PXM and product data glossary

Definitions of 44 terms used in product experience management, PIM, DAM, PLM, data standards and EU product regulation.

Agentic commerce: Commerce in which AI agents search, compare and sometimes purchase products on behalf of a person or business. It raises the bar for structured, machine-readable product data, because agents rely on attributes, prices and availability rather than on page layout. Read the guide
Attribute: A single, typed property of a product, such as width in millimetres, colour, material or energy class. Attributes are the building blocks of a PIM data model and carry validation rules, units and localisation settings. Read the guide
Attribute family: A template that defines which attributes apply to a group of similar products, for example all power tools. Families keep data entry consistent and drive completeness rules. Read the guide
Channel: Any destination where product content is shown or consumed: a web shop, marketplace, retailer portal, print catalogue, app, comparison site or AI assistant. Each channel has its own content requirements. Read the guide
Completeness score: A percentage that shows how many required attributes and assets are filled for a product in a given channel and locale. It is the most widely used operational KPI in PIM. Read the guide
CSRD: The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, which requires in-scope companies in the EU to report on sustainability matters using the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). Its scope was narrowed by the 2025 and 2026 Omnibus simplification. Read the guide
Data carrier: The physical or digital means that links a product to its data, such as a QR code, GS1 DataMatrix, NFC tag or RFID chip. Under the ESPR, a data carrier gives access to the Digital Product Passport. Read the guide
Data steward: The person accountable for the quality of a defined set of product data, such as an attribute group or category. Stewards define rules, resolve conflicts and approve changes. Read the guide
Delegated act: A legal act adopted by the European Commission to supplement or amend an EU regulation, for example product-specific ecodesign requirements under the ESPR. Many product data obligations are set in delegated or implementing acts. Read the guide
Digital asset management (DAM): Software and practice for storing, describing, governing and distributing digital assets such as images, videos, 3D files and documents. In product content, DAM supplies the media that PIM links to product records. Read the guide
Digital Product Passport (DPP): A structured, digital record of product information required by EU law for specific product groups, accessed through a data carrier on the product. It covers data such as materials, substances of concern, repairability and end-of-life handling. Read the guide
Digital shelf: All online touchpoints where shoppers find, evaluate and buy a product, including retailer sites, marketplaces and search results. Digital shelf analytics measure content quality, availability, price and ratings across these touchpoints. Read the guide
EAA: The European Accessibility Act, Directive (EU) 2019/882, which applies from 28 June 2025 and requires many e-commerce services to be accessible, including the way product information is presented. Read the guide
ECLASS: An international, ISO/IEC-compliant classification and product description standard used widely in industrial and B2B procurement. It defines classes and properties with unique identifiers. Read the guide
Economic operator: Under EU product law, any manufacturer, importer, distributor, authorised representative or fulfilment service provider with obligations for a product placed on the market. Read the guide
Enrichment: The work of adding marketing copy, technical attributes, media, translations and relations to a basic product record so that it is ready for a channel. Read the guide
EPR: Extended producer responsibility: rules that make producers financially and organisationally responsible for the end-of-life of their packaging or products. EPR reporting relies on accurate packaging weight and material data. Read the guide
ESPR: The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (EU) 2024/1781. It sets the framework for product-specific ecodesign requirements and the Digital Product Passport. Read the guide
ETIM: An open classification standard for technical products, widely used in the electrical, HVAC, plumbing and building sectors. It defines product classes, features, values and units. Read the guide
EUDR: The EU Deforestation Regulation (EU) 2023/1115, which requires due diligence and geolocation data for products containing specified commodities such as wood, cocoa, coffee, soya, palm oil, rubber and cattle. Read the guide
Feed management: Tools and processes that convert product data into the specific file or API formats required by marketplaces, ad platforms and comparison sites, with rules for mapping and filtering. Read the guide
GDSN: The GS1 Global Data Synchronisation Network, a network of certified data pools that lets suppliers and retailers exchange standardised product master data using GTINs and GS1 attributes. Read the guide
GEO: Generative engine optimisation: the practice of structuring content and data so that AI answer engines and assistants retrieve, cite and represent it accurately. Read the guide
Golden record: The single, trusted version of a product record produced by consolidating and reconciling data from multiple sources. Golden records are central to master data management. Read the guide
GPSR: The General Product Safety Regulation (EU) 2023/988, applying from 13 December 2024. It sets safety obligations for consumer products and specific information requirements for online sales. Read the guide
GTIN: Global Trade Item Number: the GS1 identifier, encoded in barcodes, that uniquely identifies a trade item. Marketplaces and retailers use GTINs to match and deduplicate products. Read the guide
Headless commerce: An architecture in which the front end is decoupled from back-end commerce and content services, which communicate through APIs. Product data is served to any front end from a PIM or commerce API. Read the guide
Localisation: Adapting product content to a market, covering language, units, legal text, cultural fit and channel conventions. It goes further than translation. Read the guide
Master data management (MDM): The discipline and software for creating and maintaining consistent master data across systems, often across several domains such as product, customer, supplier and location. Read the guide
PIM: Product information management: software and processes for centralising, enriching, governing and distributing product information to all channels. Read the guide
PLM: Product lifecycle management: software and processes that manage a product from concept and engineering through manufacturing, change management and retirement. Read the guide
PPWR: The Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (EU) 2025/40, which replaces Directive 94/62/EC and applies from 12 August 2026. It introduces requirements on recyclability, recycled content, labelling, minimisation and reuse. Read the guide
Product data governance: The roles, rules, processes and metrics that determine who may create and change product data, to what standard and with what approval. Read the guide
Product data syndication: Distributing product content from a source system to external channels in each channel's required format, with validation and feedback loops. Read the guide
Product experience management (PXM): Managing, enriching, distributing and optimising product content so that each channel delivers accurate, complete and persuasive product information. Read the guide
Rich content: Enhanced product content such as comparison charts, lifestyle imagery, video and interactive modules, often branded as A+ or enhanced content by retailers. Read the guide
Schema.org Product: The structured data vocabulary that search engines and AI systems use to read product details such as name, GTIN, brand, price, availability and reviews from web pages. Read the guide
SKU: Stock keeping unit: an internal identifier for a distinct sellable item, usually at variant level (size, colour, pack). Read the guide
Supplier portal: A web interface where suppliers submit and maintain product data and assets according to the receiving company's data model and validation rules. Read the guide
Taxonomy: The hierarchical structure used to classify products, such as a category tree for navigation or a standard classification such as ETIM or GPC. Organisations usually maintain several taxonomies and map between them. Read the guide
Total cost of ownership (TCO): All costs of a platform over a defined period, including licences, implementation, integration, hosting, internal staff, training and change requests. Read the guide
Unique product identifier: Under the ESPR, a unique string that identifies a product (at model, batch or item level) and links it to its Digital Product Passport. Read the guide
Variant: A product version that differs from its siblings on defined axes such as size or colour, sharing common attributes with a parent product model. Read the guide
Workflow: A defined sequence of tasks, approvals and status changes that moves product data from creation to publication. Read the guide