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Streamline internal work processes with PIM

As the market-leading provider of over-the-counter medicines in Switzerland, the company sells more than 1,700 products. This places enormous demands on the internal marketing teams, who not only have to administer and manage this variety of products, but also prepare them for the sales partners.

Although the company is a market leader in many respects, there were no fixed standards for handling product data. This caused considerable damage to the company as well as avoidable additional costs because advertising materials, presentations etc. had to be recreated several times over the years. These problems had to be solved by introducing a system-supported common standard – in terms of processes and general data quality. In the end, Contentserv was able to convince – primarily thanks to the system’s wide range of functions and flexibility.

Today, the PIM system is interlinked with the ERP system – so that the two systems now complement each other perfectly. In addition, it is connected to various web stores and controls the communication of all product information. The creation of advertising material has also been integrated and drastically optimized: It used to take around two months to create the annual product brochure. After investing in the new software and developing an appropriate template, external support is no longer necessary. And the product brochure is created fully automatically in a single minute.

Requirements

Previously, the five marketing departments within VERFORA either worked with a self-developed structure or without a clear system for handling product data. Information was only stored locally, was difficult to find and was often lost, meaning that it sometimes had to be re-produced several times.

The new PIM solution was primarily intended to serve VERFORA as a future basis for storing all relevant data in a central location (“single source of truth” concept) and optimizing the processes for handling product information. A key idea behind the transformation was also to expand VERFORA’s market leadership in terms of how and at what technical level the company operates.

The solution was implemented for VERFORA by Stämpfli Kommunikation in 2020 and has been managed and further developed by aclevion since 2023.

Implemented with
contentserv

Use Case
PIM/PXM
Publishing Management

Implemented for
VERFORA

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1

instead of 2 months production time

1700

products

12000

digital assets

Three quick clicks to the desired information

Today, the impact of the PIM introduction is clearly noticeable: the establishment of standardized processes ensures efficiency and high data quality. The template-based creation of advertising materials ensures an efficient and cost-saving way of working.

And all information can be found easily with a maximum of three entries. This means that the data losses of the past have been overcome once and for all.

1. Standardized processes and central storage

Today, all product data is maintained exclusively in the PIM. Clearly structured approval processes and the establishment of the PIM solution as a “single source of truth” ensure a high level of quality. Thanks to the new way of working, product information can now be accessed in fragmented form so that individual text modules, for example, can be used quickly and easily in a wide variety of contexts.

2. Efficient creation of advertising materials

Using the Smart Documents integration, advertising materials can be output in the desired form within a very short time – ready to print and updated daily. An appropriate template was developed and implemented for the annual product brochure so that production is fully automated. Without the support of external agencies and in a fraction of the time previously required.

3. All information at your fingertips

The PIM system offers an intuitive search function that allows users to find all the data they need. The «three-click concept», which the company had defined as a requirement, has thus become a reality: employees can find any information they need on any of the stored products via three simple entries.

”In the past, the entire process of creating our product brochure took around two months. Today, we can proudly say that the print-ready brochure can be created within a minute. A great example of how you can make something really efficient and extremely fast.

Christoph HüsemannHead of Marketing Services VERFORA

System Solution

Contentserv

Contentserv’s Product Experience Cloud makes it easy for brands, manufacturers and retailers to manage and optimize product content – thanks to a central, easy-to-use cloud solution. Optimized product content makes it possible: instead of struggling with incomplete data, teams use the time gained to create comprehensive, relevant and emotional product experiences. This strengthens their brand and ultimately inspires their customers.

Learn more about Contentserv

contentserv.com

The company

VERFORA is the market-leading provider of over-the-counter medicines in Switzerland. Over 1,700 medicines, health and care products, including 100 own brands, are sold exclusively through pharmacies, drugstores and therapy facilities. VERFORA relies on a close network and professional sales advice with practical training for its sales partners.

VERFORA has been part of Galenica Ltd. since 1977. With over 7,000 employees and annual sales of 4 billion Swiss francs (2022), it is the largest pharmaceutical logistics company in Switzerland.

www.verfora.ch

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