Primera combines central product management with local assortment flexibility.

Primera works with different types of assortment.

The product assortment consists of the core range that is available in all stores, combined with a range that leaves room for a local store assortment.

From this range, entrepreneurs can add products they want to sell in their store alongside the core range. In addition, there is a webshop-only assortment with products offered exclusively online.

Without a shared structure, local assortment management can quickly become disconnected from the central product data model.

Depending on the assortment type a product is classified under, different fields, classifications, validation rules and workflows apply.

The challenge was therefore to give store operators flexibility without letting go of the central product data standard.

The full product portfolio is managed in PIM according to one uniform Data Model & Structure and the associated classification.

The exact combination of product attributes and product content is determined by the product classification and assortment type.

Primera uses Import & Onboarding, with the Supplier Portal as its intake layer, to onboard product information from suppliers and distributors.

Source files such as XML, JSON and CSV can be mapped to the product structure Primera requires.

Automatic data onboarding from suppliers and distributors is especially important for Primera. The company carries a broad and diverse assortment, ranging from gift cards and books to office supplies, snacks and tobacco products.

Authorised users can maintain supplier mappings when source formats change.

This reduces the need to rework the onboarding process manually every time a supplier file changes. New products and product updates move through the same structured intake layer before entering the core PIM process. Learn more about Supplier Data Onboarding.

Good product data starts before your PIM.

Primera uses Product Information Flow, part of Workflows & AI, to structure product enrichment and review in one configurable process.

Different users or teams can contribute to the same product information through clear steps.

The workflow makes it clear:

• which stage a product has reached;
• what enrichment is still required;
• where review is needed;
• who owns the next step.

A shared product platform serves different types of users.

Not everyone therefore needs the same permissions or capabilities.

The Primera setup supports role-based access, allowing permissions to be configured per user role. Single sign-on provides central access to the environment.

This way, different teams within Primera, such as the master data team and the e-commerce team, can have their own responsibilities, workflows and authorisations within the same PIM environment.

PIM provides Reporting & Analytics around product completeness and status.

These views can be applied to selections such as:

• product groups;
• brands;
• assortment type;
• sales channel.

This gives PIM real-time insight into the completeness of product data per sales channel, such as the stores and the webshop. Based on this, the Primera teams can align their activities and priorities accordingly.

Product data from PIM is used both in the stores and online.

In the stores, product information is used, among other things, in the POS system.

The fully enriched product data, including images, product specifications and retail prices, is used for the digital channels, such as the Primera webshop and newsletters.

By managing product data for all Primera sales channels centrally in PIM, a single reliable product base is created that is consistent and dependable both in the stores and across the digital channels.

Especially when existing product data is updated and new products are introduced, this central approach delivers major benefits.

Integration between PIM and the wider Primera ecosystem is handled through Primera Connect.

ConnectingTheDots exposes the available PIM APIs and endpoints for exchanging product information with connected business systems and sales channels such as the POS system and the Primera webshop.

PIM acts as the central product data layer. Primera Connect handles the connection with the systems and channels that consume that information.

With ConnectingTheDots PIM, Primera has a product data architecture in which central management, local assortment freedom and product data management for both in-store and digital sales channels come together.

• one uniform data model for the core range, the range for local use and the webshop range;
• central product content and assets from one PIM environment;
• product data available from one PIM platform for all touchpoints, both in the physical stores and online;
• supplier data can be read in and mapped via Import & Onboarding;
• configurable workflows for enrichment and review;
• roles, permissions and single sign-on;
• insight into product completeness and status;
• integration with the Primera ecosystem through Primera Connect.

As a result, Primera has one central product data flow through PIM that connects different assortments, teams and sales channels. Starting with automatic data onboarding of suppliers, through to publishing towards the stores and the digital channels.

This way, Primera combines central control with the flexibility to differentiate the assortment per store and webshop. At the same time, products from the core range, from Maastricht to Groningen, are always available. Both in the 500 stores and online.