Delivering a consistent brand experience across every channel isn’t just a nice-to-have — it’s essential. In this conversation between Stephan Spijkers (PIMvendors.com), Emile Valkestijn (10XCREW), and Luc Smeets (KatanaPIM), the experts explore what it really takes to align product data across touchpoints. From the dangers of “Excel PIMs” to taking ownership of your content and starting small, they share practical insights on how to build a scalable product data engine that powers true omnichannel consistency.

Customers don’t just shop through one channel anymore. They browse, compare, and buy across marketplaces, webshops, apps, social platforms, and even physical stores. As Stephan Spijkers, Co-founder of PIMvendors.com, opened the discussion:

“Getting a consistent omnichannel experience for your customers means getting all the different puzzle pieces in place.”

That consistency starts with product data. Good product data management is what powers a rich, seamless experience across every touchpoint. And while technologies like PIM, MDM, and AI are evolving fast, their shared goal stays simple: help companies deliver more value to their customers through complete, accurate, and well-structured product information.

The core challenge: fragmentation and the “Excel PIM” problem

It’s 2025 — and yet, many businesses still run their product data on spreadsheets. As Emile Valkestijn, Chief Commercial Officer at 10XCREW, put it:

“I’m always surprised that maybe two or three out of five clients we talk with are still using Excel as a PIM."

This spreadsheet chaos creates fragmentation: every department keeps its own version of the truth. Luc Smeets, Managing Director at KatanaPIM, explained:

“Everyone has their part of the product information stored in their own tools — different spreadsheets, different files, different applications. You’re never sure whether you’re talking about the latest version.”

That fragmentation leads to inconsistency across channels, confusion for customers, and inefficiency for teams. The solution? Establish a single source of truth — a central place where product data is collected, enriched, and distributed consistently to every channel.

Strategic ownership: data as a management topic

The biggest shift companies need to make isn’t just technological — it’s organizational. Ownership of product data must sit at the core of brand strategy.

“Who can tell the best story about the brand and the products? The brand itself. Take ownership. Know who your audience is and where they are. Make sure your story is told consistently.”

Luc added that managing data isn’t an extra task to fit in at the end of the day — it’s a core responsibility:

“Managing your data is serious business. It’s not something you do as an extra. It has to be a management topic.”

Ownership also means alignment between teams:

• Marketing leads with the brand story, ensuring consistent messaging across every channel.
• E-commerce ensures product data meets the right technical and content requirements.
• Sales manages pricing and commercial details in commerce tools or ERPs.
• Technology, and especially the PIM, connects everything — making sure each department works in their own system but shares one consistent data foundation.

As Luc summarized:

Everybody has his own responsibility. And by creating that single source of truth, it's possible to have responsibilities on the quality of the data. Someone has to be responsible in the end.

Pragmatic PIM implementation: done is better than perfect

Perfection is the enemy of progress. Instead of waiting for the ideal setup, start small and improve step by step.

“You don’t have to be directly at the A-level. Start at the C or B level, bring the basics in place, and then improve from there.”

This aligns with an agile mindset — done is better than perfect. Emile also highlighted that when scaling across multiple marketplaces, pragmatism wins over perfection:

“It’s always better to have your products live on the channel with mediocre content than not live at all. Then, use the data — views, traffic, conversion — to see which products to optimize first.”

Brands that take this approach move faster. They go live, gather insights, and improve where it matters most.

Building the engine for future scalability

A PIM system isn’t the magic bullet — it’s the engine. The real power lies in how your organization uses it.

“In the end, it’s not the tool that makes the difference. It’s the organization, the people, and how you do it.”

That’s why leadership and direction matter. Companies should make decisions based on where they want to be tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, not on the hassle of today.

Excel might still work for a small catalog on a few channels, but scalability demands structure. As Emile put it:

“An Excel can work on one or two channels with a small assortment. But if you want to scale to more channels and assets, Excel isn’t the way to go.”

Start building your engine now. It takes people, process, and technology working together — powered by reliable product data. As Emile concluded:

“One month using a PIM system will give you more insights than six months of selecting one.”

That’s the mindset that separates the brands struggling to stay consistent from the ones driving scalable, omnichannel growth.

Ready to build your product data engine?

Start centralizing, enriching, and distributing your product information effortlessly with KatanaPIM — the easy-to-use, easy-to-integrate, and easy-to-implement PIM that helps you deliver a consistent experience across all your channels.

👉 Try KatanaPIM for free