Full Stack B2B eCommerce Solutions for Uniform Manufacturers

OVERVIEW

B2B eCommerce for uniform manufacturers has come a long way. From just an online ordering portal a few years back to an integrated suite of solutions that enables them to be more operationally efficient, save time and resources, and increase revenue – manufacturers are now looking at B2B eCommerce as a key driver of growth. 
 
There’s no doubt that COVID-19 pandemic accelerated online growth, forcing businesses to adopt eCommerce in order to stay relevant amidst the fast-evolving commerce climate. But the transition towards digital began much earlier when millennials started to occupy roles that directly influenced the buying decisions of organizations.  
 
Being the representatives of the era that wanted to be self-sufficient and tech-savvy, they were naturally inclined to exploring and ordering things online on their own without having to interact with a sales rep in person. This conscious shift in buying behavior induced a ripple effect across industries as more and more businesses started jumping onto the B2B eCommerce bandwagon to appeal to the new age buyers.  
 
“73% of B2B buyers today are millennials who prefer self-service websites over interacting with sales reps” - Gartner 
 
For uniform manufacturers, the transition was more about finding the right balance between their traditional and digital channels to remain agile in the years to come. At UniformMarket, we have been enabling uniform sellers to create stellar buying experiences for their customers using our advanced uniform management system, customizable stores, and automated catalog management since 2012.  
 
An ideal eCommerce tech stack, therefore, for uniform manufacturers would be something that enables them to manage their complete online operations from one platform. Given their dynamic requirements, the platform should be customizable and enable them to carry out the follow activities seamlessly:

To understand how UniformMarket’s B2B eCommerce solutions caters to these requirements, let’s start by understanding what are the core KPIs of uniform manufacturers.

Product Information Management	Online Ordering for Customers	Brand Management
Automated Order Management	Integration with ERP, Inventory, and More	Data Centricity

GROWTH-DETERMINING KPIs OF UNIFORM MANUFACTURERS

In any manufacturing company, the complete cycle of operations can be classified under two broad heads: Pre-Production & Post-production. 

1. Pre-production:

This involves the whole spectrum of activities from sourcing raw materials to producing the finished goods. During this, the procurement teams coordinate with suppliers on-ground to acquire raw materials into the company. The Product, Design, Engineering and QA teams then work together to manufacture the intended products to be sold in the market. 
 
Teams owning Pre Production: Procurement + Product + Design + Engineering + QA 

2. Post-production:

This is where the real impact of B2B eCommerce comes into play as finished products are sold to buyers through various online sales channels. The Post Production phase is primarily owned by Marketing, Sales, and Customer Support teams who focus on growing revenue and building brand recognition. 

Teams owning Post Production: Marketing + Sales + Customer Support + Technology

 
It’s in the post-production processes that B2B eCommerce technologies play an instrumental role by streamlining order management, optimizing resource allocation, and delivering a personalized buying experience for customers.  
 
UniformMarket’s suite of B2B eCommerce solutions for manufacturers aid in these post-production processes and can be classified into three main KPIs.

1. Marketing: To attract new customers, expand clientele & foray into new geographies 
    
2. Distribution & Delivery: To provide personalized buying experience to all resellers 
    
3. Go-to-Market Effectiveness: To reduce go-to-market time for new products while enabling sales reps to prospect with precision 

UNIFORMMARKET’S 360° ECOMMERCE SOLUTIONS FOR MANUFACTURERS

Of all things pertinent to business growth, acquiring more customers is by far the most important. Getting a steady stream of new customers over time is central to sustainable growth. And it’s no different for uniform manufacturers either. They need to tie up with a vast network of retailers and wholesalers who can put their products before potential buyers and drive more brand visibility.  
 
This brings us to our first important step to achieving eCommerce success and how UniformMarket can aid manufacturers in the same – Marketing. 

1. Marketing:

To expand their distribution network, manufacturers should be able to promote their product catalogs effectively. UniformMarket’s Brand Syndication is a powerful tool for manufacturers to connect with thousands of distribution partners at once by promoting their catalogs to them at the click of a button.  
 
By enabling uniform manufacturers to connect with online sellers, Brand Syndication aids in boosting sales and increasing brand visibility, while eliminating go-to-market challenges. 
 
With built-in reporting tools, manufacturers can even track best-selling products and other key sales metrics that will significantly improve their decision making. In a nutshell, Brand Syndication gives manufacturers the power to choose who they want to partner with, how their brand & products should be represented by them, and effectively manage product information.  

2. Distribution & Delivery:

Next up is ensuring ease of business for your customers. Are they able to easily order on your website? Are they able to track their orders? Do they have access to your Customer Support team? Are they able to pay using their preferred payment methods? And more... 
 
From the time a customer places an order on your website till it’s getting delivered, hundreds of coordinated actions take place between various teams to ensure the customer receives the order on time. Without a robust eCommerce system in place, managing large volume of orders day in, day out can prove to be extremely resource-intensive, thus impeding operational efficiency.  
 
UniformMarket’s Wholesale Commerce helps streamline the complete order management process while giving customers a customized B2B portal to place their orders. Here’s how: 

1. Personalized Order: Enable your customers to order online via customized B2B ordering portal built to suit their business needs 
    
2. Custom Catalogs & Pricing: Analyze buying behavior to showcase select products your customers are interested in at contract pricing 
    
3. Flexible Payments: Extend credit line up 60 days or more besides other regular payment options 
    
4. Dropshipping: Attract more customers by proving dropshipping services that will reduce logistic costs for your customers 
    
5. ERP-integrated eCommerce: Ensures hassle-free and accurate ordering which in turn reduces returns, saving manufacturers millions of dollars in reverse logistics 
    
6. Automated Order Management: Reduce order fulfillment time and save costs on resources by automating manual tasks, product restocking

3. Go-to-Market Effectiveness:

Planning to launch a new product line but not sure how to introduce it in the market? We have got your back with this as well.  
 
We created LineSheets Studio, an easy-to-use digital line sheet making software with built-in order management enables sales reps to create attractive line sheets on the fly and share with prospects to start collecting orders. 
 
LineSheets Studio features an intuitive UI and host of ready-to-use product sheet templates. Anyone without any design skills can quickly upload product information via CSV files, drag-n-drop on their chosen template, customize it with brand specifications and share with the prospect via email or weblink.  

1. Eliminate Sales Friction: Sales reps will no longer have to rely on designers to create on-brand line sheets for prospecting. With LineSheets Pro, they can do it themselves in much lesser time, thus giving rise to a more robust sales engine for manufacturers. 
    
2. Prospect with Precision: Every line sheet can be custom-created with products and pricing suited to the buyer to increase chances of conversion. 
    
3. Increase customer base: Go beyond your distribution network to uncover new business opportunities without having to meet prospects in person. LineSheets Pro makes sharing easier 
    
4. Boost sales: Customized line sheets increase ordering propensity and the built-in order management ensures they can directly order from line sheets without visiting the eCommerce site which reduces decision making time and expedites closures.

CONCLUSION

With all bases covered for manufacturers, today our suite of solutions power 200+ manufacturers across USA and Canada to seamlessly manage their eCommerce operations. It doesn’t matter if you’re struggling with a particular aspect of the business or want to overhaul complete operations, our products work both ways as point solutions as well as an integrated eCommerce cloud to help you innovate and grow your uniform business.