Growing volume, complexity of data increases demand for consistency, collaboration, business insights, new research says

As product information management (PIM) becomes more central to enterprise strategy and operations, organizations are placing greater demand on PIM platforms to deliver advanced AI, analytics and automation capabilities, according to new research from global AI-centered technology research and advisory firm Information Services Group (ISG) (Nasdaq: III).

The 2026 ISG Buyers Guides™ for Products provide the rankings and ratings of 61 software providers and their products for improving business performance and outcomes through effective management and analysis of product information. The series includes Buyers Guides evaluating platforms for PIM, product lifecycle management (PLM), product intelligence and product experience management (PXM). The research finds that the growing number of products and services companies offer, and their increasing use of digital marketing and sales, have exposed limitations in the way they manage and distribute product information.

"Product information is a critical asset that requires strong enterprise governance and sharing across departments," said Mawish Rahman, senior research analyst, ISG, and author of the report. "In many companies, fragmented systems make it hard to maintain a unified view of products. Through 2027, we expect one-third of enterprises to adopt PIM platforms as they recognize the value of consistent product data sharing and collaboration across supply chains."

The growing volume and complexity of product data, including images and videos, has increased demand for dedicated PIM platforms as companies work to maintain information across websites, marketplaces and mobile commerce applications. For example, manufacturers need to share consistent product information with distributors, retailers and digital commerce providers. PIM software, which began as a tool for maintaining product records, is broadening its scope and expanding into supporting digital merchandising, product lifecycles and information sharing.

With improved analytics and AI, PIM platforms are becoming more effective at keeping data accurate and consistent and generating business insights from it. Analytics can identify data quality issues, reveal how data is being used and interpret feedback from customers and partners. Agentic AI is automating workflows and interactions among systems, employees and customers. Through 2028, ISG predicts one-fifth of organizations will integrate agentic AI into product information networks to become more responsive to customers and enterprise stakeholders.

To maximize competitiveness, enterprises should complement product information software investments with a methodical approach to PIM, the research finds. This should include enhancing information quality, processes and governance. After assessing short- and long-term objectives for product information, organizations should determine how well existing systems meet those goals.

Enterprises evaluating PIM software should examine its AI, analytics and automation features and ability to integrate with existing enterprise and commerce applications, in addition to basic criteria such as centrally maintaining data and distributing it across channels. As product ecosystems become more interconnected, support for collaboration among business users and external partners is also increasingly important.

For the 2026 ISG Buyers Guides for Products, ISG produced five Buyers Guides: Product Information Management (PIM) Platforms, PIM Emerging Providers, Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), Product Intelligence and Product Experience Management (PXM). Each covers the essential platform categories and products in the given technology segment. A total of 61 providers were assessed: Acquia, Adobe, Akeneo, Amplitude, Aptean, Aptean (Logility), Aras, Arena, Autodesk, Bamboo Rose, Bentley Systems, Bluestone PIM, Boyum IT, Censhare, Centric Software, Cisco, Comosoft, CONTACT Software, Contentful, Contentsquare, Dassault Systèmes, Digital Wave Technology, Epicor, fabric, Feedonomics, Fullstory, Gainsight, Glassbox, IBM, Infor, Inriver, insightsoftware, LogRocket, Mixpanel, novomind, Odoo, Optimizely, Oracle, Pattern, Pendo, Pimcore, PIMworks, Plytix, PostHog, Precisely, Productsup, Propel Software, PTC, Quantum Metric, Rokt, Sales Layer, Salesforce, Salsify, SAP, Schneider Electric, Sensor Tower, Siemens, Sitecore, Stibo Systems, Syndigo and Viamedici.

ISG rates software providers in five evaluation categories: Overall, Product Experience, Capability, Platform and Customer Experience. Providers ranked in the top three for each evaluation category are named as Leaders. Within each platform category, those that meet the greatest proportion of our evaluation criteria are named as Overall Leaders.

In the Buyers Guide for PIM Platforms, Salesforce was the top Overall Leader, followed by Stibo Systems and Akeneo. In the PIM Emerging Providers guide, Bluestone PM was the top Overall Leader, followed by Sales Layer and Viamedici.

In the Buyers Guide for Product Lifecycle Management, Aras was the top Overall Leader, followed by PTC and Arena. In the guide for Product Intelligence, the top Overall Leader was Contentsquare, followed by Pendo and Mixpanel. In the guide for Product Experience Management, Salesforce was the top Overall Leader, followed by Salsify and Syndigo.

In addition, the following providers were rated as Exemplary or Innovative in each of the Buyers Guides:

Product Information Management (PIM) Platforms: Acquia, Akeneo, Centric Software, IBM, Salesforce, Inriver, Oracle, Salsify and Stibo Systems were rated Exemplary. Censhare, fabric and Precisely were rated Innovative.

PIM Emerging Providers: Bluestone PIM, Sales Layer and Viamedici were rated Exemplary. Boyum IT was rated Innovative.

Product Lifecycle Management (PLM): Aras, Arena, Bentley Systems, Dassault Systèmes, Oracle, PTC and SAP were rated Exemplary. CONTACT Software, IBM and Odoo were rated Innovative.

Product Intelligence: Cisco, Contentsquare, Mixpanel, Pendo, Quantum Metric and Sitecore were rated Exemplary. Adobe, Amplitude and Syndigo were rated Innovative.

Product Experience Management (PXM): Akeneo, Inriver, Salesforce, Salsify, Stibo Systems and Syndigo were rated Exemplary. SAP was rated Innovative.

"Enterprises look to PIM software to improve their efficiency, enable digital commerce and improve customer engagement," said David Menninger, executive director and distinguished analyst, ISG. "This research includes detailed evaluations of PIM platforms and providers, including emerging AI and analytics capabilities, so organizations can determine which offerings will best meet their needs into the future."

The ISG Buyers Guides for Products are the distillation of more than a year of market and product research efforts. The research is not sponsored nor influenced by software providers and is conducted solely to help enterprises optimize their business and IT software investments.

Visit this webpage to learn more about the ISG Buyers Guides for Products and read executive summaries of each of the five reports. The complete reports, including provider rankings across seven product and customer experience dimensions and detailed research findings on each provider, are available by contacting ISG.

About ISG

ISG (Nasdaq: III) is a global AI-centered technology research and advisory firm. A trusted partner to more than 900 clients, including 75 of the world's top 100 enterprises, ISG is a long-time leader in technology and business services that is now at the forefront of leveraging AI to help organizations achieve operational excellence and faster growth. The firm, founded in 2006, is known for its proprietary market data and research, in-depth knowledge and governance of provider ecosystems, and the expertise of its 1,500 professionals worldwide working together to help clients maximize the value of their technology investments.

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Press Contacts:

Laura Hupprich, ISG

+1 203 517 3132

laura.hupprich@isg-one.com

Erik Arvidson, Matter Communications for ISG

+1 978 518 4542

isg@matternow.com

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