Businesses rely on different technologies to manage operations and bring products to market. Two important systems are product information management (PIM) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) software.
Although both systems centralize data, automate workflows, and connect business functions, they serve different purposes. ERP systems manage core business operations, while PIM systems help teams manage and distribute the product content needed to market and sell products.
Understanding the differences between PIM vs. ERP systems can help your business determine which technology it needs and how the two can work together.
That distinction matters even more as we look toward 2027. According to Salsify's "2026 Consumer Research" report, 22% of shoppers have used AI search tools like ChatGPT and Gemini for product research.
As shoppers increasingly use AI to research products, the use of accurate and detailed product information becomes more important. Let's look at what PIM and ERP systems do, how they differ, and how businesses can use both.
Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software helps businesses manage and integrate essential operational processes through a centralized system. These processes can include accounting, finance, procurement, inventory management, supply chain operations, human resources, and order management.
An ERP system connects information across business functions, giving teams greater visibility into operations and helping them automate routine tasks, coordinate workflows, and make informed business decisions.
For example, a manufacturer might use an ERP platform to track inventory levels, manage purchasing, monitor production schedules, and oversee financial transactions. The system provides a centralized view of the operational information businesses need to keep products moving through the supply chain.
ERP platforms are available for businesses of different sizes and industries, although their capabilities, complexity, and implementation requirements vary.
While ERP systems can store important product data, their primary purpose isn't to develop, enrich, and distribute customer-facing product content across commerce channels. That's where a PIM solution comes in.
Product information management (PIM) software helps businesses centralize, manage, enrich, and distribute product information across their sales and marketing channels.
A PIM solution serves as a central source of truth for product content, including product titles, descriptions, SKUs, universal product codes (UPCs), technical specifications, digital assets, marketing copy, and other product attributes.
Rather than managing product information across disconnected spreadsheets, databases, and systems, teams can use a PIM platform to organize product content, maintain data quality, manage enrichment workflows, and prepare information for different channel requirements.
For example, a brand selling products across multiple retailers, marketplaces, and geographic regions may need to adapt product descriptions, measurements, languages, images, and other attributes to meet each channel's requirements. A PIM solution helps teams manage these variations while maintaining consistent product information.
PIM also plays an increasingly important role as shoppers discover products through more channels. Consumers may research products on retailer websites, use social platforms for recommendations, or turn to AI-powered tools to compare options.
These experiences depend on accurate product information. PIM helps businesses organize and distribute that information, while product experience management (PXM) takes a broader approach to improving how product content reaches and connects with shoppers.
In short, PIM helps businesses manage product information. PXM helps them turn that information into better product experiences.
PIM and ERP systems both help businesses centralize information, streamline workflows, and improve collaboration. However, they serve different purposes within an organization's technology ecosystem.
An ERP system manages the operational information and processes that keep a business running. A PIM system focuses on the product information businesses need to market and sell their products effectively.
Both PIM and ERP platforms can help businesses:
One important distinction: PIM and ERP systems aren't necessarily competing for the same data. They often exchange information to support different parts of the product lifecycle.
For example, an ERP system might provide a PIM platform with product identifiers, dimensions, and other foundational data. Product teams can then enrich that information with descriptions, marketing copy, images, videos, and channel-specific attributes before distributing it to relevant sales and marketing channels.
The exact integration and division of responsibilities depend on how a business configures its technology stack.
Both technologies offer important business benefits, but the value they provide depends on the challenges they're designed to solve.
Benefits of a PIM system include:
Benefits of an ERP system include:
Neither system replaces the other. PIM and ERP platforms provide complementary capabilities that help businesses manage internal operations and the product information they share with the market.
It's no surprise that AI is changing how consumers research and discover products. Salsify co-founder Rob Gonzalez describes one emerging development as the agentic shelf.
In his At the Whiteboard video series, Gonzalez explains that the agentic shelf works differently from traditional physical and digital shopping environments. AI-powered tools can combine product discovery, recommendations, and purchasing guidance into a single conversation.
For brands, this creates new competition for consumer attention. When shoppers rely on AI assistants to research and compare products, detailed product information helps those tools understand what products offer and which options may meet a shopper's needs.
Gonzalez notes that, on the agentic shelf, the takeaway is straightforward: product information needs to be accurate, complete, and accessible wherever shoppers discover products.
To make a relevant recommendation, AI-powered tools need more than a product name and price. They need accurate specifications, dimensions, compatibility information, and descriptions that explain what a product offers.
ERP systems help businesses manage the operational information behind their products. PIM platforms help ensure the product content needed for these experiences is organized, enriched, and distributed effectively.
Consumers may discover a product through an AI assistant, research it on a retailer's website, and ultimately purchase it in a physical store. Consistent product information helps businesses support each interaction.
Connecting PIM and ERP systems gives businesses a stronger foundation for managing product data and supporting changing shopping habits.
Choosing between a PIM and ERP system depends on operational needs, product information requirements, and growth priorities.
If your primary challenge is managing business operations, including accounting, procurement, inventory, and supply chain processes, an ERP system can provide the infrastructure you need.
If your challenge is managing increasingly complex product information, improving content quality, and distributing product content across multiple channels, a PIM solution may be the better fit.
For many businesses, the answer isn't choosing one over the other. It's connecting both systems so operational data and customer-facing product content work together.
PXM builds on the capabilities of PIM by helping businesses create, manage, and optimize product experiences across different commerce channels.
From ecommerce product detail pages and retailer marketplaces to social commerce and AI-powered shopping experiences, PXM helps businesses ensure their product content is relevant and consistent.
PIM and ERP systems serve different purposes, but they work best when connected. ERP software helps businesses manage operations and product data, while PIM software helps teams enrich and distribute product content across sales channels.
As agentic commerce grows, PXM helps brands improve the product experiences shoppers encounter.
Understanding how PIM, ERP, and PXM work together can help your business build a stronger foundation for product information management in 2027 and beyond.