How Ariba PunchOut can Benefit your B2B Business

What makes B2B different from B2C is the buying behavior. B2B customers cannot complete the purchasing process the way B2C customers do. In a B2B environment, the ordering process is not straightforward; every order placed requires approval from the higher authority. In other words, the one who places an order cannot directly purchase from the store. A PunchOut Catalog functionality helps to simplify B2B transactions.

Ariba PunchOut

B2B customers usually use an Ariba procurement system, a software that automates that the purchasing process of large organizations. From conducting the ordering process online to generating purchase orders, to matching invoices, a procurement system does everything electronically to complete the process quickly. Ariba PunchOut is a mechanism that enables Ariba procurement users to directly access an external catalog. Since the mechanism /functionality provides a direct connection to an external supplier catalog, it is often referred to as PunchOut catalog.

Access Contract Catalog Easily

With PunchOut technology, your B2B buyers get access to customized content. They no longer have to browse through the entire supplier catalog and search for their contract products. They neither have to calculate pricing manually as decided in the agreement. A single click from the procurement system allows B2B buyers to view their contract catalog containing pre-approved products and pricing. As a supplier, you are able to give a customized shopping experience to every B2B customer. This can help to drive sales and boost retention.

Customization

Unlike CIF catalog, PunchOut gives complete flexibility to customize B2B contract catalog to increase sales. Apart from displaying the right products in categories and sub-categories, you can also do promotions by showing flash sales, special offers etc., for that specific B2B customer. You can even implement cross-sell and up-sell strategies in PunchOut. Hence as a B2B supplier, you simply cannot ignore when your large buyer requests for PunchOut technology.