Unilog’s CIMM2 e-commerce catalog management softw

Ecommerce and print media marketing? Not as strange as it sounds 

The Return of the App

The popularity of mobile shopping applications is BACK and we’re tracking the reemergence! The capabilities of mobile devices have evolved in the past few years. Apps were once nothing more than a “cool” extension of online stores and today represent an entire shopping experience for many customers. With m-commerce only set to expand, the role of the mobile app is more important than ever. But why do you, as a B2B store owner NEED an app on your customers’ handheld devices?

·         Improved Shopping Experience A mobile app givesshoppers a friendly interface withsimpler functionality. Whereas a desktop customer has the luxury to look at all of the options, a mobile or tablet customer does not. Every button included in the interface, whether for navigation or order management, must be essential for the customer.

·         Faster Access A mobile app is a quick doorway to your ecommerce store as a customer doesn’t have to navigate through a tiny browser. Because the app can be accessed anywhere through Wi-Fi and mobile data packs, the customer can place an order from any location. This will come in handy to customers whose teams work offsite or are constantly on the move.

·         Offline Shopping The downside to having an online store is not being able to reach customers offline. A mobile app can have some great functionality offline that enable customers to view purchase history, create wish-lists, and much more. When they are able to connect with the online store, shoppers are already in the last step of the purchasing process.

·         Greater Customization With a mobile app it becomes easier for you to provide the customer with customized product suggestions and recommendations. Using the customer’s search and purchase history from the app, offers can be customized to theirprofessional needs.

·         Mobile Features Smart phones have amazing features that your mobile app can leverage to improve customer engagement and user experience. Using functionalities like GPS tracking, or the camera, your app can be a great shopping tool. While adopting the Internet of Things to decrease show-rooming may be the next step in the physical store vendors’ arsenal, you can still help your customer locate stores and scan product codes with one simple step.

·         Simplify Promotions It can be hard to carry out promotions and branding for products and stores. With a mobile app it’s much easier because you’re reaching out directly to your customer, no matter where they are. Whether it’s promoting a holiday sale or showcasing a new line of products, it’s as easy as sending a push notification to the app.

We have some great news to share on our flagship enterprise ecommerce platform CIMM2. As much as you love your own, it’s always wonderful to hear someone else agree. Right now we’re excited about two stories that are happening around CIMM2 – The Reynolds Company, one of our customers has reported that their site is doing better than ever with CIMM2, and our long time customers supplyFORCE told us why they chose CIMM2 over other platforms.   The Reynolds Company is one of the leading electrical supply wholesale distributors in the US. We helped them take their site live this November with CIMM2 at the helm. We wanted to know how they found CIMM2 and so after a quick check they came back to us with impressive results. Their new site was doing extremely well, in the very first month they’d seen a 2x increase in the number of sessions and a 3x increase in the number of visitors and page views they were receiving. We were also happy to learn that CIMM2’s mobile optimization was helping them get more than 2x the number of visitors from mobile devices, and desktop traffic too had doubled in a single month. And this gives a great fillip to their omni-channel ecommerce strategy.   SupplyFORCE is a leading provider of Maintenance Repairs and Operations (MRO) supplies and has been using CIMM2 to power their eCatalog and eCommerce capabilities for over two years now. Recently their chief operating officer, John Ludlam, told us why they’d chosen CIMM2 over other ecommerce platforms when they had to make the decision.He told us how only CIMM2 was the only platform that owned and offered all the capabilities they were looking for. Here’s what he had to say – Unilog’s Enterprise E-Commerce Platform Gives B2B Distributors a Chance to Compete with AmazonSupply.   Find out what makes CIMM2 a great option for B2B manufacturers and distributors here and learn more about its many capabilitieshere.

The first ever CIMM2 User Group Meeting!

Over the past few years numerous organizations have begun using CIMM2 to power their online stores. We realized that this makes now the perfect time for them all to meet up, and for us to get to know them even better. In this spirit we’ve decided to hold the first ever Annual CIMM2 User Group Meeting (UGM) in February 2015!

 When and where is it happening?

We’ll be hosting the UGM between February 8 and 10, 2015 at the Wyndham Grand® Orlando Resort Bonnet Creek in Orlando, FL. That’s right, it’s going to be in this beautiful place right here:You can start booking your accommodation here – http://www.wyndhamgrandorlando.com/ – where we’ve got the UGM attendees a special rate of $199 for single/double occupancy. Be sure to book by January 16, 2015.

 What are we going to talk about?

This UGM is all about you and CIMM2. You will get the opportunity to talk to other CIMM2 customers and learn about their favorite CIMM2 features and modules. Some of our partner organizations will be talking to you about the best practices for ecommerce companies. CIMM2 will be getting a new state-of-the-art user interface and there’s a whisper of a new product release… we’ll tell you all about it when we see you there.

Where do I sign up?

We’ll be opening registrations for the CIMM2 UGM on December 1, 2014. In the meantime, please circle the date on your calendars and consider booking your accommodations.

We’ll post a link here for you once we open registrations.

 Our team is excited to get a chance to meet all our customers and tell them more about what’s in store for CIMM2. Preparations for the event are in full swing and we can hardly wait for February to get here. See you in Orlando!

CIMM2 provides your business with a host of benefits.

CIMM2 is loaded with rich features that offer several business benefits including ease of implementation, increased sales enabled by an efficient 24x7x365 search facility as well as active aftermarket sales. With a standard eMarketplace workflow application, CIMM2 helps streamline processes, integrates people with systems and improves delivery cycles through automation. CIMM2 drives add on sales through several value added services such as cross selling and up selling.

(This is an edited version of an article originally submitted to the Eclipse User Group October 2014 Newsletter)   Nearly 24 years ago, I rode my motorcycle each morning from a small apartment on Martha’s Vineyard to an office where I wrote code all day. It was in that small office that version 1 of Eclipse was born. I’m reminded of the Bob Seger song as I think back to those days: “It seems like yesterday, but it was long ago”.   The song continues: “Found myself surrounded by strangers I thought were my friends, found myself further and further from my home”. The worlds of 1991 and 2014 are very different. Then there were no cellphones, few personal computers and no internet. Today, Eclipse finds itself “surrounded by strangers” as our devices and e-commerce itself interact with a structure put in place long ago.   An ERP is focused on your enterprise, built to be your ONLY technology provider. In today’s world, that does not work. Eclipse users (and the entity that owns Eclipse or any ERP system) need to embrace the concept of an “enterprise suite”. Meaning your technology ecosystem will be from a number of different providers.   But when do you de-couple from the ERP? What should be the responsibility of the different providers? Business intelligence (BI) is a logical de-coupling. I strongly advise you to choose a BI provider that works with other ERP systems as well as Eclipse, because if they only work with Eclipse, they will eventually have to charge you more. Their consumption capacity is tied to Eclipse users: growth can only come from increased charges to that set of users.   I believe you need to de-couple from your omni-channel (ecommerce and native mobile applications). Find one provider to power your websites and native mobile applications (especially those used by your customer). Make sure this provider works with other ERPs. Just like Eclipse became stronger by serving more than one micro-vertical (plumbing, electrical, etc.), your omni-channel technology provider is stronger by working with more than one ERP system, such as Eclipse, P21, InforSXe, JD Edwards, SAP.  

In your omni-channel journey you must have what we call the three-legged stool to support your business:

The Fuel – A strategy for building enriched product data (I recommend off shore)

The Art – A digital marketing strategy

The Platform – A PIM, CMS, search, and commerce (cart) system.

Please reach out to me at Unilog Content Solutions and see if I can give you shelter ‘Against the Wind’:  

Consumers look forward to the holiday season with a lot of anticipation as this season spells big and good deals. As someone who is trying to get the maximum bang for the buck, this is a blessing. For many stores, online or otherwise, this is definitely the time to build customer loyalty.

There is an important step prior to this, and that is getting your business ready to handle the spike in customer interest, sales and support. While most organizations do take steps to prepare for this season, not all of them entirely do what needs to be done. Sites go down, prices aren’t consistent, deliveries are slipped up, and things in general don’t go the way it should. Potential customers are no longer interested and loyal customers are forced to change their favorable opinion of your company. It’s never pretty.

We had recently written about how B2B is on a path for fast track growth . While most of the B2C ecommerce strategies are valid for B2B, there are fundamental differences that one should be aware for – for example, the sales cycle and the decision making process are different. Gifting, loyalty rewards and other such popular B2C tactics are not entirely suitable for B2B ecommerce. But, things like personalised content, easy search and navigation and so on are still valid for B2B segment as well. In this context, how do you navigate through the B2B maze and monetize opportunities?