The power of integrating PIM and DAM ~Why having an excel DAM system is important~

CIERTO DAM / PIM

2026-02-04

Simple Distribution

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In the last articles, we explained the basic purpose and functions of Digital Asset Management System (DAM) and Product Information Management System (PIM). And in the introduction of PIM, we also emphasized that PIM alone is insufficient for managing media contents. To enhance the usability of PIM, the implementation of DAM is necessary for executing effective marketing strategies. This article will clarify why PIM and DAM integration is necessary and introduce some ways of use for the integration.

1. Limitations of PIM

While PIM is a powerful tool for centrally organizing and distributing product information or specifications, there are two main issues that PIM is hard to handle with solely:

a. Incompatible with Frequent Content Updates
To capture the interest of customers, product images and videos are essential elements for any promotional campaigns. However, PIM itself does not have a good mechanism for visual asset management. Whenever there is a new update for the attached file, users have to process it separately and manually on both PIM and the file storage system, which often results in file version chaos. Consequently, the inability to provide the latest and precise content on time leads to the loss of sales opportunities.

b. Difficult to Fully Deal With Global Customers Preferences
Last time we introduced users to manage multilanguage product information and overseas currencies on PIM which streamlined the projects involved in the overseas market. Nonetheless, the overseas customers need something more than that. When companies try to expand their business overseas, it is necessary to prepare images and videos tailored to the culture and preferences of each country or region. For example, the European and US customers may want to see lifestyle photography as a promotional image, but the Japanese customers may want to see a more function-oriented image. Using PIM solely is difficult to deal with diverse situations as it is not a professional system for managing multiple visual assets and versions. Thus, integration with DAM is necessary to provide appropriate materials to local sales teams or agencies quickly and accurately.

2. The effectiveness of DAM

Visual-Oriented is a “common sense” in the EC market: consumers tend to purchase a product based on its images. Having attractive visual content will significantly impact the performance of sales. Thus, it is important to have a systematic visual content management tool (i.e. DAM) too. Here we listed some of the benefits of using DAM:

a. Inclusive Production Workflow
Implementing DAM streamlines the entire production process, from image/video production, review, approval, management, to distribution. It allows users to quickly find necessary assets, update and publish the related materials efficiently. As a result, companies can consistently offer consumers the latest and most optimized contents, thereby boosting their purchase intent.

b. Optimizing Design Approval Processes and Production Workflows
Many companies outsource jobs like design and video production. Loss will be made if there is miscommunication between you, your customers, and the outsourcing company. By utilizing DAM, assets can be shared systematically, the approval steps and revision requests can be managed directly on the platform. A good change is that communication between the stakeholders becomes smoother, making it possible to maintain both work efficiency and quality.

c. Bypass the Limiter of File Server Operations
In traditional file server environments, folders are often managed across departments without organization. And it is not rare to spend tens of minutes to find the latest version of an image. This version chaos is exacerbated when interacting with external outsourcers, as it often involves the combined use of email attachments and file transfer services. DAM, however, is equipped with “version history management”, “access/permission control”, and “preview” functions. It allows users to access the latest data and control over the access ranges flexibly. The benefits are substantial in terms of both security and operational efficiency.

d. Great Fit for EC Marketing Strategy
Platforms like Amazon, Rakuten, and Instagram have their own requirements for image size and file format. Users have to perform the image conversions out of the system manually if they only use PIM as it usually is not equipped with excel processing functions. But with DAM, users can convert files into the appropriate format in the system with no limit. The process is time saving and reduces human error significantly.

< Examples of Image Format Conversion>

Amazon: JPEG image with 1000px or above (RGB)
Rakuten: PNG recommended, capable for transparent backgrounds (800px or above)
Instagram: Square format recommended (1080×1080px)

< Examples of Video Transcoding >

Mutual conversion of MP4, WebM, and MOV
Conversion to short-form videos for social media (TikTok, Instagram Reels)
Thumbnail generation (extracting the first 3 seconds of a video as a still image)

Users can perform the conversions on DAM directly, resize and compress images to the appropriate resolution and format.

3. How to use DAM for multichannel distributions

Not only EC, though it is the age of digitalization, promoting products through paper media, social media, and physical stores is also crucial. In this case, a DAM system is indispensable as a strategy of multichannel distributions.

a. Streamlining Multi-Channel Deployment
Generally, the flow of purchase nowadays is:
①　Customers discover a product on social media
②　They compare the prices or services on several online shops or platforms
③　If there is physical store, customers may also check out the price in the store

If different product images are used across the channels, it may cause confusion to customers, and they may be suspicious of the accuracy of the product information and may also affect the credibility of the brand. But if the companies implement DAM, they can maintain the consistency of the content distributed across different channels. It guarantees consumers can receive the same purchasing experience regardless of the platform differences.

b. Efficient Content Management
Multichannel distribution brings with it the challenge of great load in content management. A wide range of assets such as short videos for social media, high-resolution images for printed media, and product description videos for EC, must be all managed properly. DAM facilitates metadata management, content can be organized by its attributes, which in turn enables smooth extraction and automatic distribution tailored to each platform.

4. What can be done with the integration?

We introduced many benefits of DAM, so, what is the power of DAM/PIM integration? There are 2 significant changes by integrating the systems.

a. Workflow Automation and Approval Process Management
DAM provides end-to-end management, from designer file upload to marketer file approval, and also format conversion plus PIM integration. It enables a shift away from traditional person-dependent, manual operations to a faster and more transparent operational structure.

① Designer uploads the product image to DAM.
↓
② Marketing personnel review and send revision instructions via DAM.
↓
③ After approval, the asset is resized and format-converted for each EC platform.
↓
④ PIM and DAM are integrated, product information and the resized visual assets are mapped.
↓
⑤　Both visual assets and product information can be distributed to different platforms collectively.

By managing this flow, DAM effectively resolves challenges associated with file server operations, such as the complexity of version control.

b. Highly Productive Content Search
To instantly retrieve the assets needed from the tens of thousands of files stored in DAM, advanced tag function is essential. The AI-driven object recognition equipped in DAM will apply tags like "red sneakers" or "outdoor scene” according to the characteristics of the picture. It is also available for integrating with SKU codes to allow linked search using PIM information. It significantly reduced the time marketers and designers search for suitable materials.

Automatic application of IPTC/XMP metadata (title, copyright information, photographer).
AI-based object recognition for automatic tag (e.g., "red sneakers," "suitable for outdoors").
Linking with Product SKU (integrates with PIM to retrieve related images via an SKU search).

5. To sum up…

Users cannot underestimate the importance of PIM and DAM integration. Using PIM solely creates limitations in streamlining content management, and reduces one’s competitiveness in EC business.

In the future digital marketing, PIM operation that is predicated on the implementation of DAM is indispensable. This will optimize the management and distribution of product information and enable a more effective brand strengthening.