PXM isn’t just about better product content—it’s about protecting your company. From audit trails to automated compliance, a strong PXM strategy gives your legal team the tools they need to manage risk without slowing down the business.
Legal needs a seat at the PXM table
When most people hear “product experience management,” they think marketing. Maybe ecommerce. Rarely legal. But here’s the thing—your legal team should care a lot.
And if you’re in IT, you’re in the perfect position to help them understand why.
The legal risk lurking in your product data
If your product data is scattered across ERP, PLM, spreadsheets, and shared drives, you’re at high risk of legal liability.
Think about it:
- Are your product claims consistent across every channel?
- Are you sure the right disclaimers are showing up where they should?
- Can you prove when and where a product description was changed?
If your answer is 🤷🏼♀️ you are not alone. But that kind of ambiguity keeps legal teams up at night.
Why this matters and what’s at stake
While legal is often heavily involved in the commercialization and pre-launch process, once a product hits the shelves, risk arises. Over time, your company’s lack of data governance and manual processes can cause material errors on the website, packaging, or any number of places where product data and copy appear. These mistakes can lead to fines, lawsuits, and recalls—not to mention loss in brand value.
When product data is scattered across systems with no clear ownership or audit trail, legal has no easy way to verify or defend what’s published.
That’s why it’s critical for IT leaders to loop in legal early and often when building a PXM strategy and especially when implementing PIM or DAM software. This helps reduce risk. It also helps build trust across departments and ensures that compliance is baked into your product content workflows.
1. Centralized control = consistent claims
When product data is managed in a centralized PIM, you can ensure that every channel—whether it’s a dealer portal, ecommerce site, or printed catalog—is pulling from the same source of truth. This eliminates the risk of outdated or conflicting claims being published across platforms. Legal can review and approve content one time, knowing it will be used consistently everywhere.
2. Audit trails for the win
Don’t put the cart before the horse. Successful ecommerce projects follow a proven order. To stay on track, you need to understand the right sequence of work and check off key milestones before moving from one phase to the next.
3. Automated compliance workflows
Need to make sure every product description includes a specific disclaimer? Or that certain assets aren’t used in certain regions? PXM lets you build rules and workflows that enforce compliance automatically. Legal can define the rules. Then, the systems ensure they’re followed, without relying on someone to “remember” to add a footnote or swap an image.
4. Faster response to regulatory changes
When regulations shift (and they always do), PXM makes it easy to update product content globally. Instead of manually editing dozens of files or chasing down teams across departments, legal can work with IT and marketing to make a single update in the PIM or DAM. From there, it can cascade to every relevant channel.
5. Reduced risk in global markets
Selling internationally? PXM helps ensure that translations, certifications, and region-specific requirements are accurate and up-to-date. You can tag content by market, automate localization workflows, and restrict certain assets from being used in regions due to compliance. This reduces risk across the board.
Why IT should lead this conversation
Your legal team may not know what PXM is, but they’ll definitely understand the risks of inconsistent product content. IT leaders are uniquely positioned to connect the dots between product data chaos and legal exposure.
Want to help your legal team sleep better at night? Contact us.