Longer, brighter, warmer days lead to changing patterns of buyer behavior. As your customers plan their strategies to optimize summer sales, packaging has a key role to play.
Your packaging distribution operations must respond quickly to help your customers meet the demands of the summer season. It must protect products, meet logistics and delivery requirements, improve consumers’ purchasing experiences and reinforce brand values. At the same time, you must help your clients respond to growing expectations for sustainable packaging.
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Benefits of B2B ecommerce for the packaging sector
To meet packaging sector requirements, you need the best SaaS ecommerce software for packaging distributors, so you can quickly and efficiently:
- simplify reordering
- offer customized options to meet customer needs
- provide accurate pricing
- show inventory in real time
- track customer deliveries.
A powerful and cost-effective business to business (B2B) ecommerce portal will keep your packaging distribution operations running smoothly. Your customers benefit from convenient self-service ordering, whenever they need it. Your sales, administration and customer service teams can focus on adding value with expert advice and support. You can both meet new and more stringent data capture requirements and improve performance at the same time.
Going digital with a B2B ecommerce solution for the packaging sector
You can improve your margins and increase customer loyalty and engagement with a purpose designed B2B ecommerce portal.
Competitive pricing
When your customers see their summer sales soar, they want to know they have the best packaging deal. With clear pricing and inventory visibility you can help them plan their strategy with clear and detailed quotes. For bespoke requirements, you can also offer them easy behavior-guided configure, price, quote (CPQ) tools online.
Complex high volume ordering.
Your customers have specific configuration, delivery and contract requirements. You can save time and money with automated order processing. Business system integration means you don’t have to worry about data silos. You’ll have a single source of accurate and reliable information. Your online orders pass seamlessly to your enterprise (ERP) system, accounts and warehouse teams. You can include radio frequency identification (RFID), sensors and internet of things (IoT) devices.
Sustainable solutions
The packaging industry faces increased scrutiny and regulation concerning waste and material use. For example, the EU’s Single-Use Plastics Directive creates new controls for food containers, increasing demand for compostable and biodegradable solutions. By helping your customers fulfil these requirements creatively you’ll contribute to their brand value. Offering access to innovative new options such as bioplastics made from renewable plant materials helps reduce reliance on petroleum-based plastics. Your customers can specify their requirements when ordering and immediately see the price implications. This is especially relevant for your clients in the food delivery sector, where margins are so tight.
Optimized deliveries
You can help your customers minimize their carbon footprint with delivery options, based on their preferences or location, for example. They can choose fast deliveries or optimized routes to minimize their order-miles. You can help customers maintain protection and reduce shipping costs with options like molded pulp containers and paper-based void fills. It all helps them minimize dimensional weight (DIM) charges and improve stacking and storage. They can see the implications straightaway with costs and schedules displayed automatically at checkout. Sales order management tools provide real-time visibility of order status for customers and employees. This reduces customer enquiries and enhances communication throughout each order’s lifecycle.
Summer styling
With easy design uploads, your customers can create seasonally themed packaging that’s attractive and relevant. They can specify bright colors, product-specific summer styling and add seasonal details. It all helps to increase customer engagement and adds to their product’s perceived value.
Become your customers’ packaging partner of choice
Your B2B SaaS ecommerce platform helps your customers make smart, seasonal, and strategic packaging choices. You can help them improve profitability and customer satisfaction, becoming their preferred packaging partner.
They can minimize costs, streamline seasonal packaging updates and improve marketing to make measurable improvements and optimize performance.
Regulatory changes, technological advancements, and sustainability all mean you need an agile approach. Your B2B ecommerce packaging solution builds customer confidence, offering new options for innovation, efficiency, and sustainability. As the packaging sector continues to evolve you can help your customers adopt new materials, modern designs, and alternative approaches.
Example: Macfarlane Packaging
Macfarlane Group is the largest supplier of protective packaging in the UK and Ireland. It supports 20,000 businesses nationwide, helping them reduce packaging costs and enhance their reputations with purpose designed solutions. Each regional distribution center has dedicated customer service, procurement, logistics and sales teams. The company chose Cloudfy as its solution partner for online ordering and customer self-service. Key requirements were direct integration with its ERP system, and PunchOut e-procurement and electronic data interchange (EDI).
Find out more about Cloudfy’s B2B ecommerce solution for the packaging sector. Book a free demonstration today.
