PIM Requirements Checklist
PIM requirements are the documented needs a product information management system must meet: the products and attributes it stores, who edits and approves them, which systems it connects to, which channels it feeds, and the budget and timeline it must fit. Writing them down before you look at vendors is the single biggest predictor of a smooth PIM project.
Most PIM projects that go over budget have the same root cause. The team chose a platform first and discovered its requirements later. Demos look alike, every vendor says “yes”, and the gaps only show up during implementation, when they are expensive to fix.
This checklist is the set of questions we work through with clients before any platform discussion. It has 60 questions in 8 areas. You do not need perfect answers to all of them; you need honest answers to most of them.
1. Business goals and scope
Start with why. A PIM that is “the single source of truth” is not a goal; faster launches, fewer returns or new marketplaces are.
- What business problem will the PIM solve in the first 12 months?
- How will you measure success (for example time to launch a product, listing errors, return rate, team hours)?
- Which product categories, brands and markets are in scope for the first release, and which come later?
- Who owns the project, and who signs off the requirements?
- What happens if you do nothing for another year?
- Is there a hard deadline (a new website, a retailer onboarding, an ERP replacement)?
- Which teams will use the PIM daily, and which only read from it?
2. Products and data model
The data model decides how flexible the PIM will be for years. Get it right and new channels are easy; get it wrong and every change needs a developer.
- How many products (SKUs) do you have today, and how many do you expect in three years?
- How many attributes does a typical product have, and how many does your most complex product have?
- Do you sell variants (size, colour, configuration), bundles or kits?
- Which product relationships matter (accessories, spare parts, replacements, cross-sells, compatibility)?
- Do you use an industry classification or standard (ETIM, eCl@ss, UNSPSC, GS1, ACES and PIES, ONIX)?
- Which attributes differ by market, language or channel?
- Do you need units of measure and automatic conversions?
- Which product data comes from suppliers, and in what formats?
3. Data quality and governance
A PIM does not fix bad data by itself. It gives you the rules and the visibility to fix it.
- Which attributes are mandatory before a product can go live, per channel?
- Who owns each group of attributes (marketing copy, technical specs, pricing, compliance)?
- What validation rules do you need (formats, value lists, ranges, completeness)?
- How do you find and handle duplicate products today?
- Do you need a completeness score per product and per channel?
- Which regulatory or compliance data must be stored and tracked (safety sheets, allergens, certifications)?
- Do you need an audit trail of who changed what, and when?
4. Workflows and users
The best PIM is the one your team actually uses. Map the real process, not the ideal one.
- What are the steps from “new product” to “live on all channels” today, and how long do they take?
- Which steps need approval, and by whom?
- How many users will log in, and in how many roles?
- Do suppliers or agencies need their own access (a supplier portal)?
- Do you need tasks, notifications or deadlines inside the PIM?
- Which languages must the user interface support?
- Do you plan to use AI to write or enrich product content, and who reviews it?
5. Integrations
Integrations are usually the largest and least visible part of a PIM budget.
- Which system is the source of truth for each data type (ERP for SKU and price, PIM for marketing content, DAM for images)?
- Which ERP do you use, and how should items flow between ERP and PIM?
- Which eCommerce platforms must the PIM feed (Shopify, Magento or Adobe Commerce, BigCommerce, Salesforce Commerce Cloud)?
- Do you have a PLM, MDM, CRM or search platform that must connect?
- Do updates need to be near real-time, or is a scheduled sync enough?
- Who will maintain the integrations after go-live?
- Do you already use middleware or an integration platform?
6. Channels and syndication
Every channel wants product data in a slightly different shape.
- Which channels do you publish to today, and which in the next two years (website, marketplaces, retailers, distributors, print)?
- Which retailers or marketplaces have strict content requirements (Amazon, Walmart, Home Depot and others)?
- Do you need GDSN or a data pool to share data with retailers?
- Do you produce print catalogs or PDF price lists from product data?
- Do different channels need different product names, descriptions or images?
- How do you know today whether a listing failed or was rejected?
7. Digital assets
- How many images, videos and documents do you manage, and where are they stored?
- Do you need a DAM inside the PIM or a connection to a separate DAM?
- Do you need automatic image renditions (sizes, formats) per channel?
- Do assets have usage rights or expiry dates?
8. Technical, security and budget
- Cloud (SaaS), hosted, or on-premise, and why?
- What are your security, single sign-on and data-residency requirements?
- What availability and support levels do you need?
- Do you need an API for other teams or partners to read product data?
- How will you handle backups, test environments and releases?
- Does your IT team prefer open source or commercial software?
- What is the budget range for the first year, including licences, implementation and internal time?
- What is the budget for ongoing licences, support and improvements?
- Who will run the PIM after go-live: an internal team, a partner, or both?
- Do you need a phased rollout (one category or market first)?
- How will you train users, and who keeps the documentation up to date?
- Which reports or dashboards do managers need?
- What would make you switch platforms again in five years?
- Which three requirements are truly non-negotiable?
9. How to turn the checklist into an RFP
Once you have answers, rate each requirement as must have, should have or nice to have. Then send vendors a short list of your real scenarios (“show us how a new supplier product goes live on Amazon”) instead of a long feature list. Scripted demos built on your own data reveal far more than a standard presentation.
If you are still comparing vendors, our PIM platform selection service gives you an independent shortlist.
To turn this checklist into a ready-to-send document, download our free PIM RFP template, with 120 requirements, priority and scoring columns, and 5 demo scenarios.
PIM requirements: quick summary
| Area | Questions that matter most |
|---|---|
| Goals and scope | What problem, how measured, what is in the first release |
| Data model | SKU count, attributes, variants, relationships, standards |
| Quality and governance | Mandatory fields per channel, owners, validation, audit trail |
| Workflows and users | Approval steps, roles, supplier access, AI enrichment |
| Integrations | Source of truth per data type, ERP, eCommerce, sync speed |
| Channels | Retailer requirements, GDSN, print, channel-specific content |
| Assets | DAM inside or connected, renditions, rights |
| Technical and budget | Deployment, security, first-year and ongoing budget, ownership |
How Credencys helps with PIM requirements
Requirements workshops are the first step in our PIM consulting work. We run them with your product, IT, eCommerce and operations teams, turn the answers into a prioritised requirements list and test scenarios, and use them to compare platforms fairly. We are partners of Pimcore and Syndigo and give independent advice on other PIM platforms.
FAQ
What are the requirements for a PIM system?
A PIM system must store your products and attributes, let your team enrich and approve them through clear workflows, check data quality, connect to your ERP and eCommerce systems, and publish the right content to each channel. The exact requirements depend on your catalog size, channels and team.
How do I write PIM requirements?
Start with business goals, then describe your products, data quality rules, workflows, integrations and channels. Rate each requirement as must, should or nice to have, and add real scenarios vendors must demonstrate. A checklist like the one above covers the main areas.
What should be in a PIM RFP?
A PIM RFP should include your goals, scope, a prioritised requirements list, your current systems, 3 to 5 scenarios for scripted demos, security and support needs, a budget range and a timeline. Ask for both licence and implementation costs.
How many requirements should a PIM RFP have?
Enough to separate vendors, usually 80 to 150 rated requirements plus a handful of scenarios. Long lists of features every vendor ticks do not help; focus on what makes your business different.
Who should be involved in defining PIM requirements?
Product or category management, eCommerce, marketing, IT, data owners and anyone who feeds or uses product data, such as suppliers or customer service. One person should own the final list and its priorities.
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