Akeneo PIM functionality utilised to maximum effect

Challenges in managing and distributing product information

Mepal encountered challenges in managing their product information. The brand lacked a central source for product information, making it incomplete and non-uniform. In addition, Mepal experienced difficulties in importing and exporting product information from different sources and systems, as well as between external parties such as web shops, retailers and marketplaces. A PIM system provides the solution to effectively tackle these challenges.

The solution: Akeneo PIM

During the selection process, XSARUS PIM Masters examined which PIM-software best suited Mepal. Akeneo PIM proved to be the right fit and Mepal followed this advice with confidence. Among other things, the user-friendliness and intuitive user interface were decisive. We highlight some of the key functionalities Mepal uses in the Akeneo PIM system.

Efficient product modelling

The hierarchical structure within Akeneo allows Mepal to group product information cleverly. General product characteristics, such as the material of a product line, Mepal enters only once at the main level. Products at lower levels automatically adopt these specifications, leaving you to enter only specific product details, such as colour or variant, manually. This hierarchy prevents double entry and speeds up product addition.

All-in-one Asset Manager

Mepal manages a large amount of assets, from product photos and ambient mood pictures to close-ups of usage and visuals with highlighted USPs. As with product information, the lack of central storage created challenges: different versions spread across multiple systems made management cluttered. With the Akeneo Asset Manager, these problems have been solved. All assets are now managed centrally and are easy to find. Moreover, important features, such as the photographer and the duration of image rights, can be recorded directly.

Automation with Rules Engine

With Akeneo's Rules Engine, Mepal automates certain rules and dependencies. For example, weights are automatically converted: less than 1 kilo is displayed in grams, while anything above 1 kilo is shown in kilograms. This ensures a consistent presentation. Language variants, such as British-English and American-English, also synchronise automatically. This not only saves time, but also ensures uniformity across all channels.

Custom-made content per channel

Mepal sells its products through various sales channels, such as its own webshop, the B2B platform and marketplaces like Amazon. Certain product information is relevant to a B2B customer, while a consumer ordering the product via Amazon does not need this information. Within Akeneo, product descriptions can be customised per channel. This way, every sales channel offers product information that perfectly matches the specific target group.

Product enrichment with Reference Entities

Mepal uses Reference Entities to centrally manage product attributes that apply to multiple products, such as ‘safe for the dishwasher’. Instead of entering this for each product separately, Mepal captures these attributes once using Reference Entities and easily links them to relevant products. By enriching with visual icons, such as a dishwasher icon, the product experience is also further optimised.

Sharing up-to-date data with Shared Catalogs

Akeneo PIM serves as the central source for all product information. But how does Mepal prevent outdated Excel files from continuing to circulate and employees from sharing outdated data with customers? For this purpose, Mepal uses the Akeneo Shared Catalogs: a user-friendly read-only portal where employees can easily find and download up-to-date product data directly from the PIM system. This streamlines communication, minimises errors and speeds up processes between Mepal and its business customers and partners.

Business value of Akeneo PIM

The implementation of Akeneo PIM has brought many benefits to Mepal. Mepal has reliable and complete product information, which ensures a professional and consistent presentation on all channels. Data quality has also increased considerably because it is clear per product and per channel which data are still missing or need to be enriched.

Future plans

The implementation of Akeneo has been realised quickly using the MVP (Minimal Viable Product) principle. There are plenty of future plans, such as further improving data quality and synchronising product data directly to external partners. In addition, Mepal wants to further optimise its personalisation module. This allows customers to personalise products themselves with text and photos. The Akeneo PIM system will play an essential role in this in the background by declaring products as configurable and managing the different variants.