How a custom eCommerce solution can make your business better for you and your customers Custom ordering allows you to fit your platform to your business instead of the other way around. If you run a B2B business and are considering ways to improve (or add) the eCommerce experience for your customers and your staff, one thing that comes to mind is likely the purchasing or ordering process. Many B2B businesses have non-standard workflows and special needs for orders that are not typically satisfied in off-the-shelf eCommerce platforms. A custom solution created by a B2B eCommerce development partner can help deliver the experience your business requires, streamlining your processes and delivering a great user experience. Custom Ordering Scenarios There are many different reasons companies need custom eCommerce platforms. Commonly, it will benefit your business to allow customers to pay for their orders using methods beyond straightforward online credit card processing. While you may offer direct online credit card payments, it is very typical to also accept purchase orders (PO). Creating a custom portal that automates this process as much as possible will make buying easier for the customer, require less of your employees, and even cut down on the time it takes for you to receive payment. You may also want to offer combined payment method options, like splitting the order between multiple credit cards or paying for some items with a credit card and others via PO. A custom solution can make typically complicated purchases simple. Custom Purchasing Workflows Your customers may have a variety of purchasing processes that you will want to accommodate whenever possible. Custom workflows allow you to set a process for customers for situations where they have a purchaser, an account manager who verifies the purchase, and an executive whose approval might be required if, for example, the price of the order exceeds a certain amount. Clarity writes custom checkout processes for all kinds of workflows, so it’s not a matter of fitting your business to your technology but fitting the technology to your business. Custom integration can also combine necessary back-end ERPs with supply chain software. Shipping Processes Freight shipping is a fact of life in B2B eCommerce, and it can make having a straightforward purchasing process familiar from experiences with B2C difficult. Typically freight charges are paid via PO, but you can provide more options to better serve your customers. With a solution like Clarity eCommerce, automating shipping workflows is easy. For example, once an order is submitted, you can calculate the cost of freight and input it to your ERP, which in turn pushes the information to your custom eCommerce platform, which will notify the customer that the order is ready to be paid. Once the order is ready to be paid, the customer can log on and choose any method they like to complete payment, or if freight cost is too high or lower than expected, adjust their order. This same concept can be applied to other calculations that might be made after the order is submitted as well. Business Case: The Newton Group For The Newton Group's eCommerce implementation, Clarity built-in a custom eCommerce solution ordering allows users to check past orders, and account balances and even make deferred payments when necessary. Purchase order and invoice-based billing systems were included. Products themselves also have customized variables, with fields specific to the items such as eyeglass prescription information tied to specific pricing. This sort of execution would not be possible with an off-the-shelf platform. Clarity Can Help Clarity has been building custom eCommerce solutions for B2B customers for years, and Clarity eCommerce was designed with scenarios like yours in mind. Customized ordering and purchasing are just a few examples of the multitude of features and customizations available to ensure the technology you employ fits your business and not the other way around. Give us a call and see what we can do for you!