Looking to ensure your long-term distribution success? Implement an E-Commerce plan today. Before the internet, distributors worked tirelessly to cultivate relationships with the goal of sustaining a reliable network of returning customers. Being able to depend on customer “stickiness” enabled distributors to establish successful territories for themselves.
Today, however, modern distribution is trending away from this model thanks to substantial competition from companies like Amazon and the simple convenience of internet searches. Though internet selling opens your products up to large new markets, it also removes the need to engage another human directly. Strong relationships can certainly still be built, but customer stickiness often becomes less… sticky.
Because the internet provides so many buying choices, your customers may be more receptive to testing the waters with unknown vendors based upon positive online reviews. In fact, many buyers prefer the convenience of purchasing from an online cart than exchanging emails or sitting through a sales meeting. So how then do you build customer stickiness in the current climate?Distributors need to implement an E-Commerce platform that incorporates proven user experience tactics for modern buyers. Let’s internalize this for a moment. Consider your own personal preferences when buying products on the web: You want to easily access product information; you want the best price available; and you want it delivered quickly. So with that in mind, do you like to…
¤ Flip through a large paper catalog? Your customers don’t want to do this either. Your products must be listed on an E-Commerce website that provides fast search results with product images and descriptions along with intuitive product recommendations.
¤ Call a salesperson for quantity and availability?Don’t make customers jump through hoops. Your E-Commerce solution should display accurate, real-time stock information onscreen. It should also provide fulfillment estimates in-line with what competitors are offering. Moreover, your customers should have insight into recent order statuses and order history. ¤ Sit through a sales meeting to learn pricing? Not for every purchase. Your E-Commerce platform must speak directly with your ERP business software to display your product costs and associated pricing breaks.
¤ Use a computer or mobile device? Both are crucial to E-Commerce success. Buyers currently research on mobile (53% of traffic with 32% of revenue) and purchase on desktop (37% traffic with 56% of revenue)1. Furthermore, your E-Commerce platform must be fully mobile responsive to satisfy younger users. “Users who have a negative experience in your mobile store are 62% less likely to purchase from you in the future.”2As a distributor, your inventory is already loaded with salable products. So why not make those products available to the widest audience possible through new E-Commerce channels?
Unite E-Commerce sales with the power of ERP-ONE+ Software
Utilizing comprehensive ERP-ONE+ business software, distributors and wholesalers have the tools to not only manage their inventory but also streamline all aspects of the distribution process. From sales, financial management, and purchasing to CRM, dashboards, and reporting, Cloud and On-Premise ERP-ONE+ delivers the interconnected applications needed to reduce costs and improve fulfillment times.
Integrating Distribution One’s mobile-responsive ecommONE E-Commerce portal with ERP-ONE+ enables the fast, seamless flow of product, sales, and inventory data which provides the exact user experience buyers want while expanding your own selling opportunities. Users can place orders, check inventory availability and pricing, view open and back order items, and more. Other ecommONE options include increased efficiency, secure credit card transactions using an encrypted connection, automatic inventory updates, account information online, and shipping rate comparisons.From search to purchase, your customers expect a hassle-free E-Commerce experience. Distribution One provides the tools to start building new customer relationships. Learn more about ERP-ONE+ and ecommONE E-Commerce at distone.com/distribution-ecommerce or contact us at
[email protected].