How a PIM reduces operating costs

Rising operational costs are a challenge for every e-commerce business. In this article, we’ll show you how a PIM system can not only streamline product data but also deliver measurable savings and improve efficiency.

Many companies see operational costs as an unavoidable part of growth. Growing teams, overtime, time-consuming data updates, and fixing errors—these have become the everyday reality for e-commerce, marketing, and IT teams. The more products and sales channels you manage, the more chaotic it gets. But it doesn't have to be this way.

More and more organizations realize that hiring more people to clean up product data manually isn’t the answer. The key is to optimize the way data is managed. That’s where PIM (Product Information Management) comes in—not just as another IT platform, but as a practical tool for improving operational efficiency and cutting costs.

Where does the money go?

Operational costs go beyond warehouse and shipping invoices. They also include the hours your specialists spend on repetitive tasks. If your team is stuck updating Excel sheets, checking language versions, or fixing product images manually, something is broken.

Every time you correct already-published information, you incur extra costs. And if the correction is due to an error? You're losing money twice: once to fix the issue, and again from lost customer trust.

One central source, less chaos

A PIM system centralizes all product data. That means your online store, marketplaces, PDF catalogs, and distributor portals all pull from the same source. Change a product name or description once, and it updates everywhere—no need to manually overwrite files or chase down updated texts.

Fewer touchpoints mean fewer errors, fewer misunderstandings across departments, and fewer “I updated it but forgot to tell anyone” moments. For your team, this means fewer unnecessary emails and fewer hours spent double-checking what's current.

Automation that pays off

Many businesses struggle to calculate the real cost of managing product data manually. Why? Because those costs are scattered—some in marketing, some in sales, some in IT.

PIM automates a wide range of tasks—from filling in product details in different languages, to creating channel-specific versions, to exporting data to external partners. Some companies report saving up to 100 hours per month by automating these processes.

That’s not a small number. Over a year, these savings can add up to tens of thousands of dollars—without needing to restructure your organization.

Integration with external systems

PIM systems are built to integrate seamlessly with ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning), WMS (Warehouse Management Systems), and e-commerce platforms. This allows for automatic synchronization between systems, eliminating manual entry and reducing errors.

For example, syncing with your ERP helps avoid data duplication and discrepancies in product availability. Integration with sales platforms allows you to publish offers instantly, without needing to prepare data separately for each channel.

The result? Better cross-department collaboration, faster time-to-market, and smoother operations.

Fewer errors, fewer returns

Bad descriptions, missing dimensions, outdated images—all of these increase the risk of returns. A customer who gets a product that doesn’t match the listing not only returns it but often doesn’t come back.

According to research, 70% of users leave websites with inconsistent product information. In fashion, for example, mismatched product details are responsible for over 35% of returns. 

PIM helps prevent these issues. Your data stays complete, up-to-date, and consistent—and updating a parameter across 400 products takes just a few clicks.

Scale your business—not your costs

Business growth doesn’t have to come with higher operational costs. With a well-implemented PIM, you can expand your offering, enter new markets, and support more sales channels—without adding to your team.

Same database. Same processes. Same tool. Clean data means faster responses to changes, easier product rollouts, and smoother collaboration.

Does a PIM system really pay off?

Businesses that use PIM report three clear benefits:

• Time savings for teams
• Faster product launches
• Fewer errors and returns

Take a closer look at your current workflows. If launching a new product takes days and involves three departments, your operational cost per product is likely higher than you think.

Example: simplified ROI model
Let’s break down a sample scenario (illustrative only):

E-commerce company:

• 10,000 SKUs
• $500,000 monthly revenue
• 5 sales channels
• 6 people managing product data

Time savings
Assume each of the 6 employees works 160 hours/month, and PIM saves 30% of that time:6 × 160 hrs × 30% × 12 months × $10/hour = $34,560 saved annually

Fewer errors and returns
Let’s say that 0.5% of revenue is lost due to errors, and PIM cuts that by half: $500,000 × 0.005 × 12 months × 50% = $15,000 saved annually

Increased sales from better data (SEO, UX, content)
Assume a 1% increase in revenue from improved data: $500,000 × 0.01 × 12 months = $60,000 additional revenue annually

Total annual gain: $109,560

After accounting for licensing and setup, your ROI in the first year could reach 75.3%.

From year two onward, the investment pays for itself—and scaling your product offering or market reach doesn’t mean higher costs.

What you gain with PIM

A PIM system isn’t just another cost—it’s a direct solution to data chaos and growing workload. Instead of hiring more people to fix issues, build a system that prevents those issues from happening.

If your company wants to work smarter, faster, and more cost-effectively—reach out to the e-point team. We’ll show you how PIM can help you improve operational results and scale your business without unnecessary overhead.

Want to know how a PIM system could help your business grow?

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