The Universal Group Transforms B2B Ordering

The Universal Group has supplied leaf springs and suspension components to the heavy, medium, and light-duty truck and trailer parts industry for more than 35 years. 121eCommerce helped The Universal Group migrate from SuiteCommerce to Magento Commerce, delivering a customized B2B ordering platform with advanced pricing logic, alternative SKU search functionality, and a scalable customer-specific catalog experience.

The challenge

The Problem Faced

The Universal Group has been supplying leaf springs and related suspension components to the heavy, medium and light-duty truck and trailer parts industry for over 35 years. Their current SuiteCommerce site had many limitations and technical issues. Customers could not view an online catalog, place an order, had no access to previous orders, or add users to their account. Believe it or not, they were still taking orders over the phone.

They had a very complex business model and product ordering process and needed a robust eCommerce platform that could be customized for their needs. They had over 500 customers, each with a unique catalog. In addition, their B2B business was growing and they needed a solid, easy-to-use platform that was scalable, customizable, and feature-rich. Finally, their biggest competitor was on Magento and Universal wanted a website that rivaled the features and functionality of that competitor’s site.

Key Challenges:

The Existing SuiteCommerce Website Lacked Essential B2B Capabilities

Manual Phone-Based Ordering Process For A Large Customer Base

Complex Customer & Product Structure

The Client Journey

“One of the biggest issues we had with the old site was that it would crash whenever it experienced a high volume of traffic. 121eCommerce was able to provide our website with a great structure, which resulted in our ongoing success. We recently ran a Cyber Week promotion, and it’s the most successful sale we’ve ever had.”

our approach

The Solution

With a robust, out-of-the-box B2B suite, Magento Commerce was a natural fit. However, heavy customizations needed to be made due to Universal’s uncommon order workflow and customer structure. We customized the checkout process to enable orders to be placed without entering payment or shipping information (two required values to submit an order).

We developed an “alternative SKU” functionality that allowed customers to search for products using a competitor’s SKU, then display this “alternate SKU” in the search results, product page, and order details. We custom built a price picker algorithm that always displayed the lowest of four pricing levels on the product page in real-time. We create a backend company structure so that when company admin changes a price, that change applies to all users (children).

Magento Commerce B2B Implementation

Magento Commerce's robust native B2B feature set provided the ideal foundation for Universal's growing business while offering the flexibility needed for extensive customization.

Custom Checkout Workflow

121eCommerce customized the checkout process to allow customers to place orders without entering payment or shipping information, supporting Universal's unique ordering workflow.

Advanced Pricing Automation

We built a custom pricing algorithm that dynamically evaluated four pricing levels and automatically displayed the lowest available price to customers in real time.

the results

Advanced B2b platform And Functionality

The robust, native B2B platform was a gamechanger. The Universal Group went from taking B2B orders over the phone to an efficient, easy-to-use online order process that increased AOV, order frequency, and decreased order processing time.

The new site was launched on December 18, 2019, and the client was heard to say: “We should’ve done this years ago.” Needless to say, The Universal Group is thrilled with the results. They now have a robust, easy-to-use B2B portal that they can share with their B2B customers. This puts them on par with their competition and has laid a solid foundation to expand their B2B offerings.

Their entire schematic section of the website has opened up new sales channels and additional ways for customers to find specific products in relation to the product their attached/associated with.

Increased Revenue Opportunities

The new platform increased average order value, improved ordering frequency, and significantly reduced order processing time across the business.

Competitive Feature Parity

The Magento Commerce platform provided the advanced functionality Universal needed to compete effectively within the industry and offer customers a modern digital purchasing experience.

Expanded Product Discovery

The new schematic section of the website opened additional sales opportunities by helping customers easily identify related products and associated components within complex assemblies.

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Their team helped us design, develop, and launch our new website while also streamlining many of our internal processes. They also recommended and implemented a new shipping platform, which solved one of our biggest challenges.

We're EXTREMELY happy with our new website and truly value the partnership we've built with the 121 eCommerce team. We highly recommend them to anyone looking for a knowledgeable, responsive eCommerce team!!
  
 
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Everyone on the team has been incredibly knowledgeable, patient, and easy to work with. They genuinely care about their clients' success and have been a true partner.

A special thank you to Christian, who has been fantastic to work with from start to finish. His responsiveness, expertise, and willingness to answer our many questions made the entire process as smooth and enjoyable as possible.

If you're looking for an eCommerce partner that will not only build a great website but also help your team grow its knowledge along the way, I highly recommend 121 eCommerce.
  
 
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