wholesaler gains competetive advantage and improves service with WebSmart PHP-developed business-to-business eCommerce application
Allied Refrigeration, a family-owned HVAC/R equipment and supplies wholesaler based in Signal Hill, California, partnered with BCD Software, now Fresche Solutions, to develop a PHP business-to-business shopping cart that integrates with their IBM i. The application makes it easier for customers to order products online, frees up counter staff to focus on more productive tasks and gives them a competitive advantage over wholesalers who still take orders over the phone.
Challenge
For many years, Allied’s counter staff took orders from customers and entered them into their IBM i via a green-screen interface. As the organisation expanded their online presence, they required a business-to-business shopping cart that integrated with their website and IBM i. With over 9,000 products available, ease-of-use was key. Robby Nichols, Allied’s web and graphic designer, says:
“It’s very important to us that the customers are able to find what they need quickly and intuitively,”
Solution
Allied and BCD Software used WebSmart PHP, BCD Software’s desktop and mobile web application development tool, to develop the business-to-business shopping cart. They chose WebSmart because, according to Nichols, it:
“Integrates perfectly with our company’s existing IBM i system, gathering real-time inventory quantities and availability for our customers to order online. There were never any limitations as to what we could develop,”
The application includes:
- IBM i integration: Writes directly to Allied’s existing DB2 files when orders are placed
- Email notifications: Alerts staff via email when a customer places an order
- Order related products and warranties: Customers can add related items and extended warranty to their carts directly from the item detail page
- Search: Comprehensive search facility over part number, manufacturer, description and part attributes. Customers can also input or upload their own part numbers to streamline the search and order entry process
- Visual information: Allied Refrigeration can present additional product information (images, video and PDFs) to help the customer make more informed decisions
- Admin interface: Allied Refrigeration can manage products details and accessories, featured products, the cart’s menu flyout and more via a web-based interface
- MailChimp integration: APIs allow Allied customers to select which publications and videos they want to be notified of
Results
Nichols says:
“We’re very proud of the UI,”
“We were impressed with the speed in which our ideas could be developed, tested, and implemented.”
The new application has also saved the organisation time and money, Nichols explains:
“Processing orders from the eCommerce site increases the efficiency of our branches. This allows the counter staff to invest more time in other productive ways. We also used to print large expensive catalogues that our eCommerce site has replaced, saving us money yearly,”
Equally important, Allied is able to provide a convenient way for customers to place orders:
“Our customers are very happy with the intuitive interface and useful features we have developed. One customer told us that when they’re on hold with a competitor, they’re ordering from us online.”
More case studies
You can read other case studies that use BCD Software products by following the links below:
Posted by Paul on 11th February 2015.