How to choose the best Promotion Workflow, DAM & Automated content publishing software for Retail
As pressure and competition in the retail industry rises, we need to look for smarter ways to combine product information, digital assets, and ERP data into an automated design production process to drive marketing efficiency. Many factors will influence your choice when it comes to selecting software to manage (just to name a few) large volumes of products, thousands of digital assets, and streamline your marketing production workflow. Whether it comes to database publishing of your product information or creating fast web-to-print content solutions from your digital assets, there are many points to take into account.
The most important points to consider (especially for retail and enterprise businesses) include the following:
- Design Automation
Functionality to automatically generate design layouts from large data sets. It would be preferred to output Adobe InDesign files, so you can manually add creative finishing touches and have total control over the design process. - Briefing Data Management: Product / SKU / Promotions
Functionality to manage large product-volume schema’s; to create a campaign briefing data set of products that you need for multiple publications. Think of hundreds of products that you have on sale next week, for which you would need a leaflet, coupons, banners, POS material and much more, all with the same product data set.
- Easy DIY Design templates for omnichannel publications
Functionality to easily create templates for various publications (Leaflet, Magazine, Poster, POS material, etc.) without any design or coding knowledge, and fill them automatically with all your product briefing data. - Workflow Management
Functionality to setup who can do what, and in which stage. To define workflow stages, steps, roles and rights for each point in your process. To streamline routine processes for optimal efficiency in your team.
- Design Proofing
Functionality to review and approve design files quickly in real time. With the option to place ‘sticky notes’ and comments on design work and review it with multiple types of roles.
- SaaS (Software as a Service)
The ability to deliver the software as a subscription based service. The price should always include maintenance and continuous development of the software. This reduces the workload on your IT department and ensures that feature-wise your choice is future proof. - Cloud Architecture
The ability to ensure high availability on a global scale. A real cloud solution can scale up endlessly without any stability issues or migration of legacy software. It should be able to support your business growth at any stage without any special installations or upgrades. - Digital Asset Management
Functionality to manage a (very) large volume of product images and photography assets. It should provide capabilities to easily track, tag, and search your assets. And preferably it integrates with your product briefing management. - Product Information Management
Functionality to manage a (very) large volume of product data such as descriptions, titles, and pricing. Optionally it could include information about region availability, buying prices, price margins and more. It should provide capabilities to easily track, tag, and search your product data. And preferably it integrates with your product briefing management.
- API First Architecture
With the last decade of software development it has become clear that the only way to ensure a future proof solution, is to have very strong API’s. A software platform with “API First” in mind is easier to integrate with your current and future IT landscape. Think about connecting it to your other software tools such as PIM / DAM / ERP / Analytics, or easily exporting design files for print and online media.
- Project & Task management
Functionality to plan project deadlines, create todo’s for team members and track progress of a project through planning overviews based on calendar dates.
Retail marketing production software comparison guide
Based on these key points, we have selected 11 software solutions for retail that cover part or all of the needed functionality. We provide a score based on whether the feature is available and how good it is. The compared solutions are: Relayter, Comosoft Lago, Sabern Lytho, Guidance, 65 Bit, Kampert Nauta, Workfront Proof HQ, In Motion Now, Bynder, and Filemaker.
●● = Good ● = Average. ○ = Feature Not Available
| Design Automation | |||||||||||
| Product Promotions management | |||||||||||
| Easy DIY Design templates | |||||||||||
| Workflow Management | |||||||||||
| Design Proofing | |||||||||||
| SaaS | |||||||||||
| Cloud Architecture | |||||||||||
| Digital Asset Management | |||||||||||
| Product Information Management | |||||||||||
| API First Architecture | |||||||||||
| Project & Task Management | |||||||||||
| Efficiency score | (37.5%) | (8.3%) | (25%) | (33.3%) |
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More About Relayter
Relayter is a leading SaaS (Software as a Service) provider for PIM, DAM, Automated InDesign, and Marketing Promotions workflow software. It is recognized as an established provider of enterprise-class software solutions in the retail marketing industry.
- The no.1 Digital Asset Management solution for Retail and businesses who produce or accumulate large amounts of product data.
- Automatic generation and delivery of PDF or InDesign files, and tracking of mark-up and approval tasks.
- Integrates with Adobe InDesign Server to automatically generate accurate online proofs.
- A robust SaaS asset management and work-flow automation tool that gives users a single repository for all of their digital assets.
- Specifically designed for simple use and easy access across all retail channels, departments, subsidiaries and with external vendors or partners.
- Able to accurately deliver digital assets, to the right people, at the right time, across multiple channels.Helps enterprise and large retail companies optimize their digital work-flows through automated and intelligent processes..
- Helps enterprise and large retail companies optimize their digital work-flows through automated and intelligent processes.
- Gives larger companies the ability to generate, review, proof and publish high-quality marketing material with less effort and faster time-to-market.
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Features: Workflow Management, Design Proofing, Digital Asset Management (DAM), Multi-Channel Publishing, Database Publishing, Automated Design, Product Information Management (PIM), Marketing Automation, Agile Marketing, Circular Production, Flyer Production, Catalog Production, Digital Proofing, Production Automation, Retail Marketing, B2B Marketing, Direct Marketing, Media Asset Management (MAM), Multichannel, Omnichannel Marketing.
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