PunchOut Catalog: Importance and Benefits

As a supplier, if you have ever interacted with a B2B buyer, the first question that pops up during the business negotiation is ‘Do you have a PunchOut store?’ This essentially means whether you offer an ecommerce store with PunchOut capabilities. Believe it or not, but PunchOut has now become a mandatory requirement for increasing the chances of winning B2B business.

PunchOut store or PunchOut ready store is what many buyers expect from their suppliers. The purchasing process of B2B buyers is unique, far different from the usual B2C customers. In a B2B environment, a specific employee commonly referred to as procurement manager is assigned the task of purchasing items using a procurement system. A PunchOut mechanism establishes a direct connection between the procurement system and the supplier’s site.

To be more specific, the PunchOut ready store is integrated with the procurement application. As a result, the procurement manager is able to access his pre-approved supplier catalog directly via his procurement system. A simple click allows the manager to reach the supplier’s contract catalog through his procurement application. From updating catalog content effortlessly to providing access in real time, to displaying product configurations, PunchOut catalog offers everything to make B2B transactions a breeze.

With a PunchOut catalog solution, the purchasing process of B2B buyers becomes as efficient as possible. Moreover, your buyers can electronically send purchase orders. It also eliminates order errors since the buyers have no access to non-contract products. As a supplier, your sales reps no longer have to deal with ordering issues, resulting in increased productivity and efficiency.

On the whole, if you want to fuel your future growth in the B2B market, make sure to offer PunchOut ready store. Providing PunchOut technology is sure to take your business to a whole new level economically as you will be in a position to attract more number of B2B customers.