Toynamics establishes end-to-end consistency in product data quality

There were many challenges, especially with regard to entering and preparing product data since partner brands from various countries provided data in different formats. As a result, it was not always clear whether the information and assets were up-to-date. The main goals of the PIM implementation were to significantly improve data quality, ensure the consistency of product information and improve the efficiency of marketing workflows across all relevant channels.

The situation

• Suppliers sent product information via different channels, in different formats and it couldn’t be stored according to standard criteria

• There was no system to store the assets and information centrally and thus make them available quickly for further use. Instead, Excel databases were still predominantly used.
• With growing distribution structures within Europe, the effort for the manual maintenance of product information was finally disproportionately large and cost-intensive.
• Product data quality couldn’t be guaranteed on the scale that was necessary, given the company’s values and the brands it associates with. This was a factor that became most critical with the planning of the company’s online store.

Objectives

• Establish a central system as a “single source of truth” for all product information — with the option of managing the data for different brands according to the respective requirements.
• Maintain product data quality across the entire brand portfolio — supported by automated mechanisms that alert the system of any input errors.
• Increase efficiency in data maintenance via customized workflows and automation processes.
• Establish a customized selection of the product parameters and languages used, depending on the brand and/or product group.
• Efficiently distribute product information to partners, social media channels and the company’s online store — in the appropriate formats and with significantly reduced manual effort.