Tom Hedgecoth - eCommerce Practice Director
This is the third in a series of three blog posts focusing on Leatherman’s transformative journey with Aleysian as they implemented Akeneo to empower growth and success.
Is your company looking to grow?
OK, we admit that is the opposite of a trick question. Of course you are. But are you using technology and data strategically to power that growth? Whether you’ve mastered your product information or not, keep reading to learn how Leatherman, the leading global manufacturer of top-notch multi-tools, partnered with Aleysian to implement a new product information management system (PIM) to beat competitors to market and fuel growth.
As a company, Leatherman is focused on continual innovation and growth. Developing a streamlined internal process for agility in opening new sales channels is a major strategic pillar for the company. This means that Leatherman needs to be able to move quickly and efficiently when bringing new products to market or expanding its reach to new audiences. To accomplish this goal, Leatherman turned to Aleysian to implement Akeneo’s PIM system. Doing so enabled the company to centralize all of their product data, making it easier to manage and share.
“Our previous product management software was an outdated home-grown solution,” said Liz Lee, IT Director at Leatherman Tool Company. “It met our needs 10 years ago. But since then our product offering has grown, our sales channels have grown, our teams and processes have evolved and technology has changed.”
Before partnering with Aleysian and using Akeneo, Leatherman had multiple product information sources that were siloed across different departments in the company. This made it difficult to keep track of crucial product information such as SKUs, images, and videos, which led to inconsistencies in product listings across different sales channels. Akeneo changed all of that by allowing Leatherman to centralize all of their product data in one place. This gave the company a single source of truth for all of their product information, eliminating inconsistencies and making it easier for sales teams to access and share the information they needed.
Another major benefit of using Akeneo for Leatherman was the time savings it provided for team members. Prior to partnering with Aleysian to implement Akeneo, the process of managing product information was manual and time-consuming. This led to a lot of frustration and burnout among team members who were spending too much time on logistics instead of focusing on other pressing needs. With Akeneo, Leatherman was able to automate many of these processes, freeing up more time for team members to focus on other tasks that required their expertise and attention.
In addition to saving time, Leatherman is now more confident in its product data integrity. With a central repository for all product data, the company can ensure that all of its information is up-to-date and accurate, reducing the risk of errors and inconsistencies. This has resulted in a more seamless and efficient system for bringing new products to market, which ultimately benefits both the company and consumers.
Another key feature of Akeneo that has benefitted Leatherman is its simple user interface and its ability to connect with other tech partners. For example, Akeneo allowed Leatherman to easily connect with partners such as Bynder, Salesforce Commerce Cloud, and TransPerfect. This has allowed Leatherman to streamline their workflows even further - making it even easier to get products to market quickly. By having all of their product data in one place and integrating with other tech partners, Leatherman was able to speed up their time to market while maintaining the highest quality standards.
“We looked at more than one option for our implementation partner,” Lee said. “In the end, it was a clear decision for us to go with Aleysian. “We could tell the team had a wealth of knowledge and experience. Their vision for Akeneo matched our business goals and objectives.”
Leatherman’s experience partnering with Aleysian to implement Akeneo is a great example of why implementing a PIM system is critical to success in today’s fast-paced business world. By centralizing their product data and automating many of the manual processes involved in managing that data, Leatherman was able to streamline their sales channels and reduce time to market. The result was a more efficient and effective system for managing product information, which ultimately benefits both the company and consumers. If you are looking for ways to improve your own product information management processes, consider implementing a PIM system like Akeneo that can help you streamline your workflows and improve your time to market.
Check out parts one and two of the three-part blog series on Leatherman’s transformative journey with Aleysian as they implemented Akeneo to empower growth and success.
Interested in Akeneo or implementing a PIM for your business? Reach out to an Aleysian eCommerce expert today.