WAYNE, Pa., Dec. 8, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Three years ago, John Ludlam, chief operating officer of supplyFORCE, faced a challenge. If he didn't find a way to migrate his company to an online purchasing environment, he ran the risk of losing many of its Fortune 1000 manufacturing customers that were requiring their suppliers and distributors to have an e-catalog capability.
But, finding an e-commerce platform that was designed specifically for the business-to-business (B2B) environment proved difficult. That's where CIMM2 came in.
CIMM2 is a relatively new e-commerce platform developed by Unilog specifically for B2B enterprises, such as mid-sized wholesale distributors. It gives these businesses an affordable way to have a robust e-commerce functionality in order to compete with giant e-commerce companies, like AmazonSupply.
According to estimates from Gartner Group and Forrester Research, B2B e-commerce is now roughly a $1 trillion industry in the U.S., yet the B2B market has been virtually neglected by software providers.
"When we started searching for an e-commerce platform to serve our customers, we were shocked at the astronomical cost of the products out there," Ludlam explained. "And worse, none of the providers owned all of the capabilities we needed in a single platform.
"That is, until we found CIMM2 – a remarkably cost-effective and agile system that would allow us to quickly and easily support online transactions, such as setting up customer punch-out catalogs, so that our customers would be able to buy products directly from within their procurement system."
According to Ludlam, CIMM2 has given supplyFORCE the ability to generate tens of millions of dollars in revenue, annually, by satisfying and meeting customer demand, and penetrating new markets that had been previously out of reach.
What makes CIMM2 different from its competitors? It owns the four key components of a complete e-commerce software product:
- Product Information (PIM)
- Content Management System (CMS)
- Search
- Commerce
Because it's packaged in a single comprehensive platform, CIMM2 is more cost-effective than other systems, which must outsource portions of the program. Plus, Unilog has no designs on moving into the consumer market, making its true focus on creating the best platform for the B2B market.
"Our focus was, is and will always be mid-sized wholesale distributors, an often overlooked sector of the e-commerce market," said Suchit Bachalli, president of Unilog. "We're disrupting the e-commerce ecosystem by creating a single platform solely for this market to help them grow their businesses and provide their customers with the most efficient and user-friendly shopping experience available."
Businesses that use CIMM2 are able to:
- Provide customers with real-time information on product pricing, specifications, availability and substitute products. CIMM2 enables instant processing of transactions and seamlessly connects with shipping and third-party-payment gateways.
- Customize the look and feel of the website in a user-friendly environment. CIMM2 integrates with customer relations systems, analytics and other third-party applications.
- Offer customers an advanced shopping cart. Features include intelligent search and filter capabilities, advanced check-out options, such as "will call," third-party payment integration and full user management.
- Track buying trends and consumer behavior. CIMM2′s reporting tools and custom analytics allow users to personalize and customize content to each shopper at every stage of the shopping cycle.
- Give customers a fully optimized mobile version of their online store. Customers can browse and purchase products directly from a phone or tablet.
About Unilog
Unilog is a global technology and services company that specializes in e-commerce solutions and enriched product catalogs for the B2B marketplace. With its United States headquarters in the Philadelphia suburb of Wayne, Pa., and international headquarters in Bangalore, India, Unilog is an ISO 9001:2008- and ISO 8000-certified company that employs more than 300 people. For more information, visit www.unilogcorp.com.