Discover why Magento users need a PIM system. Learn how PIM centralizes product data, integrates seamlessly with Magento, supports composable commerce, and helps businesses scale with clean, consistent product information.
Magento has long been a leading ecommerce platform in the Netherlands and beyond. It’s flexible, customizable, and powerful — but when it comes to managing product data, Magento often isn’t enough on its own. As businesses grow, they quickly discover the limits of using Magento (or ERP systems) as a central hub for product information.
In our recent webinar, Luc Smeets, Managing Director at KatanaPIM, joined Stephan Spijkers from PIMVendors to discuss how PIM and Magento work together, why data is the real foundation of digital success, and what companies should consider as they scale.
Watch the full conversation (Dutch SUB EN) with Luc Smeets and Stephan Spijkers to learn how PIM and Magento work together to power scalable ecommerce.
Magento is great for selling products, but not for managing large, complex catalogs. Many companies still try to use Magento or ERP systems as their main product database, but according to Luc:
“Your commerce tool is meant for commerce. Your ERP is meant to manage resources. Neither are designed to enrich or structure product data.”
Without a dedicated PIM, businesses often end up with scattered Excel sheets, manual imports, or supplier data in PDFs and APIs that need constant “massaging” to fit Magento’s format. This slows down time-to-market and creates errors that directly impact the customer experience.
Modern ecommerce doesn’t run on a single monolithic platform anymore — it’s composable. Businesses choose specialized SaaS tools that work together: ERP for finance, WMS for logistics, Magento for commerce, and a PIM for product data.
Luc explains:
“We chose to be 100% a PIM system. That means we fit perfectly in composable commerce setups, integrating smoothly with tools like Magento.”
To support this, KatanaPIM offers a dedicated Magento plug-in, developed with Magmodules, that ensures partners and agencies can rely on a secure, ready-to-use integration. No costly custom development, just a stable connection for smooth data flow.
Most businesses don’t start with a PIM. In the beginning, product data lives in the webshop or ERP. But as soon as complexity grows — more products, more languages, or multiple sales channels — things start to break down.
“You might start your business from your garage with Magento as your central system. But as soon as sales increase and teams grow, you need structure. At some point, you have to organize and optimize your processes — and that’s where PIM comes in.”
A PIM allows companies to move from ad hoc fixes and manual workarounds to structured, automated processes that scale.
AI is transforming ecommerce. From generating content and translations to mapping attributes, AI tools are increasingly built directly into platforms like Magento and Shopify.
But as Luc puts it:
“Digitalization is fantastic, but garbage in, garbage out. If your product data isn’t correct, AI will only amplify the mistakes.”
The real value of AI comes when it builds on a solid foundation of clean, enriched product data managed in a PIM.
Whether you’re a brand, wholesaler, or retailer, the need for structured product data is the same. Brands create technical specs, wholesalers add commercial layers, and retailers localize and optimize content for their customers.
Different outcomes, same process: collect, enrich, validate, distribute.
This process ensures consistent product experiences across the entire value chain — whether a customer sees your product on Instagram, a retailer’s webshop, or in a printed catalog.
Investing only in sales and marketing tools without fixing product data quality will always disappoint. High-quality, consistent product data is the foundation of ecommerce growth.
“You can have the best platform in the world, but if the data going in isn’t right, you won’t convince your customers. Getting your product data in order is the foundation for digital success.”
A PIM ensures that Magento — and every other channel you sell on — is fueled with accurate, enriched, and up-to-date content. This reduces time-to-market, improves customer experience, makes replatforming easier, and ultimately drives more sales.
Magento gives you the stage to sell your products. PIM ensures the performance on that stage is flawless. As ecommerce becomes more complex, investing in product data management is no longer optional — it’s essential.
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