Best B2B Ecommerce Solutions for Suppliers of Pipes, Valves & Fittings (PVF)
Despite contraction in industrial construction as a whole key areas of non-residential construction continue to expand. Projects for substations, boiler and power plants, cooling systems, grid upgrades and data centers all present opportunities for PVF businesses.
However, your customers are often both price and inventory sensitive. You need a business to business (B2B) SaaS ecommerce platform that’s both flexible and powerful to keep pace with change.
Cloudfy is purpose designed to handle complex high value B2B sales in the PVF sector. To keep operations running smoothly your customers need essential components quickly. To meet their exact requirements, you can work efficiently with hundreds of manufacturers and suppliers. Most importantly, enterprise (ERP) system integration simplifies complex pricing based on changing raw material prices.
Cloudfy’s out-of-the-box B2B ecommerce features streamline the PVF ordering process. You can provide the most up-to-date stock information and improve customer satisfaction. Online self-service, data-based decision making and strategic collaborations all help you remain agile in this fast-paced environment.
With updates and upgrades delivered regularly in the cloud, your technology is always up to date and secure. You can reduce your IT overheads, and your teams can contribute easily to seamless procurement journeys for your customers.
The best B2B ecommerce solution for PVF distributors
Sales in the PVF sector often rely on traditional in-person and manual processes. Your customers value long-standing contractual arrangements with their preferred suppliers. However, emerging new technology requires alternative approaches to sales and procurement. By enabling your customers with online self-service, you can save time and money. Your expert in-house teams can then spend more time building valuable customer relationships.
A purpose designed B2B ecommerce solution in the cloud like Cloudfy helps you simplify and streamline your sales workflows. You will benefit from powerful B2B ecommerce features to improve customer experiences and reduce maintenance overheads. Cloudfy includes field sales representative and customer ordering apps. They provide access to your product catalog, customer account information and your ordering portal at any time.
KEY FEATURES TO SIMPLIFY AND SCALE YOUR PVF SUPPLY BUSINESS
ERP Integration
Launching a new B2B ecommerce site is fast and effective because Cloudfy includes pre-built integrations with leading ERP systems. They include SAP, NetSuite and Microsoft Dynamics. Your customers, sales and support teams can all work together, using the same up-to-date information. You’ll dramatically reduce manual data entry and minimize errors and delays.
Custom Pricing
To meet your PVF customers’ needs you require complex pricing structures. Comprehensive custom wholesale pricing features simplify setting and updating price points for different customers. With B2B ecommerce-ERP integration you can present accurate contracted prices immediately when your customers login. Alternatively, you can use your site’s administration dashboard to set pricing rules and personalized options for specific organizations.
Inventory Feeds
Your customers can always see accurate stock levels when you use Cloudfy’s inventory management feature. Alternatively, you can integrate with your preferred product information management (PIM) system. Your customers can sign up for daily, weekly, or monthly file exports of your inventory counts to view and download. By selecting a simple tick box, they can receive back in stock alerts.
Configure Price Quote
Simplify ordering for customizable products with Cloudfy's configure, price, quote (CPQ) product builder. Your customers can use behavior-guided tools to specify their requirements. Cloudfy's quote workflow features ensure you have the most up-to-date pricing from your suppliers. You can create efficient quote processes, minimize errors and speed up your quote to cash (QTC) cycle.
Multi Warehousing
To improve customer service, it’s easy to allocate products to different locations using Cloudfy’s multi-warehousing feature. You can choose warehouses, delivery or support vehicles or even virtual options. Integration with your ERP system allows you to efficiently manage multiple physical, virtual, and mobile warehouses and storefronts.
Product Detail Downloads
Your customers’ engineers and field support teams need fast and reliable access to product information. You can easily add a documents tab to your customer's online portal or your product details. They can view and download specifications, materials makeups, pressure tolerances and assembly instructions from anywhere at any time.
FEATURED CASE STUDY
Forum Energy Technologies (FET) supplies the international oil and natural gas industry. They work in the drilling, subsea, completions, production and infrastructure sectors. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, FET has manufacturing and distribution facilities around the world. The company chose Cloudfy to provide their customers with real-time product information and to streamline sales processes.
FEATURED CASE STUDY
Based in Miami, Florida, Corpac Steel has manufacturing facilities, operations and stocking locations in the Americas, Caribbean, Europe and Asia. The company offers a full range of carbon steel line pipes, valves, fittings and flanges. At any time, it holds over 100,000 tons of inventory in stock, ready to order and deliver. Finding, collating and delivering accurate mill test reports (MTRs) and invoicing via bespoke client portals saves time and money.
FEATURED CASE STUDY
USA-based Busch Vacuum Solutions supplies industrial vacuum and over-pressure systems for a wide range of applications. Products include pumps, blowers, compressors, and oils. The company chose Cloudfy to update its offline, manual processes and allow customers to order their goods around the clock. Integration of a tax calculator at checkout simplifies complex international transactions and shipping software calculates packaging and delivery options.
Read more.
Are you searching for the best B2B ecommerce software for your PVF supply operation? Contact us now to book your complimentary Cloudfy demonstration.
Frequently asked questions
The first step towards finding the right B2B ecommerce solution is to define your PVF business requirements. Ideally, include your business goals, system integration needs, customer service, security and scalability needs. Before you make your decision it’s important to consider the total cost of ownership as well as implementation costs. A purpose designed B2B ecommerce solution in the cloud with advanced B2B features offers good value for money.
Yes. B2B ecommerce-ERP integration provides a single source of reliable information, so your product catalog is always up to date. You can simplify complex ordering, making it more accurate and efficient. Once customers place their orders online your back-office systems receive all the information, ready for error-free processing and fulfillment.
Automated online ordering allows your skilled sales team to spend more time on value-added customer support. Your buyers can talk to sales, service and support teams whenever they need to, helping to build strong customer relationships. With the current material shortages and production challenges many PVF suppliers are turning to partnerships to help them meet their customer requirements. You can also share inventory amongst collaborative groups of distributors or industry-specific online B2B marketplaces.
You can make it easy for customers to find what they’re looking for using search engine optimization (SEO) tools. Intuitive navigation and intelligent on-site searches help customers cross-reference part numbers, product and manufacturer names and stockkeeping units (SKUs). When they have found what they need, frictionless checkout and payment options increase conversion rates.
With integrated business systems all your teams from sales and warehousing to marketing and customer service can work together. They can respond quickly and confidently to your customers’ needs online, via chatbots, email or phone. B2B ecommerce features also simplify reordering with tailored pricing, purchase orders, call off orders, credit agreements and digital invoicing. When customers are ready to reorder, a simple login gives them access to previous purchases, favorites lists and credit agreements. You can also run loyalty programs to reward returning customers.
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- B2B Challenges in the PVF Sector
