About the client
Icecat NV is a global publisher and syndicator of product information for online and offline channels, to tens of thousands of sales and marketing channels worldwide. Icecat ranked 47th in the Main Software 2021 edition with a score of 80%.
In cooperation with 300+ sponsoring brands and online channel partners Icecat offers the only worldwide unique open catalog, Open Icecat, with product data-sheets in 60+ languages, standardized in easy online formats for easy implementing, categorizing, filtering, searching and comparing of products.
In addition to a free-of-charge Open Icecat, a fee-based Full Icecat covers 30k+ brands with 6+ million described products.
Among Icecat’s integration partners are Aliexpress, Amazon, Google Shopping, Shopify, and Magento.
Business challenge
From the concept Icecat’s aim was to deliver an innovative product with complex functionality that would be user-friendly and fail-safe.
Approach
Keeping in pace with Icecat’s innovative approach and growth, Bintime’s team of developers has adopted the agile approach in development, cost- and time-efficiently converting Icecat’s requirements and ideas into the platform features and reducing their time to the market. To manage the increasing DB loads of millions of datasheets and media files, Bintime developers optimized the development team to be T-shaped, adapted the existing DB architecture and implemented new technologies.
Value delivered
On Icecat’s way to becoming a high-end IPO listed enterprise and a market leader in product content distribution, Bintime has been supporting Icecat from the first line of code, resulting in today’s:
- 300+ brands sponsoring content development of Open Icecat and 27k+ brands covered by Full Icecat;
- structured and timely product content available in 60+ languages;
- seamless integration with key marketplaces like Amazon, Aliexpress, Lazada, etc.;
- easy-to-download product content in XML, JSON, CSV, and Icecat LIVE;
- 450+ brands are sponsoring content development (L’Óreal, HP, Asus, Xerox, etc).
Expanding cooperation / Project’s current state
As for now, Bintine supports Icecate to keep stability and bring innovation. Constant reviews of functionality based on revenue for the business are the key to solving this issue.
Although the traditional PIM market is overcrowded, PIM+syndication offers opportunities. There, Icecat positions itself with a freemium business model with an open catalog and expects continued fast growth.
Further, with Icecat having too many PIM tools due to acquisitions – Cedemo, Icecat, Iceshop, Syndy – it is time to simplify and develop ONE PIM. Fewer platforms mean that Icecat’s ecosystem becomes less complicated and easier to maintain and operate. Answering brands’ demand, our development team is working on a new generation of connectors to Amazon.
