DIGITAL CONTENT MANAGEMENT: Need for speed spurs use of digital technology

Speed, simplicity, and profits are what catalogers seek from their digital content management (DCM) system, according to a survey by Menasha, WI-based printer and digital imaging company Banta Corp. of 1,500 executives at catalog companies with annual sales exceeding $20 million.

Sixty percent of respondents say they want DCM to speed catalog production time, while 55% want to simplify repurposing content to print and electronic media, and 53% want improved profitability from increased sales and lower costs. Half of the respondents want DCM to improve collaboration among departments and locations, and 45% hope to improve target marketing.

Nearly half of the respondents (49%) now use digital image/asset management systems to manage catalog product images, while 45% use DCM to create catalog pages, and 44% use DCM systems designed for online marketing programs. About 21% of the survey respondents didn’t have DCM in place but said that they planned to begin using it within the next year.