In most large enterprises, basic product information is managed and stored in enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. ERP systems typically contain product identification codes (SKU numbers), product cost information, and the data that drive manufacturing operations such as bills of materials and production scheduling. These systems are also used to manage order entry and order fulfillment.
As critical as these functions are, typical ERP systems are not equipped to handle the wealth of additional information that is required for successfully taking products to market. Marketing messages and materials such as print ads, brochures, catalogs, videos, etc. all require information that is not traditionally stored in ERP (and similar product management) systems because these systems are designed to manage products, but not to market them.
Equally important, typical ERP systems contain data about individual products, but they do not usually contain information about the relationships among products. Product marketers often need to think of product bundles that are marketed together. For example, a particular smartphone may be related to a particular headset and a particular charger. On top of this, most companies will periodically offer special promotions that require the grouping of products in ways that are not available in ERP systems.
To address these challenges, product managers and product marketers need a flexible and adaptable product information management system that will bridge the gap between product management and product marketing. Such a system must (a) find a common way of sharing resources in a single workflow system, and (b) provide the tools required for the complexities of modern product management and the marketing of those products.
The good news is that such product managementhttp://www.adamsoftware.net']);">here.
This post was also published on the Adam Software blog. . .
