National Buying Group (NBG) has officially launched its new Product Information Management (PIM) service which has been designed to centrally collect ‘high quality, accurate and timely product and pricing information’ from Suppliers before delivering it to merchant Partners.
PIM is intended to help Partners and Suppliers sell products more efficiently through access to real-time product and pricing data. The catalogue of product intelligence collected from PIM will be able to be used in NBG Partners’ back-office systems and websites to provide enriched product information including everything from size and weight to material and pricing.
Previously, Partners had relied on contacting Suppliers regarding individual products and manually uploading information. However, PIM will save time for both Partners and Suppliers by making product information instantly available and in a well organised format – described as a vast improvement on the old process.
For Partners, this also means more structured, detailed and up-to date product information, access to live data, collateral and images to support the promotion of products.
Suppliers, meanwhile, will benefit from a single point of contact within NBG’s dedicated PIM team and the ability to create a product and pricing catalogue to seamlessly share product information with all NBG Partners at once. PIM also means that Partners will have access to Suppliers’ full product ranges, giving them the opportunity to offer more to customers and increase sales.
The PIM system will enable accurate data to be loaded directly onto Partner’s existing systems, reducing potential invoicing and ordering errors, increasing operational effectiveness.
Following a testing and development period with selected NBG Partners and Suppliers, PIM has now successfully launched with access for the whole of NBG via its internal platform, The Hub. It has already been rolled-out to NBG’s 320 Suppliers, asking them to complete four data templates, including pricing, logistics, marketing, and media information.
NBG’s development of PIM is said to be testament to its commitment to delivering progressive technology solutions to improve the experience for Suppliers and Partners. PIM will have a significant benefit to the whole group by streamlining the solutions previously used.
Nick Oates, Managing Director at NBG, said: “One of NBG’s main aims is to Build Strong Brands that work collaboratively. Our new PIM system is the first of its kind and will make a real difference to the way that Partners and Suppliers work together to make the most of deals and sell products to customers.
“Gone are the days of calling Suppliers for information on individual products, Partners will now have easy access to accurate product and pricing data via The Hub which will increase the whole groups’ productivity moving forward.”
Nick added: “We look forward to our Partners and Suppliers having the opportunity to make the most of the PIM system and are looking forward to hearing their thoughts on how we can continue to improve and support them.”
For more information, visit www.nationalbuyinggroup.com
