How B2B contractors transitioned to online ordering and reduced call center workload for S&D Commercial?

"S & D Commercial Ltd." (S&D) is a leading company in the trade of alcoholic beverages, wines, beer, tobacco products, and more. The company is well-known in the Bulgarian market and has established partnerships with top firms, manufacturers, and importers. Many establishments, shops, discos, and various commercial entities regularly stock and order from them. With the development of the S&D B2B platform, the ordering process has been streamlined, allowing their B2B clients to place orders online.

The collaboration between Stenik and S&D began in 2021 with the successful migration and redesign of their B2C online store from WordPress (WooCommerce) to Magento. Since then, S&D has relied on the technical support and eCommerce consultations provided by the Stenik team.

Issues Addressed by the B2B Platform:

In this article, the B2B clients of the platform—establishments, restaurants, sub-distributors, shops, and other commercial entities—will be referred to as counterparties.

• Counterparties can order online, significantly reducing the workload on the call center and streamlining order administration. Placing orders online instead of over the phone reduces the chance of human error and saves time for counterparties, especially when ordering large quantities or repeat orders.
• S&D counterparts can check payments and invoices and download documents without needing to contact customer service or waste time with email communication.
• Each B2B counterparty using the online platform can analyze and report on their orders. This is particularly useful for smaller establishments that don't have software to track this data. Online orders are transmitted in real-time to the ERP system, ensuring that information is always up-to-date.
• Counterparties can review current promotions, order additional items, and increase the average value of their orders.
• The option to choose a preferred delivery date when placing an online order helps S&D plan logistics and delivery schedules more accurately.

These are just some of the issues addressed by the B2B platform, which also offers many other valuable features.

Key Features

Integration with ERP system

The B2B Magento online store integrates with the client's ERP software, allowing bidirectional synchronization. This ensures continuous real-time updates between the two systems, including synchronization of products, stocks, prices, customers, orders, individual price lists, and financial documents. As a result, online store users always have up-to-date and accurate data.

Login and user profile

The user login on the B2B platform connects to the existing profile of the counterparty in the ERP system. This allows counterparties to view the history of their previous orders made before the digital B2B platform was introduced. Access is restricted to logged-in users only, via an email and password provided by S&D.

Counterparty profiles

S&D creates counterparty profiles in both the ERP system and Magento administration for authorized clients. Multiple profiles associated with the same company (counterparty) can be created.

Synchronization of delivery address data by object

S&D enters delivery data for the counterparty's locations into the ERP system, which is then synchronized with the online store. This data appears automatically during ordering, ensuring that information about delivery addresses is always current and accessible.

Section: My profile

In the "My Profile" section, the counterparty can view information about their company and a list of associated locations. This information is automatically retrieved from the ERP system, where the data is managed by S&D. The user-friendly interface allows easy navigation via the left menu or quick buttons.

Section: My request lists

In this section, counterparties can create, edit, and manage request lists for frequently ordered products and regular orders. They can create an unlimited number of product lists (selections).

Users can add products to their request lists directly from the product listing by utilizing the "Favorites" function.

From the product detail page, users can add products to their request lists by favoriting the product.

Through the search function, users can add products to their request lists by entering either the catalog number or product name

.And for all three options, users have the ability to:

• Add a product to an existing request list.
• Create an entirely new request list.

S&D counterparts can manage their request lists directly from their account management dashboard. The platform provides the following functionalities to the user (counterparty):

• Add new products to their list using the search function. The search operates on a "search while you type" principle, displaying the best results in a popup window as the user enters text or numbers. The popup window shows a minimized image of the product, name, volume (liters), quantity (adjustable), product SKU, price, and an "Add" button.
• Mark all products in the list with one button and add them to the cart with one click

• To select a specific product from the list and add it to the cart by checking it.
• To change the quantity of each product in the list as needed.
• To delete a specific product from the list if it is no longer needed.
• To delete the entire request list from the user account.

Section: Sales and credit documents

This section allows the counterparty to access all orders and financial documents. Data is automatically extracted from the ERP system, and users can filter documents by various criteria such as object, document type, status, and reporting period. Each report includes details such as document type (sale or credit note), document issue date, document number, document value, due date, number of days overdue, and amounts paid on documents.

Section: references and diagrams

Contractors have the ability to generate customized reports and visualize data based on all orders placed. Access to these reports is secured with an additional password provided by S&D to ensure confidentiality and security.

Section: "References"

Users can filter data using various criteria including group, supplier, and object, and specify the reporting period. The report is presented in tabular format, detailing ordered products, quantities, and total amounts for the specified period. Contractors can download the generated report in PDF format for convenience and easy sharing

Section: "Diagrams"

Users can filter data by various criteria such as group, supplier, and object, and specify the reporting period.

The report is presented visually as a colorful pie chart, illustrating the percentage distribution of items based on order history.

Products and prices

Contractors have the option to shop at individual prices extracted from the ERP system. Each contractor can view the base price per unit of the product, as well as the price reflecting any special trade discount they are eligible for when making purchases

• Option to add quantities of the product, multiples of Its quantity in one carton:

Contractors have the option to add quantities of a product in multiples of its carton quantity. For example, if a carton of beer contains 20 bottles, contractors can easily add 20, 40, 60 bottles, and so on.

• Limiting the Ability to Add Quantities of a Product Based on the Quantity in One Carton

Contractors are restricted from adding quantities of a product that are not divisible by the quantity in one carton. For instance, if a carton of beer contains 20 bottles, contractors cannot add a number of bottles that is not a multiple of 20.

Quick order

The "Quick Order" option is available in the navigation for contractors, providing convenience to order large quantities of products without needing to visit individual detail pages and add each product separately.

Order functionality

The function simplifies the ordering process to a few clicks for the user, who can add and order using the following options:

• Order by Importing a File: Customers can add and order multiple products by importing a pre-created CSV file (template) containing SKU numbers and quantities.
• Group Adding to Cart: Allows mass selection of products by manually entering multiple SKU codes.
• Adding an Article by Catalog Number (SKU) or Product Name through Search: Enables quick addition of products by entering catalog numbers or product names.
• Ordering through the Initial Catalog Number (SKU) of a Product, Even After Its Change: Each product has a catalog number (SKU) through which it can be conveniently and quickly added to the cart, even if the SKU has changed over time. This functionality supports request lists and quick order processes.

Checkout - Order completion process

The checkout process is optimized for maximum customer convenience. Users can select the desired object and delivery date

When placing an order, users must specify the following details:

• Phone Number: Contact number for communication regarding the order.
• Order Execution Date: Date when the order should be executed.
• Object Selection: Choose from a predefined list, with object addresses automatically retrieved from the ERP system.
• Mandatory Order Comment: Include a necessary comment or note regarding the order.

Payment Methods

Payment methods are predefined for each contractor and managed through the ERP system.

Results

In recent weeks, B2B orders to S&D have transitioned to the new platform with positive outcomes. Boris Atanasov, a company owner, highlights improvements in sales processes and call center operations. The synchronization between systems has minimized human errors in order processing, leading to expectations of improved conversion rates. Here's Boris Atanasov's perspective:

"The Stenik team deeply engaged with our trading processes, identifying and addressing our daily challenges in interactions with business contractors. The new B2B platform integrates essential functionalities and solutions that optimize our processes, enhance our efficiency, and improve customer experience. Stenik's attention to detail and professionalism ensured seamless integration with our existing systems, significantly boosting productivity and service quality. This technical excellence allows us to pursue growth opportunities and deliver superior service."

Boris Atanasov, S&D Commercial Ltd. Manager

Our collaboration with S&D has elevated their B2B operations, aligning with their unique needs and dynamic business environment. The synchronization of our B2B platform with ERP software not only fulfills its mission effectively but also prepares S&D to adapt successfully to evolving business landscapes and opportunities.

The Stenik team celebrates this success and remains committed to enhancing and expanding the platform's capabilities. We continue to innovate with new solutions that will propel S&D's business to even greater heights.

Do you have questions about developing a custom B2B solution for your business?

Please don't hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions about developing a customized B2B solution for your business. Our team is dedicated to helping you achieve all the functionalities necessary to streamline your business-to-business processes effectively. Discover more about the advantages of an online B2B sales store and how it can benefit your operations. We're here to assist you every step of the way. Learn more about the advantages of online B2B sales store.