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Product information model

Data management and qualityAdvanced Level

A product information model, or PIM data model, defines how product data is structured: families, attributes, allowed values, variants and links to categories and assets.

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What is Product information model?

A product information model, also called a PIM data model or product data model, is the structure that defines how product data is stored in a PIM: which product types or families exist, which attributes each has, which values are allowed, how variants relate to their parent and how products link to categories and assets. A typical model has five building blocks: product families (sets of attributes per product type), attributes with a data type and unit (such as weight in kg), allowed values or option lists, the parent and variant structure, and relations to categories, images and related products. It differs from a product taxonomy: the taxonomy is the category tree shoppers browse, while the model is the blueprint of fields each product must fill. The specifications table on a product page is simply the model's attributes shown for one product. Learn how to design one in the attribute modeling guide.

Why Product information model matters for e-commerce

Everything a shopper sees on a product page, filter or comparison table comes from the data model. If attributes are missing or stored as free text, filters return wrong results, feeds get rejected and every new channel needs manual cleanup. A clear model makes the rest of the work faster. Imports know where each value goes, quality rules know what is required, translations know which fields are text, and channel exports can map attributes once instead of per product.

Examples of Product information model

  • 1Family: Office chairs, Attributes: seat height (cm), max load (kg), material (list), armrests (yes/no)
  • 2Attribute: Weight, Type: number, Unit: kg, Required for: all shippable products
  • 3Attribute: Color, Type: option list, Values: Black, White, Grey, Level: variant
  • 4Relation: product to category, accessories and images, Used for: navigation, cross-sell and product pages
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How WISEPIM Helps

  • Product families: WISEPIM groups attributes per product type, so each family has its own set of fields.
  • Attribute management: define attribute types, units and option lists, and review used values on the Attribute values page.
  • Variants: keep shared data on the parent and variant data such as size and color on each variant.
  • Quality Guard rules: flag products that miss required attributes before they go to a channel.

Common mistakes with Product information model

  • Creating too many attributes at once, so most stay empty and the model becomes hard to use.
  • Storing specs as free text instead of structured attributes with units.
  • Designing the model without the teams that sell and market the products.
  • Ignoring variants, so color and size end up as separate products.

Tips for Product information model

  • Start with the attributes your channels and filters require, and add more as you need them.
  • Give every attribute a type and unit, and use option lists where values are fixed.
  • Decide per attribute whether it sits on the parent or on the variant.
  • Name an owner for the model and review it when you add product types or channels.

Trends around Product information model

  • AI attribute extraction: AI reads supplier files and fills structured attributes in the model.
  • Models for AI shopping: complete, structured attributes help AI assistants describe and compare products.
  • Sustainability attributes: models add fields for materials, recycled content and other environmental data.
  • Flexible families: attribute sets per product type that change as the assortment grows.

Tools for Product information model

  • WISEPIM: PIM with product families, attribute management and variants to build and run your product model.
  • Akeneo: PIM with families, attribute groups and variant models.
  • Shopify and Magento 2: store platforms with product attributes and variant options that a PIM model maps to.
  • Google product taxonomy: a public category tree many models map to for feeds.

Related Terms

Access Control (PIM)Attribute Dependency ManagementAttribute InheritanceAttribute ManagementAttribute mappingAttribute Scoping

Also Known As

PIM data modelProduct data modelProduct data structureProduct schema

Frequently Asked Questions

A PIM data model is the structure of product data inside a product information management system: the families, attributes, allowed values, variant structure and relations that every product follows. It is the same thing as a product information model.

The taxonomy is the category tree, such as Furniture > Chairs > Office chairs. The data model defines the fields: which attributes an office chair needs, in which units and with which allowed values. You need both, and they are usually linked so each category uses the right family.

The specifications table on a product page is generated from the attributes in the model. If the model has clear attributes with units, the table is consistent across products and filters work; if specs live in free text, neither happens.

Define which attributes live on the parent product, such as brand and description, and which differ per variant, such as color, size and barcode. The model then enforces that every variant fills its own values.

When you add new product types, enter new markets or channels that ask for extra attributes, or notice that filters and feeds fail because data sits in free text. Small, regular changes work better than a full redesign.

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