Customer
Janusz PV S.A.
Industry
Photovoltaics (PV)
See implementation
www.januszpv.pl
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Hi! I am Dariusz Puncewicz, CEO of Janusz PV S.A company. I was asked by Pure Interactive, developer of Saly B2B e-commerce platform, to present our use case concerning implementation and exploitation of the platform.
What industry does my company operate in?
Janusz PV S.A. is a new photovoltaic wholesaler on the market, the customers of which are PV installers. Since 2019, we have been supplying complete photovoltaic sets and single components for photovoltaic installations, including mono and polycrystalline panels, inverters, optimizers, electrical accessories and mounting systems. We distribute such renowned brands as: Solis, EGing, Azzurro, Huayu. In addition, we provide our clients with consulting services.
Challenge. Need for a quick and smooth launch of an online sales channel
Janusz PV, as a new player on the competitive market, had to act quickly, and the only right solution for us was online sales. I knew that in order to stand out and reach our potential customers in the shortest time possible, we must “be online”. Our competition operates mainly “traditionally”, so the B2B ordering platform was an opportunity to demonstrate to our customers our innovative approach and readiness to be where they are looking for products – on the Internet. Our company needed a dedicated place for online wholesale business from scratch, with short lead times, supported by an experienced software provider. Pure Interactive proved to be the ideal partner for this task.
Our target group is clearly defined. People who run their business and focus on concrete and quick actions here and now – without unnecessary mouse clicks. If they find what they are looking for, they decide pretty quickly.
How to present our full range of products online? Transparency, ease-of-use and comprehensibility became the core of the project.
Were we worried about possible negative reactions from customers who are used to placing orders by phone or email? At the very beginning – yes. Over time, however, both we and our customers have recognized more and more benefits.
Main advantages for our customers
- possibility to place orders 24/7, even when salesmen are busy or outside normal business hours
- order priority - the order is placed immediately, there is no queuing
- working with an easy to use system that also pleases the eye. This is not Excel.
- intelligent product search engine – as efficient as Google
What were the needs of our sales department?
We needed to equip ourselves with a tool to serve our current B2B customers and to acquire and serve new ones. In other words, a B2B portal that automates sales processes and is adapted to our business goals, not the other way around.
The B2B portal is implemented for customers, but sales department employees are equally important. But even in this case we have two groups, the sales people themselves and the managers. One of the first questions you can hear from a salesman when it comes to implementing one platform for the whole company is: “but what does it mean, that other salesmen will have access to my clients and know-how?”.
The second point: finally, supervisors should have access to data such as: to whom, what product and for how much was sold. By compiling this data, we make conscious business decisions. All we need is a summary of sales activity, customer profitability, trade policies (including discount levels) in one place.
Solution for both customers and sales team
Levels of access rights that we can assign to specific users. Example? The sales rep module only allows to view your own results, while the manager module allows to view the activity and statistics of all sales agents.
When we started our business, we knew that our success would not depend on how large our warehouse is and how many catalogs we print. We were aware of the fact that we just had to be where our client would look for us – on the Internet. I think I won’t exaggerate saying that an e-commerce platform for wholesalers is a must-have.
B2B e-commerce must be a tool typically tailored to the needs of “business to business” and additionally provide functionalities that are critical for this type of business. I cannot imagine conducting B2B sales on the portal without discount policies, trade limits and personalized prices. After all, a good B2B portal acquires new customers for us.
Our business needs were growing
Given this situation, the list of our business needs has expanded. The key ones are described below. I think they are important for any business related to B2B sales, but perhaps in different proportions.
First of all, let us start with our customers and their needs. After logging in to their account, even though they are shopping in a professional context, customers expect a similar purchasing experience as in everyday life (like when buying shoes or home electronics). Especially considering that the pandemic has strongly ‘taught’ them to buy online. If they do not have a powerful search engine or just a nice user interface, they may feel disappointed. Excel-looking, difficult systems are not what they want to work on. From a customer’s point of view, the system is simply designed to make shopping as simple and pleasant as possible.
On our part, the matter of the customer account is somewhat different. For us, it is a tool that allows managing contractual arrangements and, consequently, price levels or individual payment terms. This also makes it possible to limit the visibility of prices to unregistered users. Simply put, customers see what we want them to see and we can set it for them individually. Dedicated discounts or personalized offers should also not pose a problem.
What other B2B portal features are essential for our business?
- Managing multiple baskets – this corresponds to the dynamics of our customers' work with their customers. For example, each of the baskets can be assigned to one specific project, so it is easier to issue invoices.
- Promotional module – there are products that sometimes need to be promoted (e.g. due to their seasonal nature), so cross-selling strategies are important to us.
- Quick product search engine – customers do not have time for tedious searches in catalogues, they want to order here and now.
What was the software implementation process?
Let the Pure Interactive team itself provide you with technical details. For me, as a customer, the most important thing was to be in touch with the project manager in order to keep up to date with the current development stage and get a ready-to-use product.
Agile methodology
In order to deliver the final product to the customer in the shortest possible time, we have focused on agile project execution. We worked in 2-week sprints, making subsequent versions of the Saly platform available – says Grzegorz Moćko, Project manager at Pure Interactive.
The implementation of the B2B Saly platform was divided into 5 stages:
- Pre-implementation analysis: customer's business needs, product base, number of sales agents, etc.
- Platform configuration: digital product catalog, stock levels, customers, invoices, carts, sales documents, sales agents, etc.
- Graphic personalization of the B2B portal homepage – adjusting the standard template to the visual identity of Janusz PV S.A.
- Tests – final review of Janusz PV platform and making possible corrections, uploading first products to the server.
- Hypercare support – system training for employees and dedicated post-implementation support.
ERP integration
It was not necessary for Janusz PV S.A. to integrate the platform with the ERP system, as manual data entry is not a problem for them at this stage. However, with the enlargement of the product range, Dariusz does not rule out the possible need to integrate with the ERP system. The Saly platform is therefore ready for further upgrade, points out Grzegorz.
januszpv.pl B2B portal was fully configured and welcomed the first users 6 weeks after the agreement was signed.
Effects of implementing the Saly platform for my company
The entire Janusz PV product range is presented clearly and modernly at www.januszpv.pl. Our current customers can easily find a product they need and place an order. Our potential customers have access to a non-logged version of the platform and see prices only after registering in the system.
What pleases me most as a Pure Interactive customer:
- on-time launch of the ready-to-go B2B portal
- systematic increase in the number of orders processed through the platform monthly
- 563 active customers
- sales agents now have 2x more time to consult and serve potential customers by automating repetitive tasks
- efficient search for different models or series by order codes, even with typos
- possibility to place orders 24/7 without contacting the customer service department
Key findings on B2B sales
Bearing in mind our experience to date with the Saly platform in our company, I would like to share some conclusions that may help other B2B companies to make a quicker decision to enter the e-commerce world.
- A good B2B portal is one that meets the needs of B2B sales. As a reminder, these include features such as trade credit, multi-basket management and sales agent module.
- Applying B2C e-commerce solutions in a 1:1 ratio may not be sufficient and suitable for B2B needs. However, guaranteeing a positive shopping experience is very much desired by our customers! User experience does matter. As a result, customers can place orders quickly and easily, and our online wholesale business stands out positively from the competition.
- The B2B platform is a good solution for starting up businesses. They can enter the market immediately, offering customers what they expect. There is nothing to wait for. Of course, there are companies that are going through the digital transformation after some time, but if you have such an opportunity, what you have to do tomorrow, do it today, as the competition never sleeps.
- Wholesale is a network of connected vessels, an ecosystem. The B2B portal must keep up with this state of things. How? Among other things, by being aware of the different needs and responsibilities of the company’s employees and offering them dedicated solutions. For this reason the Saly platform provides modules such as sales rep, manager, etc.
What can you do to keep up with the market?
Obviously, especially now, during the pandemic, business is changing. Customers want to buy more and more online. If you want to be one step ahead of your competitors, you need to sell and serve B2B customers online. Sellers now really need to have time to provide advice and assistance to their customers as soon as they choose their offer online and contact them. Well, all the fun is that the customer chooses our offer in a simple and attractive way (initially) and calls us just to make sure that he made the right choice, concludes Dariusz Puncewicz.