Report Benchmarks Product Content Management Systems/Processes

Compiled ByDeborah Austin As e-catalogs evolve, many businesses may wonder if their existing content-management systems can manage product content. Practically speaking, such overlap is small -- but now some vendors are addressing the gap. So suggests a benchmark report, A Comprehensive Analysis of Todays e-Catalog and Product Content Management Systems and Processes, for release Sept. 4 by strategic consulting firm CAP Ventures, Norwell, Mass. Product content management -- unlike other content management systems -- is more database-centric than document-centric. XML-enabled systems are becoming better suited to handle database-centric information. But getting data commerce-ready -- especially for hard goods -- is a huge challenge. Content management vendors are starting to offer product content management features -- often through partnerships and acquisitions -- says the report, which promises insight into the technologies used to create, manage, and distribute product content for e-commerce purposes. The benchmark report provides:

e-Catalog and Content management definitions

Customer perspectives and user profiles

e-Catalog processes, functionality, and characteristics

Segmentation landscape

Market trends

Vendor profiles