PIM Implementation: Project Plan and Checklist
A PIM project starts with decisions about your data. Which system supplies the item number? Who approves material information? Which variants belong together? How will your team establish that a retailer export is factually correct?
Start a PIM implementation by agreeing scope and ownership. Define the sources and data model, clean a representative sample and test the complete workflow in a pilot. Expand the assortment after the pilot has been reviewed and approved.
For furniture and home & living teams, this includes variants, product and packaging dimensions, set contents and the right images. The pilot should show that this information fits together and reaches the required retailer format correctly.
The six phases below help you prepare and review your PIM implementation. Agree configuration, data loading and partner connections for your specific project. If you are still assessing your needs and choosing a system, start with our PIM fundamentals and selection guide.
Download the PIM implementation project template
Download the editable Excel project template.
The workbook contains four sheets:
- Project plan: six phases with deliverables, acceptance criteria, owners, evidence and status.
- Data sources: authoritative systems or files, field locations and ownership for each data area.
- Field catalogue: suggested fields for item numbers, variants, identifiers, dimensions, contents and media.
- Pilot acceptance: eight test cases with expected results, observations, evidence and outcomes.
Complete the yellow cells and adapt the suggestions to your assortment. Documentation checks highlight missing owners, observations or evidence when entries are marked approved or passed. Your team determines whether the actual result meets each acceptance criterion. The file is a planning template, not a Shopvibes or marketplace import file.
Six phases for your PIM project
| Phase | Deliverable | Suggested role | Acceptance criterion |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Define scope | Initial product group, destination and objective described | Project lead and eCommerce | Scope and exclusions confirmed |
| 2. Identify sources and roles | Authoritative sources and owners documented | Data owners and system administrators | Required information has an identified source |
| 3. Define the data model | Fields, units and relationships described | Product management and content team | Model covers simple items, variants and sets |
| 4. Clean pilot data | Cleaned sample with a change log | Responsible subject experts | Identifiers, required data and references reviewed |
| 5. Run the pilot | Test load, retailer output and feedback documented | Project team and partner contacts | Blocking issues resolved and retested |
| 6. Roll out and hand over | Approval, operational ownership and next scope agreed | Project lead and operational team | Change and error handling documented |
Objectives, roles and catalogue structure are also among the foundations in Akeneo’s PIM implementation guide. The phases here organise a separate working template for product data and retailer outputs.
1. Limit the initial scope
Describe an initial product group and a specific destination. Record the languages, variants and media included, and which work will follow later. An objective such as “produce the current retailer file from approved product data and review it” is easier to accept than “improve data management”.
Choose a sample that includes difficult cases: a simple item, colour or size variants, a set and a product shipped in several packages. The pilot should test the data model and expose recurring problems.
2. Document sources and responsibilities
Record the ERP, existing PIM, online store, supplier files and media folders. For each required data area, identify the authoritative values, who can edit them and who approves their accuracy.
Conflicting information needs a precedence rule. Also identify who follows changes to retailer requirements and who handles feedback. Agree credentials and technical configuration with their respective owners. A calendar date does not resolve these outstanding prerequisites.
3. Define the data model and fields
For each field, specify its meaning, data type, unit, allowed values and source. Preserve item numbers and GTINs as identifiers during preparation, including leading zeros. A general “dimensions” field is insufficient if your team needs to check width, depth and height separately.
Separate model, sellable variant, set and package. Define which information is shared and which differs by configuration. Our guide to furniture variants, sizes, colours and sets explains these relationships. The product, packaging and shipping dimensions guide covers the different measurements.
4. Clean pilot data and prepare the load
Keep an agreed copy of the starting data. Resolve missing information, duplicate identifiers, ambiguous units and incorrect image assignments at the authoritative source. Document transformations so that changes remain traceable.
For variants, check that the main image, additional views and documents match the correct configuration. Use our retailer image and image order checklist to support this review.
Review the sample before and after the test load. Are the agreed items present? Do values and references match? Different row counts are not automatically errors if the destination model uses separate records for models, variants or packages. Agree the expected structure in advance.
5. Test the route through to the retailer output
Use an agreed test scope and the delivery route configured for the project. Review the loaded product record first, then the specific retailer output, followed by partner feedback or the published product presentation.
For configured template partners, the Shopvibes help centre describes selecting products, naming the export, choosing a template and downloading the result under “Listings”. The file is then uploaded to the partner. The template export instructions and our retailer template guide explain the prerequisites.
Test a change to an existing item as well. This shows whether corrections, repeat delivery and factual review work in practice. If prices and stock are included in the project, they need their own sources, update routes and test cases.
6. Approve the result and hand over operations
Agree which issues block approval before expanding the assortment. Resolve and retest incorrect identities, conflicting variants or unclear set contents first. For other outstanding issues, record the cause, responsible person and next action.
Name the owners of data maintenance, mapping, retailer changes and error handling. Walk through a correction with the team that will operate the process. Repeat the relevant checks when adding product groups or channels.
What should pilot acceptance establish?
The Excel template includes eight test cases. Adapt their expected results to the agreed scope and link them to specific items, export versions or feedback records.
| Test case | What to review |
|---|---|
| Identity | Unique item numbers, preserved leading zeros and correct identifiers |
| Completeness | Agreed items and fields present, missing information resolved |
| Variants and sets | Correct relationships, set contents and packaging assignments |
| Values and units | Accurate dimensions, materials and approved destination values |
| Media and language | Images, documents and copy match the configuration and language |
| Retailer output | Current category and format checked, feedback reviewed |
| Change | Source correction delivered again and its result reviewed |
| Errors and handover | Blocking issues resolved, repeat review process and ownership agreed |
If a chair is 48 cm wide and the destination expects millimetres, the source value, configured mapping and output must agree. A formally valid number alone does not establish this. A successful file transfer likewise does not establish that the product is correctly published.
Requirements come from the destination channel. The Google product data specification, for example, distinguishes required, conditionally required and optional information. Do not apply one generic required-field list to every partner without review.
How should you plan effort and duration?
Onboarding with Shopvibes typically takes 2–6 weeks.
Build the plan around outstanding work: data condition, data model, number of sources, required configuration, partner access, availability of subject experts and approvals. Agree dependencies with the responsible teams before committing to a date.
Record which prerequisites are complete and which remain open. This lets you prepare a focused pilot and plan later extensions separately.
How can shopvibes support preparation?
shopvibes connects product data and media with preparation and distribution for retail partners for furniture and home & living teams. Maintain your product catalogue centrally or add partner-specific mapping and distribution alongside an existing PIM. Required mappings and delivery scope are agreed for each configured template or connection.
The Grupa Forte customer story shows the second approach: Forte already uses its own PIM and adds shopvibes to prepare and supply product data to marketplaces. Our page on PIM for furniture manufacturers and home & living brands puts these tasks in context.
Discuss your PIM start with your catalogue: bring a representative product family, your current data source and a retailer template. These give us concrete cases for discussing data maintenance, configuration and approval.
Common questions about PIM implementation
Must every product record be complete before starting?
The first pilot needs a defined scope and sufficiently reviewed data to evaluate the workflow. Other assortments can follow later. Missing factual information should have a named owner and a documented route to resolution.
Can an existing PIM remain part of the project?
Yes. If central maintenance already works, the project can focus on preparation and distribution. Our ERP, PIM and feed management decision guide helps distinguish these responsibilities.
When is the pilot successfully completed?
When the agreed cases have been reviewed and approved, blocking issues resolved and changes retested. Document evidence and ownership for ongoing operations. Acceptance of a file or API request is one part of that workflow.
About the author
Author
Tim Hoffmann
Chief Product Officer, shopvibes
Tim Hoffmann is Chief Product Officer at shopvibes. His work focuses on product data management, marketplace integrations and e-commerce workflow automation.
