What does Pimcore do anyway? Why don't we use another content management system like Wordpress?

I'm sure you've wondered the same thing. In this blog post I want to answer these questions and I am very sure that in the end you will also be a fan of Pimcore – a so-called Pimconaut.

Content Management System – what?

But what is a CMS anyway? A content management system is simply translated as a content management system. With such software, content can be created, edited and managed together with other users. Roles, rights and groups can be defined and assigned to different users. Managing, publishing and exporting different data is also one of the many functions of a CMS.

In our case we use a WCMS. Which means as much as a content management system for websites. This system therefore contains the same functions as the aforementioned CMS, just specialized for the contents of a website.

Okay, and why Pimcore now?

Yes, I know there are many CMS providers. Known are for example WordPress, Joomla and Drupal. But none of them are as extensive as Pimcore. Because Pimcore is not just a CMS, but combines four areas and thus offers many more functions than conventional CMS. Read correctly - four different but important topics of today's digital world and transformation.

Pimcore offers product information and master data management (PIM / MDM), user experience management (CMS / UX), digital asset management (DAM) and e-commerce. Oh, God, so many foreign words! Don't worry, I will explain these terms in detail in the following paragraphs. Because exactly these long words make up the ingenious Pimcore.

DAM

All my pictures, texts and tables are floating somewhere in the vast sea of data.

No stop! – With Pimcore this is no longer the case. Pimcore offers incredibly well thought-out structuring and management of digital media files. All these so-called assets are catalogued and decorated with data in the central repository. They can thus be called up at any time and on all output channels.

Thanks to this DAM, all data can also be stored once. That's right – UNIQUE. This means that each file only has to be stored once and can then be accessed and used from anywhere, i.e. on all output channels from smartphones to tablets to PCs. This saves memory and also prevents redundancies.

PIM and MDM

Product Information Management (PIM) is responsible for the provision of product information and its use in various output channels. It manages and administers all product data. It allows the editor to manage, maintain and modify all products with the corresponding product information in a media-neutral way. Media neutral means, for example, that an object with the photo of the new T-shirt and all product data can be stored once in Pimcore. This object can then automatically adapt to each individual output format. So you don't have to create everything again for each screen format separately. This means that these product objects can be played back on a wide variety of channels without a lot of time. As is well known, we are in the age of "Time is money". Isn't it?

But that's not all. Pimcore also offers an ingenious function. This is called "Web-to-Print" and means that the data can be easily exported and then inserted into the prepared, printable layout with just a few mouse clicks.

CMS and UX

The entire user experience – in the German user experience – is also guaranteed in Pimcore by means of multi-channel publishing functions. These functions create a user-friendly output of content on various platforms. And it also brings the websites of comprehensive companies to unforgettable digital experiences on smaller screens.

Personalization with Pimcore has also been possible for some time. This has to do with customer data management. Pimcore can automatically display suitable suggestions based on the stored customer data, user actions and events of a website visitor. Thus the website can be individually adapted to each individual user and show the majority of users what they seem to be interested in due to their behaviour on the website.

E-commerce, how is that supposed to work?

Many companies offer thousands of products. And then each one has a different price, different colors, features and functions. You know what this is?

With Pimcore this is very easy to get under control. I promise! You can store all your product information once in a central database and finally in the Product Information Management (PIM) and all images and graphics in the Image Management (DAM). Using the connection between the PIM and the DAM, a huge electronic trading platform can then be generated as if by magic. With various tools and modules from Pimcore you have the opportunity for a modern and well-maintained online shop. In other words, eCommerce for B2B and B2C trade.

All right, but how up-to-date is this Pimcore?

Pimcore is open source software that constantly develops innovative ideas and brings new or improved tools to market thanks to its worldwide community. With the integrated and leading PHP framework Symfony, the codes on the developers' screens are always up-to-date and comply with the standards, so that no technical problems arise.

So, are you a Pimconaut yet?

Yeehaw, almost there. Can I push you the last few yards to Pimcore? Or can I even lure you?

Choosing a digital platform can be difficult. I totally understand. With Pimcore, however, you are offered so much more than just an ordinary CMS. Pimcore's comprehensive offering covers thousands of functions and needs. It would be difficult to find something that would not be possible with this incredible digital online platform, if at all.

But also for us developers Pimcore is an incredibly great software. It requires the application and mastery of the leading PHP framework Symfony, which provides us with many grateful functions. It is also very flexible for subsequent additions.

I hope I could convince you of Pimcore and haven't written you full of useless knowledge. Let me know what you think of Pimcore by emailing c.peter@w-vision.ch And if I haven't bored you, I'd be happy to hear a shared contribution on your favorite social media channel.