“PIM sells customers the dream of a product.”

“PIM is a foundational piece of software that helps sell customers the dream of a product before they get their hands on it.”

Those aren’t our words. They’re the words of Lisa Quinn, inriver’s Director of Global Product Marketing. We sat down with Lisa to get her unique perspective on what’s important in PIM today and where she sees the industry going next. Whether you’re new to the world of PIM or an active PIM user, this conversation will spark new inspiration and ideas based on the wide impact PIM can provide to your organization and your customers.  

Hi, Lisa. We know that the PIM space is experiencing high growth, with inriver as no exception. Why is PIM so hot right now? 

It’s true. A lot more companies are realizing just how business-critical PIM has become. What started out as a nice-to-have for e-commerce brands is now a must-have for all brands. And I’m not just talking about B2C industries, like apparel and furniture. We’re seeing huge growth in the number of manufacturers who are starting to understand just how transformational the right PIM solution can be.  

What do you think has caused the rising importance of PIM? 

Put simply, all consumers, whether B2C or B2B, are looking for that exceptional buying experience. In a mostly digital world, that means companies need to be able to replicate an in-store shopping experience on their online channels. That isn’t an easy task, because you can’t see or touch products through a laptop or cellphone. This is where product information comes into its own. 

On the digital shelf, information like the size, shape, fit, and material of a product is the thing people are buying before they give you a single dime. Without that, your products don’t even exist for your customers. That’s why this information is so critical to your bottom line. But having this information – and the data that supports it – is only half the battle. To make a difference, you need that information to be accurate, engaging, and tailored to that specific customer. 

“Companies need to replicate an in-store shopping experience on their online channels.”

Lisa Quinn, Director of Global Product Marketing, inriver

Based on your expertise, what makes the inriver PIM stand out from the crowd?  

There are plenty of PIM vendors out there who offer product information management. However, only inriver offers the level of 360° oversight that is needed if companies want to extract the maximum possible value from their product information. 

How does the inriver PIM give you 360° oversight? 

When it comes to your digital shelf, the inriver PIM is a complete ‘closed loop’ solution. We have both syndication and digital shelf analytics capabilities built into our software, and this makes a huge difference when selling online. Our syndication tech, Syndicate Plus, is API-based, which makes it ideal for getting your product content out to market quicker, smarter, and more effectively than the alternatives. Once your content is in front of customers, our DSA tech constantly monitors its performance, letting you know if and when issues arise with your listings, such as missing information or distorted images. You can then close the loop by fixing those issues immediately within your data source of truth – the PIM itself. 

But this oversight doesn’t stop with simply getting your products sold. Increasingly, we are seeing the role of product information extend well beyond e-commerce. This is particularly evident in response to sustainability issues, another reason why it’s currently such an exciting time for inriver. As green regulations like the digital product passport tighten, more and more companies will need to ensure their product data is fully transparent or face the consequences. To help our customers, inriver has expanded the scope of our PIM solution to support the data of every single product from the very first moment of ideation. 

“Software is not the first thing in mind when thinking about sustainability, but PIM can definitely play its part.” 

Lisa Quinn, Director of Global Product Marketing, inriver

How do you feel about inriver’s new focus on sustainability? 

Excited! There’s clearly a lot of movement towards circularity in both the North American and European markets, and I’m very energized by the prospect of playing my part in this wider shift. But more importantly, I’m excited for our customers.  

I know there may be some who see this as simply jumping through hoops, but many companies are actively looking to take their sustainability to the next level, and the inriver PIM can help them deliver on that. With our PIM, users can get oversight on issues such as material sourcing and the carbon footprint of supply chains. Understanding issues like this is the first step in creating that circular product journey. Software is not the first thing in mind when thinking about sustainability, but PIM can definitely play its part and the inriver team is proud to be supporting this.

That all sounds very rewarding. How does this all play out in your everyday work, and how do you interact with the teams responsible for building the product?  

My team has a broad scope of responsibilities, from product messaging and positioning to sales to running our analyst engagement program. We do everything from helping our colleagues in growth marketing get our new product messaging out to generating product content. I love that we sit at the intersection of so many departments, like product, sales, and marketing. I get to work with so many stakeholders across the organization and I find that helps me better keep the product tied to everything we do.

I’ve been with inriver for 5 years and have been fortunate to witness tremendous growth in our products’ sophistication. Prior to inriver, I was working in product marketing for various software companies across Denmark and Sweden, including ERP and cybersecurity providers. This gave me great experience and insight into the software industry, which I’ve seen evolve significantly over the last decade or so. I’ve been able to use this experience, as well as the knowledge I’ve gained from a great team here at inriver, to keep pushing myself forward. 

And finally, we know life’s not all about software. So, what do you do in your free time? 

Right now, a lot of my free time is taken up by building a house with my husband. We swapped Scandinavia for rural Ireland a few years ago and have been in this labor of love for a while now, supported by our chocolate Labrador, Indie, and my two beautiful ‘bonus’ daughters.  

Apart from that, I love photography, live music, golf, and aerial yoga, which I haven’t been able to do as much since my move over from Malmö. However, my main passion is traveling, and once the house is complete, I can’t wait to spend even more time out there exploring the world. My favorite destination is Italy. It’s such a beautiful country with great food, drink, and people.  

Thanks, Lisa! Or should that be grazie?