If you’re a building supplies distributor, chances are your ERP was never designed to handle rich product content. It’s great at managing stock and pricing—but when it comes to showing technical specs, datasheets, certifications, or multiple images for a single product, it falls short.
That’s a problem. Because your customers—whether trade or retail—expect more.
When Your ERP Limits Your Product Catalogue: A Common Trap for Building Materials Distributors
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The ERP Wall: Where Product Data Hits a Dead End
We see it all the time. You’ve got hundreds of thousands of SKUs in your ERP. But the product pages on your website? Half of them have no technical detail, no dimensions, no packaging info, and no downloadable safety sheets. Maybe you’ve got a single JPEG image—if you’re lucky.
Why? Because your ERP system isn’t built to store or manage that level of product data. It was designed for operations, not customer experience. And as your online channel becomes more important, this limitation starts to hurt.
- Customers can’t find what they need.
- Sales reps can’t answer technical queries easily.
- Branch staff waste time flicking through supplier PDFs.
And worst of all? You’re losing online sales to competitors who do have this information ready and accessible.
The Missing Piece: Product Information Management (PIM)
A PIM system picks up where your ERP leaves off. It’s designed to manage and enrich all the complex information your customers need to make confident buying decisions—especially in technical industries like construction materials.
With a PIM, you can:
- Store all relevant product attributes: size, grade, load rating, compliance info, etc.
- Link associated files like installation guides and datasheets.
- Upload multiple images and videos per product.
- Structure and categorise products for intuitive navigation.
- Push enriched content to your website, sales tools, and print catalogues.
This isn’t about replacing your ERP. It’s about adding the right tool for a different job—one focused on product content and digital readiness.
Why This Matters in Building Supplies
Your customers aren’t buying shoes or t-shirts. They’re buying adhesives that need to withstand certain loads, wall panels that meet fire regulations, or insulation that complies with local building codes. That level of specificity demands better product data.
And your website or eCommerce platform is often the first place they go.
If you’re relying on your ERP to power your online product catalogue, you’re holding yourself back. You’ll struggle to:
- Launch new products quickly
- Keep content consistent across sales channels
- Meet growing compliance requirements
- Improve conversions and reduce product returns
How to Know If You’ve Outgrown Your ERP for Product Content
Here are some common signs:
- You manage product content in spreadsheets or shared drives
- Your website often shows “Coming Soon” or placeholder text
- Your team manually re-enters data for every new supplier
- Internal teams can’t find or trust product info
- You’ve got growing eCommerce ambitions—but poor content to support it
Sound familiar? Then it’s time to stop expecting your ERP to do something it wasn’t built for.
What’s Next?
Start by reviewing your current product data process:
- Where does the information come from?
- How is it stored and updated?
- Who needs access to it—and where?
Then consider a PIM platform that integrates with your ERP and eCommerce setup. The right solution will save your team time, reduce errors, and improve how you sell—online and offline.
Struggling to get the right product content online?
Talk to our team about how PIM can help you enrich your product catalogue, without ripping out your ERP.