The PX Revolution is Going Strong at Akeneo Unlock 2024

The kickoff to Unlock 2024 in Boston was an engaging and informative conference, brimming with valuable insights. Here's a brief overview of some of the key takeaways:

Kristin Naragon's keynote presentation made an indelible mark, masterfully highlighting the paramount importance of product data. She deftly pointed to upcoming legislation worldwide, such as the Right to Repair in the US and the Digital Product Pass (DPP) in the EU, set to significantly impact data quality standards globally.

Kristin's persuasive argument showcased the crucial role of product information in creating immersive product experiences that transform customer interactions. By emphasizing studies that show an increasing consumer demand for detailed information to make informed purchasing decisions, Kristin's insights strike a chord in a reality where over 60% of consumers aim to make more informed choices- and with more than 66% investing time in researching about the sustainability products and companies before committing to purchases.

Kristin also highlighted the crucial role that detailed and engaging product information can play in curbing reckless consumerism—a trend marked by the excessive and thoughtless consumption of goods and services, disregarding its wider consequences.

1. Reduce Returns by Embracing a PX Standard
   This approach focuses on enhancing the overall experience customers have with a product, from discovery and research to purchase and use. By prioritizing a high-quality product experience, companies can ensure that customers have a clear, accurate understanding of what they are buying, which in turn can lead to higher satisfaction and fewer returns.
2. Actively Participate in the Sharing Economy
   This promotes responsible consumerism by reducing waste and conserving resources through the communal use of goods and services. It encourages a shift towards mindful consumption, as individuals prioritize access over ownership, thereby lowering the environmental footprint of manufactured products. Furthermore, it fosters a sense of community and equity, making essential goods and services more accessible to a broader range of individuals, which supports a more sustainable and inclusive economic model.
3. Empowering Your Buyer with Environmental Transparency
   Transparency directly supports responsible consumerism by providing them with the information needed to make informed choices about the products they purchase enabling buyers to prefer products that are more sustainable and have a lower environmental impact.

Sarah Assous, Senior Director of Product; Andrew Webb, Product Director; and Andy Tyra, Chief Product Officer from the Akeneo team, unveiled a host of promising new Features for the Akeneo Product Cloud, with the most impressive being new Apps provided by Akeneo as well as an SDK that will soon be available for Customers and Partners to extend the Akeneo Product Cloud.

With the acquisition of Unifai, Akeneo has significantly enhanced the capabilities of its Supplier Data Manager by integrating Unifai's AI technology. This integration has elevated the platform's ability to streamline the collection, management, and enrichment of supplier product data. The Supplier Data Manager now features an intuitive portal for suppliers to upload product details and assets, allowing users to seamlessly integrate this information into the Akeneo Product Information Management (PIM) system. This improvement fosters better collaboration between buyers and suppliers, optimizes the data collection workflow, and reduces the time-to-market for products by efficiently incorporating supplier data into the PIM.

One of the most notable innovations includes the ability to generate bulk product descriptions across the entire product catalog in mere minutes, as well as the capacity to translate these descriptions into more than 50 languages, streamlining the process for global market compatibility.

The new Business Analytics provides users with dashboards to track and analyze omnichannel performance, aiding in the optimization of their respective enrichment strategy. It offers insights into product content's influence on market performance, enabling users to make data-driven marketing decisions. The tool divides metrics into productivity and business categories, which helps identify opportunities to streamline product data processes and understand the impact of product content on sales across channels.

At the conclusion of the first day at Unlock 2024, Akeneo brought together customers from several diverse industries to share their insights onstage, discussing the transformative impact of PIM on their company's operations. This exchange offered a unique glimpse into the versatility of the software, highlighting its ability to address various business challenges through different perspectives.

Receiving recognition for our team's hard work is always a tremendous honor. At the Unlock 2024 event in Boston, the dedication of our teams in integrating the priint:cloud Datasheet Rendering Service as well as our priint:suite with Akeneo, were celebrated with the "Integration Partner Award 2024" during Partner Day. This accolade is a testament to the priint Group's commitment to excellence and innovation in the field.

Additionally, Matt Caffrey, representing our shared client ASSA Abloy, was honored with the esteemed Ambassador Award for his unwavering support and promotion of product experiences.

The following day at Unlock 2024 in Boston was specially organized to foster dialogue as well as idea sharing among attendees through three simultaneous breakout sessions. These sessions delved into various topics previously highlighted in the first day's presentations, offering participants a platform to engage profoundly with the subject matter. This setup was aimed at enhancing their ability to leverage the Akeneo Product Cloud to its fullest potential.

At the conclusion of this, our priint team said 'goodbye' to Boston, and this year's Unlock in America. We’re looking forward to being part of the continuation of the Unlock tour in Europe, which will begin in Cologne, Germany on May 15, 2024.