyalty. Thanks to OroCommerce, the company has increased its turnover (customers buy more often because the process is easier), minimized pricing errors and integrated sales with the rest of its operations (production and warehouse), reaching a new level of efficiency.
Summary
Pimcore and OroCommerce are complementary solutions for B2B eCommerce. Pimcore provides the data foundation – complete, correct and consistent product information that can be used to feed any channel. OroCommerce, on the other hand, provides a transaction platform rich in B2B-specific features, enabling convenient online shopping even with very complex requirements. Together, they enable B2B companies to meet real challenges: they eliminate data silos, automate tedious bidding and ordering processes, and as a result, improve the experience of customers who receive reliable information and professional service. This allows companies to scale their business more efficiently, enter new markets and compete more effectively in the digital economy.
Are you interested in this article? Check out others on similar topics.
Automatyzacja pracy w PIM za pomocą AI: Przypadki zastosowania i korzyści dla klientów
Automatyzacja pracy w PIM za pomocą AI: Przypadki zastosowania i korzyści dla klientów