Product information management in service business

Just like physical products, services can also be modeled as product information in the PIM system. In the service sector, the number of products themselves may be smaller, but for example there may be more languages ​​served and there may be countless combinations of different services. PIM data rows can contain detailed descriptions, images, videos and other relevant information. PIM also offers companies in the service industry a centralized platform for managing and distributing product information.

Companies that offer versatile services require different product category models for different services: for example, cafe or restaurant services require a great deal of detailed information on nutritional content or allergens, while the product information needs of sports facilities are lower. Accommodation, restaurant and sports services may have completely different needs for product hierarchies, and this can be inherited all the way down to product groups and the attribute needs of service products.

It is also often necessary to link products together into service packages, for campaigns, or otherwise to create a larger entity. Adeona PIM makes it easy to manage and modify service packages.

The services are often also accompanied by a wide selection of useful additional information that promotes (or, in the absence of it, hinders or even prevents) the customer's decision-making. For a restaurant, for example, an attractive image of a portion is as important a part of sales promotion as information about ingredients, allergens, or if the dish is lactose-free or vegan. On the other hand, an event agency that offers rental spaces gives the customer a much clearer picture of the spaces and services on offer if the product information also includes floor plans, pictures of previous events, or, for example, a 360 video.

For example, in these cases, product information management benefits companies in the service industry:

The sports college's service offering is mind-blowing

Vierumäki In addition to various hotel, apartment and cottage accommodation, the Vierumäki online store offers customers field and shift reservations for different sports, guided lessons, courses and training, equipment rental and massage, from which each visitor to the sports institute can build an individual service package for themselves. Through PIM, services are also combined into various seasonal campaigns and sports holidays.

Harmonization of the chain's service offering

Centralized product information management is also useful when a company wants to harmonize services between different locations in its chain, for example in connection with a company acquisition. In the wellness and beauty care sectors, for example, it is common for chains to expand by acquiring small sole entrepreneurs as part of their own offering. PIM can be used to ensure that there are no unintentional differences in service prices or content between different locations, and that information about treatments and massages flows smoothly, for example, to Timma and other appointment services.

Centralised services of several sectors of a public operator

There are many multi-sector players in the public sector, for example cities that have innumerable number of services in different industries: gyms to book, museums to buy tickets for, boat berths to rent, and so on. The management of the range of services is made easier if the product information of different services is brought to one centralized place, instead of each industry having its own separate data source, from which the product information is transferred to an individual online store.

Services are also linked to physical products

Many companies that mainly sell products also sell services at some level. In Adeona PIM, service product lines can be linked to physical products and vice versa. For example Etra offers a wide selection of industrial products and related services in its online store. If the customer orders, for example, tapes, surface protection films or electrical insulation materials, a cutting service can also be attached to these products, and the materials are cut directly according to the customer's needs.