Benefiting from E-commerce Software

Customers are shifting to online shopping. To match this shift, consider an e-commerce solution to meet customers where they shop 24/7—online.

According to Christy Chen, project manager at Value Windows & Doors, "E-commerce software is like shopping on Amazon" because it allows their dealers to “simply go online, use [their] e-commerce hub, and get their sales going.” Everything is at the dealer's fingertips 24/7.

E-commerce software solutions are available for companies of all sizes, allowing your dealers, salespeople, and/or internal order-entry employees to: 

• Configure quotes
• Place orders
• Generate documentation
• Communicate status

Let’s delve deeper into several benefits e-commerce software has that will positively disrupt your company. As you’ll see, these benefits are intertwined, which emphasizes the benefit of e-commerce software for your company.

1. Provide Your Customers More Digital Visibility

You can engage your customer’s customers in the digital buying journey by giving dealers (your customers) more visibility into the ordering process when you employ e-commerce software solutions.

E-commerce software solutions enable your dealers to obtain their documentation (e.g., order confirmation, order status, etc.) in real time via downloads. These features enable your dealers to order your product 24/7 and enhance the customer's user experience with your company, thus boosting customer sentiment. Additionally, this experience can be personalized, allowing for an improved customer experience by making customers feel understood on a personal level, increasing the odds of brand loyalty.

2. Save Time and Money

By automating quotes, order-taking, and documentation tasks that can hinder staff productivity (e.g., order changes, quote revisions, and document preparation) and create system inefficiencies, you can save time and money by employing an up-front e-commerce software solution.

Depending on the e-commerce solution for flat glass, window, and door fabricators you choose, the solution can deliver faster response times by reducing lag between order processing and production. It can also help you eliminate upfront delays (e.g., back-and-forth phone calls and emails with dealers about product/pricing/schedules). In reducing order-taking tasks by your front office, it allows your front office personnel to focus on higher intensity, higher margin projects/tasks.

3. Your Dealer Only Needs the Internet to Place Their Orders

Most e-commerce software solutions provide your dealers with greater flexibility and mobility without additional software. All your dealer should need is an Internet browser. That means your dealers can work with end customers on-site to test out product variations, prices, and additional options before creating a final, accurate quotation.

4. Forward-Thinking and Innovative

Online e-commerce software not only gives your company an additional sales channel, it also provides a competitive advantage.

E-commerce software solutions reinforce the dealers' perceptions of your company as a technological leader. As such, it demonstrates that you are an early adopter of state-of-the art technology that complements the dealers’ and customer’s digital lifestyle. Again, it also solidifies you as customer friendly/first potentially leading to more sales through your technology-first software solution.

When you employ a mobile/web-based quotation and order entry system that’s simple for flat glass, window, and door manufacturers/dealers to install; easy for customers to use; scalable and fully integrated into your production system, you’ve found a winning formula to succeed. With all of these benefits, is it time to consider an e-commerce software solution for your company?

"With e-commerce software, our customers can't make any more entry errors. That means that anything that is ordered can actually be built.... There are no questions and time-consuming clarifications by telephone or e-mail. This is how we can achieve much greater efficiency in the entire order(ing) process." E-commerce software reduces the time Joel’s staff spends working on an order to 1- 1.5 minutes. That is “much less than with classic order entry.” - Joel Rosenqvist, CEO, Osby Glas