Manufacturing | Digital Commerce 360 https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/industry/manufacturing/ Your source for ecommerce news, analysis and research Mon, 19 Feb 2024 15:39:58 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/cropped-2022-DC360-favicon-d-32x32.png Manufacturing | Digital Commerce 360 https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/industry/manufacturing/ 32 32 Crane manufacturer Huisman goes digital for oceangoing customers https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/2024/02/16/a-crane-manufacturer-goes-digital-for-oceangoing-customers/ Fri, 16 Feb 2024 18:41:04 +0000 https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/?p=1317591 When Maaike de Rover arrived a few years ago as the first digital commerce expert at Huisman, her new employer made her the point person for a major transformation at the nearly century-old manufacturer of multi-ton cranes used aboard oceangoing vessels. Huisman was already well-established as a provider of heavy construction equipment for the energy […]

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When Maaike de Rover arrived a few years ago as the first digital commerce expert at Huisman, her new employer made her the point person for a major transformation at the nearly century-old manufacturer of multi-ton cranes used aboard oceangoing vessels.

Huisman was already well-established as a provider of heavy construction equipment for the energy industry. But to better help its customers maintain their equipment in top shape and avoid any costly downtime, the family-owned company, founded in 1929, realized it needed to go digital — and in a way that was helpful to customers who were often out of internet access range.

Maaike de Rover -Huisman

Maaike de Rover, program manager, digitalization, Huisman

Going digital — enabling customers to order parts and service and view technical manuals from computer devices in remote locations at sea — makes Huisman’s products and services far more accessible and the company far more efficient and proactive in serving customers.

“The ultimate goal is to grow our business and stay relevant for our clients,” says de Rover, program manager, digitalization.

Moving toward predictive maintenance

Moreover, Huisman’s digital applications are putting its Services division into the position to “move from preventive maintenance to predictive maintenance,” she says, with online dashboards designed to alert customers when their equipment may be due for maintenance and new parts.

Headquartered in Schiedam, Netherlands, with worldwide production and service facilities, Huisman worked with digital agency Fenego to deploy the Intershop Commerce technology platform. Intershop, which launched its first ecommerce platform in 1992, “combines the functionality of a B2B shop with the user-friendly aesthetics of a B2C platform,” according to Martijn Reissenweber, director of Huisman Services.

But the new digital technology layout is “more DXP than just an ecommerce platform, it goes far beyond ecommerce,” says de Rover, using the letters for digital experience platform.

In addition, Huisman manages customer and financial data and product information with an Isah ERP system, a Windchill data management application, and Google Analytics. And it uses an image designing tool for displaying 3D product drawings.

To make the digital platform more useful for customers when outside of internet access, de Rover says Huisman worked with Intershop and Fenego to deploy the commerce technology as a progressive web application. That configuration lets customers continue to engage through various mobile devices with downloaded web content, including product and order details, account activity, and service records, even when they have poor or no internet access in remote sea locations, such as windfarm construction sites.

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Vessel-mounted Huisman cranes at a windfarm construction site.

Engaging customers via myHuisman

Huisman’s digital strategy is to make it easier for its customers aboard vessels to order parts and technical services through the manufacturer’s new digital portal, myHuisman. The portal also lets them access a broad scope of technical manuals, 3D product images, and other resources with detailed specifications, place orders for replacement parts, and receive technical help online.

Personalized content and service was crucial for Huisman to maintain a helpful digital interaction with customers at different types of companies, regardless of where they were operating and their level of internet access, de Rover says. She notes that a typical cost of equipment out of service for maintenance or repairs can run $200,000 or more per day.

“Our industry is based on relations and personal contact with people who may work 30-40 years for the same company,” she says. “So, before we started building this platform, I formed a customer advisory board … and the clients helped us build the platform.”

Among myHuisman’s features are:

  • Dedicated parts shops for customers with highly customized equipment. “It’s quite important for them to know what specific items are available for their equipment,” de Rover says. For example, she notes that a 2,600-metric-ton leg-encircling crane can have over 10,000 serviceable items and parts available for purchase, and a customer can click to see all the parts that are available, the price and the order lead times.
  • Access to a technical digital library of what are typically huge volumes of product manuals and documents related to the purchase and operation of Huisman equipment.

In the past, ships outfitted with Huisman cranes or other products would carry a full ship container stocked with paper manuals and documents. Next came CD-ROMs, which offered helpful 3D imaging used for maintaining and repairing equipment, but intermittent internet access limited their usefulness.

The new library available through myHuisman lets customers download materials online and use them with full interactive features even without internet access.

  • An online services ticketing system, which customers can use aboard vessels to arrange to receive technical assistance from Huisman technicians and engineers. Customers can also check other users’ questions and their status and review Huisman’s recorded replies.

In some cases, a Huisman engineer will travel by air and water to arrive at a client’s vessel to conduct onboard service, but to limit the expense of such travel, Huisman has developed alternate remote support services using such tools as photo-taking drones and the enterprise version of smart glasses to share images of onboard equipment with land-based engineers and technicians.

Keeping track online of made-to-order cranes

Later this year, Huisman also expects to launch a digital file management system for keeping customers up to date on the status of customized cranes and other equipment as they’re in production. De Rover notes that the production process can take two to three years, making it difficult to regularly maintain, share and organize project documents with customers on typically highly complex, made-to-order products.

For Huisman’s largest and most ecommerce-mature customers, the manufacturer is also working on providing direct connections from companies’ enterprise resource planning or plant maintenance systems to the myHuisman web shop for fast and efficient ordering of products.

De Rover says there is a significant growth opportunity as Huisman onboards more customers to myHuisman for routine activities like scheduling service calls, freeing up its salespeople and account managers to spend more time on helping these companies match their needs to Huisman’s product offerings.

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Sophie du Mortier, marketeer, Huisman

Going forward, Huisman is developing a technology application designed to let customers remotely monitor on myHuisman the construction progress of cranes they’ve ordered.

“Once they buy a crane, they can monitor their equipment’s complete production process,” says Sophie du Mortier, marketeer for Huisman. “Customers can collaborate with Huisman on design and test documentation. They will have full insights in planning. Transparency is key.”

Huisman is also developing a myHuisman online performance dashboard that enables condition-based monitoring, a method using information from equipment-embedded sensors to give customers information on required maintenance.

“They have a complete overview of the status of the equipment,” du Mortier says. “And we are working towards a servicing model in which we can use this data to provide operational advice.”

Paul Demery is a Digital Commerce 360 contributing editor covering B2B digital commerce technology and strategy. paul@digitalcommerce360.com.

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A digital platform launches for distributed manufacturing https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/2024/01/29/a-digital-platform-launches-for-distributed-manufacturing/ Mon, 29 Jan 2024 18:38:37 +0000 https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/?p=1316378 Buyers who need immediate access to manufactured parts have a new digital option from Markforged Holding Corp. Markforged has launched the on-demand parts manufacturing platform Digital Source, which it describes as “an on-demand parts platform built to enable the licensing and 3D-printing of manufacturer-certified parts when and where they are needed, without the cost or […]

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Buyers who need immediate access to manufactured parts have a new digital option from Markforged Holding Corp.

Markforged has launched the on-demand parts manufacturing platform Digital Source, which it describes as “an on-demand parts platform built to enable the licensing and 3D-printing of manufacturer-certified parts when and where they are needed, without the cost or hassle of physical inventory management.”

Jeremy Haight, principal engineer at Vestas Wind Systems A/S, a global company that manufactures, installs and services wind turbines for sustainable energy systems, says the Digital Source on-demand platform has enabled Vestas to quickly print spare parts when needed to maintain operations and minimize downtime.

For BMF GmbH, a manufacturer of sandblasting machines designed with 60 components that need to be replaced periodically, the 3D-printing service provides the option to print replacement parts at customer sites.

“The component can be printed on-site the moment a failure or wear is detected,” BMF CEO Ronny Bernstein says.

Markforged also says Digital Source allows companies to upload digital part designs they can then license to their customers, distributors and contract manufacturers.

“Once uploaded, Digital Source end-users will have the ability to license the right to print parts on-site or through a growing network of [3D-printing] service providers,” the company says.

“Parts can be digitized and printed at the time and point of need without the need to be manufactured in advance, shipped and stored until needed,” Vestas CEO Shai Terem says.

Paul Demery is a Digital Commerce 360 contributing editor covering B2B digital commerce technology and strategy. paul@digitalcommerce360.com.

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How to accelerate a winning B2B ecommerce strategy: Tools, tactics & examples https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/webinar/how-to-accelerate-a-winning-b2b-ecommerce-strategy-tools-tactics-examples/ Tue, 23 Jan 2024 21:54:01 +0000 https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/?post_type=webinar&p=1316057 Today’s business buyers demand excellence in personalized commerce anytime, anywhere, through any channel. And they expect manufacturers and distributors to deliver them superior user experience. But B2B sellers must deploy new ecommerce strategies and technology to generate a uniquely helpful experience that attracts and keeps customers. This brave new world of connected ecommerce means complex B2B organizations need to […]

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Today’s business buyers demand excellence in personalized commerce anytime, anywhere, through any channel. And they expect manufacturers and distributors to deliver them superior user experience. But B2B sellers must deploy new ecommerce strategies and technology to generate a uniquely helpful experience that attracts and keeps customers. This brave new world of connected ecommerce means complex B2B organizations need to engage digital-first and traditional customers in new and better ways.​

Fast on the way out are old, unconnected computer systems, dysfunctional databases, and manual programs that don’t generate recurring B2B ecommerce sales and sustain customer loyalty. Instead, winning B2B organizations use new applications and services such as artificial intelligence, dynamic pricing, personalization, sustainability, and other emerging digital technology and strategy to meet — and exceed — buyer expectations.​

The webinar will provide attendees with the insights to start building or accelerating an ecommerce strategy that:

  • Generates higher sales and profits.​
  • Attracts and retains loyal customers.​
  • Gives B2B buyers a transparent, personalized and omnichannel purchasing experience that helps them do their jobs better.​
  • Develops a digital technology infrastructure for more efficient and productive operations for both internal and external stakeholders.

 

Sponsored by:

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A building products distributor builds out an ecommerce strategy https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/2024/01/22/a-building-products-distributor-builds-out-an-ecommerce-strategy/ Mon, 22 Jan 2024 18:41:46 +0000 https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/?p=1316005 Jeff McLendon, president and CEO of Specialty Building Products, says he wants to help inject ecommerce into a market where it’s sorely lacking: lumber and building materials dealers. “We care about our dealer customers’ success,” he says. “And with ecommerce penetration at less than 1% amongst the average LBM dealer, we took it upon ourselves […]

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Jeff McLendon, president and CEO of Specialty Building Products, says he wants to help inject ecommerce into a market where it’s sorely lacking: lumber and building materials dealers.

Jeff McLendon - SpecialtyBuildingProducts

Jeff McLendon, president and CEO, Specialty Building Products

“We care about our dealer customers’ success,” he says. “And with ecommerce penetration at less than 1% amongst the average LBM dealer, we took it upon ourselves to bring a best-in-class solution to our customers.”

Specialty Building Products has teamed up with Toolbx Inc. to provide its network of dealers access to Toolbx’s digital commerce platform and related technology integration services.

Toolbx’s services include integrating digital commerce technology applications — including shopping carts, quoting, customer records, product catalogs and payments — with  dealers’ enterprise resource planning systems, including Epicor BisTrack, DMSi, Intuit Quickbooks and Oracle NetSuite and Sandbox.

Erik Bornstein, CEO and cofounder of Toolbx, says the Toolbx digital platform is designed with “a suite of customer-facing tools that enable [dealers] to streamline operations, enhance customer service, and boost loyalty among their Pro or retail segment.”

Customers include The Home Depot and Do It Best

SPB has several operating brands, including U.S. Lumber, Alexandria Moulding, DW Distribution, Millwork Sales, Amerhart and Reeb, that provide LBM dealers with lumber, custom manufacturing and assembly of specialty building materials like doors, cabinets and outdoor decks, and marketing and distribution services.

McLendon says that “a number of our customers are already using Toolbx, and we want to make our product data available to them through Toolbx.” SPB and Toolbx did disclose the terms of their cooperative arrangement.

SPB’s largest customers include The Home Depot, Do It Best, Carter Lumber, Builders FirstSource and ABC Supply Co.

Toolbx notes on its website that it charges monthly subscription fees starting at $1,299 for its Commerce Pro system, which includes ecommerce, catalog development and support for onboarding customers. Its higher-end Pro Integrated version adds additional features, including syncing  orders, price & inventory, invoice & payment, and customer tiers and accounts. It doesn’t publicize Pro Integrated’s fees.

Paul Demery is a Digital Commerce 360 contributing editor covering B2B digital commerce technology and strategy. paul@digitalcommerce360.com.

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Protolabs rebrands its digital manufacturing network https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/2024/01/12/protolabs-rebrands-its-digital-manufacturing-network/ Fri, 12 Jan 2024 23:46:14 +0000 https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/?p=1315524 Proto Labs Inc. is sharpening its focus on Hubs, the Amsterdam-based manufacturing network it acquired in 2021. Now rebranded as the Protolabs Network, the network of over 250 manufacturers has a new global brand for selling such digital manufacturing services as 3D printing and injection molding. “We’re building a business model that the manufacturing industry […]

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Proto Labs Inc. is sharpening its focus on Hubs, the Amsterdam-based manufacturing network it acquired in 2021. Now rebranded as the Protolabs Network, the network of over 250 manufacturers has a new global brand for selling such digital manufacturing services as 3D printing and injection molding.

“We’re building a business model that the manufacturing industry has never seen before, and customers are beginning to harness the full potential it offers,” says Rob Bodor, Protolabs’ president and CEO. “In the third quarter of 2023 alone, revenue fulfilled through Protolabs Network increased over 80% year over year.”

“This is the future of the industry — manufacturing that is completely tailored to what customers need, when they need it, and at the price point they want,” said Pjotr Horowitz, managing director for Protolabs Network. “It’s exciting to be on the frontlines driving that evolution.”

Protolabs says it reached record Q3 revenue of $23 million in the Hubs network business, as Protolabs total revenue grew 7.1% to an all-time high $130.7 million.

Protolabs’ services include:

  • Injection molding
  • 3D printing
  • Sheet metal
  • CNC machining

CNC machining is a manufacturing process in which pre-programmed applications dictate the movement of factory tools and machinery. The process enables three-dimensional cutting tasks to be accomplished in a single set of prompts.

Paul Demery is a Digital Commerce 360 contributing editor covering B2B digital commerce technology and strategy. paul@digitalcommerce360.com.

Percentage changes may not align exactly with dollar figures due to rounding. Check back for more earnings reports. Here’s last quarter’s Protolabs update.

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MSC Industrial ecommerce sales surpass $600 million in Q1 https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/article/msc-industrial-ecommerce-sales/ Wed, 10 Jan 2024 15:00:33 +0000 https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/?post_type=article&p=1041773 Ecommerce sales are off to a positive start in MSC Industrial Supply Co.’s 2024 fiscal year. And president and CEO Erik Gershwind says the big distributor will “aggressively” market its web content and pricing strategy to prod growth throughout the year. MSC Industrial is a prominent metalworking and maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) products distributor. […]

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Ecommerce sales are off to a positive start in MSC Industrial Supply Co.’s 2024 fiscal year. And president and CEO Erik Gershwind says the big distributor will “aggressively” market its web content and pricing strategy to prod growth throughout the year.

MSC Industrial is a prominent metalworking and maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) products distributor. It said yesterday that ecommerce sales grew 1.8% year over year to $603.7 million for the fiscal first quarter ended Dec. 2. That increase compares to slack total Q1 sales, which slipped 0.4% to $957.7 million.



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MSC Industrial said its ecommerce sales helped to partially offset offline sales declines tied to soft demand caused by striking auto industry workers and other factors.

Two principle ways to unlock growth

On an earnings call with stock analysts this week, Gershwind noted that MSC has prodded ecommerce sales with “two foundational priorities for unlocking growth — realigning our public-facing pricing and implementing a new product discovery functionality on our website.”

“With respect to pricing, our goal is to provide market competitive prices to smaller customers, while remaining roughly gross-margin neutral to better discounting,” he said. “We are currently 30% of the way through the realignment, and we’re on track to achieve that goal.”

“We’re seeing encouraging early indicators, such as improved web conversion rates and more favorable levels of growth,” Gershwind said. He added, “The goal is to create a market competitive price for any customer that wants to come to us.”

Gershwind also said MSC expects to complete the deployment of its new product discovery platform before the end of the current fiscal quarter in March.

“We will more aggressively market the pricing and the web improvements in the back half of our fiscal year,” he said, adding, “These efforts will allow us to significantly expand our share of wallet across our customers.”

In other developments, Gershwind said MSC was moving ahead with multiple environmental, social and governance improvements, including:

  • Recycling over 20,000 pounds of carbide since 2021 through its regrinding services.
  • In fiscal 2023, recycling 1,500 tons of corrugated packaging and enabling MSC’s customers to reduce electricity consumption by 32 million kilowatt hours.

Paul Demery is a Digital Commerce 360 contributing editor covering B2B digital commerce technology and strategy. paul@digitalcommerce360.com.

Percentage changes may not align exactly with dollar figures due to rounding. Check back for more earnings reports. Here’s last quarter’s MSC Industrial report.

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Editors’ picks: Our top B2B ecommerce stories of 2023 https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/2024/01/02/editors-picks-our-top-b2b-ecommerce-stories-of-2023/ Tue, 02 Jan 2024 14:00:24 +0000 https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/?p=1314678 Trends in B2B buyers and ecommerce growth strategies Millennial and Gen Z B2B buyers are many and demanding online Annual US B2B ecommerce sales near $2 trillion B2B electronic sales grow to more than $9 trillion The long history of Caterpillar’s ecommerce journey Amazon Business touts $35 billion in annualized gross sales Digital diversity drives […]

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Trends in B2B buyers and ecommerce growth strategies

Millennial and Gen Z B2B buyers are many and demanding online

Annual US B2B ecommerce sales near $2 trillion

B2B electronic sales grow to more than $9 trillion

The long history of Caterpillar’s ecommerce journey

Amazon Business touts $35 billion in annualized gross sales

Digital diversity drives Grainger sales growth in Q2

MSC Industrial cites ecommerce as key to its growth

Fastenal’s Q2 digital sales top $1 billion

Digital now tops half of all sales for MRC Global

More core industries go hard core for B2B digital commerce

The myth busters of B2B ecommerce

How B2B companies build out their ecommerce strategies

Anheuser-Busch InBev pops the cork on ecommerce

Honeywell acquisition of Carrier unit boosts B2B and B2C ecommerce offerings

Walmart Business launches as a B2B ecommerce site

Watsco ecommerce sales top $2.3 billion

Global Industrial hits an ecommerce milestone despite soft sales

Williams-Sonoma is all business about B2B ecommerce

Digital trucking firm Convoy blames ‘perfect storm’ for shutdown

WD-40 Co.: Digital commerce is a “must-win battle”

 

The promise of AI and other trends

A large IT distributor re-invents ecommerce with AI and 3D technology

Making Generative AI work for better B2B content

How AI helps manufacturers upgrade their ecommerce operations

Generative AI makes product management inroads

Challenged procurement pros want automation and AI

Three ways generative AI will change B2B marketing

Manufacturers make AI the heart of digital transformation

Xometry touts AI strategy and record Q3 revenue

An AI tool launches to upend online product configuration

Why B2B companies are integrating ERP and ecommerce technology

How manufacturers and distributors collaborate to grow B2B digital sales

Ecommerce drives up US port activity

 

Manufacturers are ‘bullish’ on digital

How Ecolab figured out an online personalization formula

Manufacturers are ‘bullish’ on 2024 earnings and digital transformation

Digital manufacturer Protolabs scores record quarterly sales

AB InBev reports 27% growth on its digital BEES platform

How a manufacturer planned a B2B ecommerce site project

For a mining equipment manufacturer, ecommerce uncovers new rewards

 

Distributors roll with ecommerce growth

Bottoms up: A B2B distributor tops $3 billion in digital sales

Fastenal’s Q3 digital sales come in at 57% of total sales

Watsco expands online buyer base, sparks ecommerce sales

Zoro.com appoints Sandy Mattinson as president

Despite a dip, MSC Industrial keeps doubling down on ecommerce

A major building products distributor takes digital transformation mainstream

Food-service distributor Parts Town expands same-day delivery

Data hack problems continue to plague a major distributor of dental products

A tire distributor rolls with more B2B and B2C online orders

 

The Hot Corner: B2B Marketplaces

Amazon Business, Alibaba, eBay: Where gross B2B sales know no bounds

Amazon Business is all business about its B2B marketplace

Supporting disabled workers, Amazon Business launches an AbilityOne store

A GE marketplace blows its way into the wind turbine business

B2B marketplace’s fast track into mainstream US business sales

B2B marketplaces refine their expansion strategies

Vehicle carrier transport is the next B2B marketplace niche

EnvisionB2B 2023:

EnvisionB2B: B2B companies share their ecommerce growth strategies

EnvisionB2B: Disruption drives ecommerce change for Konica Minolta

EnvisionB2B: Why not all B2B buyers want an Amazon shopping experience

Toyota, Bendix, McKesson and US Foods join EnvisionB2B’s speaker lineup

EnvisionB2B: Global Industrial’s Alex Tomey on sustainability

EnvisionB2B: Performance Food Group revamps the online B2B buyer experience

Perspectives of industry experts

Become Amazon in your space with AI/ML: Using AI-based language transformers to boost sales

Manufacturers’ game plan: Crafting a strong business case for ecommerce

What’s attracting B2B marketplace investors this year?

Generative AI will change the B2B customer experience as we know it

6 ways ChatGPT can enhance supply chains

‘Visual commerce’ — a sharp new focus on B2B

 

Paul Demery is a Digital Commerce 360 contributing editor covering B2B digital commerce technology and strategy. paul@digitalcommerce360.com.

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An AI tool launches to upend online product configuration https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/2023/12/07/an-ai-tool-launches-to-upend-online-product-configuration/ Thu, 07 Dec 2023 23:32:28 +0000 https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/?p=1313902 Selling complex B2B products online is often difficult. But it’s a challenge where artificial intelligence is beginning to help ease online configuration, selection and purchasing of multifaceted products that could have large numbers of components. Logik.io, a digital technology provider founded in 2021 for configurating, discovering and recommending products online, this week introduced Cosmo AI, […]

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Selling complex B2B products online is often difficult. But it’s a challenge where artificial intelligence is beginning to help ease online configuration, selection and purchasing of multifaceted products that could have large numbers of components.

Logik.io, a digital technology provider founded in 2021 for configurating, discovering and recommending products online, this week introduced Cosmo AI, an artificial intelligence system designed for configure-price-quote systems and ecommerce.

The company launched the Cosmo AI suite with Cosmo FunctionAssist, the first of several features Logik.io says are designed to ease and quicken how online buyers can configure complex products and equipment ranging from power tools to vehicles and construction equipment.

ChristopherShutts-Logik-io

Christopher Shutts, CEO, Logik-io

CEO Christopher Shutts describes FunctionAssist as an “intelligent rule-making assistant built to make configuration simpler than ever by using generative AI to create advanced rules” for configuring products. He notes that when a manufacturer sets up a product configuration process as part of an online CPQ system, they must program that system with an extensive set of rules to have it pull information from multiple databases to accurately describe each component that goes into a configured product.

With Cosmo AI Function Assist, the manufacturer can enter a natural language request to have the system generate those rules, a method that Logik.io has shown is 50% – 70% faster than conventional methods, says Fazal Gupta, Logik.io’s head of product.

Robert Muñoz, a vice president and principal analyst covering CPQ technology at Forrester Research Inc., says generative AI is poised to disrupt the CPQ market.

“Generative AI will bring greater ease for buyers and sellers to configure customer-centric solutions and enable admin users to build optimized configuration logic faster in a guided and more conversational approach,” Muñoz says. “Gen AI is now poised to disrupt the CPQ market by enabling greater buyer experiences, easier seller optimized configurations, faster time to value, and increased organizational agility and speed to launch, scale, and manage the lifecycle of offerings to drive profitable growth.”

Santi Subotovsky, general partner of Emergence Capital, the lead venture capital firm behind Logik.io’s $16 million in Series A funding, says Logik.io is using Cosmo AI to “transform … the B2B selling model from one that is complex, convoluted, and expensive, to one that is ‘consumerized,’ low-touch, and efficient.”

“Gone are the days when admins needed to spend hours on advanced scripting to write and manage rules — our new Cosmo FunctionAssist functionality is changing how companies will look at managing configuration,” Shutts asserts.

He adds that FunctionAssist is also designed to make it easier and faster for online buyers to configure and price complex products for purchase.

Shutts says the regular subscription cost to operate Cosmo AI CPQ is based on a per user, per month fee of $85 (or $25 for distributors or resellers). When a client company uses Cosmo AI product configurations that result in ecommerce purchase transactions,  Logik.io charges the seller per-configuration fees that vary from pennies to significantly higher dollar amounts based on volume, he adds. The company says that about 50% of its customers use its technology to support ecommerce or omni-channel product configuration and guided selling.

Logik.io says it plans to introduce additional Cosmo AI features, including:

  • Smart Predictions & Auto-Suggestions, designed to save end-users time quoting product prices by auto-suggesting options based on previous selections.
  • Rule Optimization Suggestions, designed to make process improvements faster, simpler, and more automated via intelligent suggestions.
  • Inline Admin Help & Support, designed to enable CPQ and Commerce admins to be more effective and efficient by providing them with  real-time, in-context answers and training on any questions they have as they work.

“Until this year, the role of AI in the CPQ market has been primarily focused on leveraging predictive AI to optimize revenue and profitability with price optimization and management solutions,” Forrester’s Muñoz says. “Some CPQ vendors like Oracle, SAP, PROS and Pricefx have also been providing AI-driven capabilities like configuration guidance, upsell/cross-sell recommendations and churn detection.”

Paul Demery is a Digital Commerce 360 contributing editor covering B2B digital commerce technology and strategy. paul@digitalcommerce360.com.

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Food-service distributor Parts Town expands same-day delivery https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/2023/12/04/food-service-distributor-parts-town-expands-same-day-delivery/ Mon, 04 Dec 2023 21:23:18 +0000 https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/?p=1313714 Parts Town is on course to surpass $2 billion in sales this year, a growth track the company says it fosters through innovative services. The latest example is expanding same-day delivery of online orders fulfilled from its Parts In Town network of affiliated service companies to over 125 locations across the United States. “We are […]

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Parts Town is on course to surpass $2 billion in sales this year, a growth track the company says it fosters through innovative services.

The latest example is expanding same-day delivery of online orders fulfilled from its Parts In Town network of affiliated service companies to over 125 locations across the United States.

EmanuelaDelgado-PartsTown

Emanuela Delgado, senior vice president, Parts Town

“We are excited to bring same-day delivery to our customers nationwide,” says Emanuela Delgado, who as head of growth and innovation uses the title senior vice president of the revolution. “With Same Day Delivery, we’re not just providing parts; we’re delivering solutions for the most urgent needs.”

Customers on the company’s ecommerce site, PartsTown.com, can choose the Same Day Delivery option on the checkout page. That choice takes them to the online Parts In Town marketplace, where they can search for and select the service company stocking Parts Town inventory closest to their delivery destination. If a customer’s preferred service company offers same-day delivery, they can request delivery within two hours of placing their order.  (Parts Town says it is rolling the same-day service out to more Parts In Town service companies.)

Parts Town introduced a same-day delivery pilot program in the summer of 2022, focusing on the Chicago metropolitan area. The company is headquartered in Addison, Illinois, a Chicago suburb.

Parts Town is a privately held company and does not regularly report revenue figures. But its parent company, Parts Town Unlimited, said in May that it expected to reach $2.4 billion this year, up from $1.8 billion in 2022.

Parts Town says also drives growth by expanding into new products categories, including heating, ventilation and air-conditioning parts. The company distributes parts from more than 1,100 original equipment manufacturers.

Paul Demery is a Digital Commerce 360 contributing editor covering B2B digital commerce technology and strategy. paul@digitalcommerce360.com.

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Sign up for a complimentary subscription to Digital Commerce 360 B2B News, published 4x/week. It covers technology and business trends in the growing B2B ecommerce industry. Contact Mark Brohan, vice president of B2B and Market Research Development, at mark@digitalcommerce360.com and follow him on Twitter @markbrohan.

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How Mini Melts works its magic distributing ‘beaded’ ice cream https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/2023/12/01/how-mini-melts-works-its-magic-distributing-beaded-ice-cream/ Fri, 01 Dec 2023 21:11:16 +0000 https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/?p=1313584 With 34,000 distribution points across the contiguous 48 states — ranging from 7-Eleven and Wawa chain convenience stores to ski resorts, zoos, aquariums, and assorted mom-and-pops — ice cream brand Mini Melts has a solid base for selling its cryogenically frozen “beaded” ice cream products, says Dan Kilcoyne, president and CEO, Mini Melts USA & […]

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With 34,000 distribution points across the contiguous 48 states — ranging from 7-Eleven and Wawa chain convenience stores to ski resorts, zoos, aquariums, and assorted mom-and-pops — ice cream brand Mini Melts has a solid base for selling its cryogenically frozen “beaded” ice cream products, says Dan Kilcoyne, president and CEO, Mini Melts USA & Mini Melts of America, Inc.

Mini Melts uses a predictive restocking method to keep each retail location stocked with a full range of flavors.
Dan Kilcoyne_MiniMelts

Dan Kilcoyne, president and CEO, Mini Melts USA & Mini Melts of America Inc.

“We’ve been growing about 30% year over year for the past two years and already sold over 30 million cups of Mini Melts for 2023,” he says. And with plans for 10 new distribution centers, bringing the total to 33, he says Mini Melts expects to have nearly 10,000 additional distribution points and “a 50% sales increase in 2024.” The family-owned and -operated company doesn’t report revenue figures.

Mini Melts has built its brand on producing and marketing ice cream that is frozen to about minus-40 degrees, a process that produces ice cream with the texture of round beads or popcorn-like kernels in 13 flavors ranging from vanilla, chocolate and strawberry to birthday cake, banana split and cotton candy.

A unique way to manage timely deliveries to stores

Managing timely deliveries of Mini Melts ice cream and meeting each retail location’s inventory needs by volume and flavor assortment, however, relies on a mostly home-grown system of collecting, analyzing and sharing data on what’s selling at each location and systemwide.

MiniMelts_Cake PopThe company uses its own freezer-equipped trucks to deliver its ice cream in cases of individual-serving cups that each retailer then keeps in Mini Melts-branded self-serve freezers or robotic kiosks. Mini Melts also organizes the retail freezers to support inventory management and reordering.

 

A mobile app lets delivery drivers remotely monitor inventory in Mini Melts self-service kiosks, which transmit sales data to the app each time a kiosk robotic arm fetches an ice cream cup and dispenses it through the kiosk retriever bin.

The company uses a predictive restocking method to manage deliveries and keep each retail location stocked with a full range of flavors and best-selling items. As Mini Melts collects sales data from each retail location, its data analytics team updates a predictive sales model weekly to forecast upcoming delivery volumes.

“Customers never have to call us,” Kilcoyne says.

(This article appears in a longer report on innovation and disruption in B2B ecommerce, B2B Strategy Insights: Standing Out in the B2B Crowd, available for a free download.)

Paul Demery is a Digital Commerce 360 contributing editor covering B2B digital commerce technology and strategy. paul@digitalcommerce360.com.

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Sign up for a complimentary subscription to Digital Commerce 360 B2B News, published 4x/week. It covers technology and business trends in the growing B2B ecommerce industry. Contact Mark Brohan, vice president of B2B and Market Research Development, at mark@digitalcommerce360.com and follow him on Twitter @markbrohan.

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