- J&L Building Materials, Inc (jlbuilding.com)
- Industry: Building Materials, Wholesale Distribution, B2B
- Services: B2B E-commerce Implementation, Custom Development
- Agency: Jamersan
Challenge:
J&L Building Supply, a leading distributor of building materials, primarily transacted with their contractor customers through traditional, offline methods. While effective, this approach presented operational inefficiencies. Contractors often had to phone in or visit a physical location to place orders, a time-consuming process, particularly when dealing with complex projects. J&L recognized the need to modernize their operations by providing a robust online ordering system tailored specifically to the needs of their professional contractor customers. They needed a solution that would:
- Enable Online Ordering for B2B Clients: Provide a user-friendly platform for contractors to browse products, build orders, and complete transactions online.
- Integrate with Existing Roofing Planning Software: Seamlessly incorporate the GAF QuickMeasure system to automatically generate material lists for a specific house.
- Streamline the Ordering Process: Reduce manual order processing, minimize errors, and improve overall efficiency for both J&L and their clients.
- Improve Customer Experience: Offer a more convenient and efficient ordering experience for busy contractors.
Solution:
Jamersan partnered with J&L, IDAC (Independent Distributor Alliance Corp.) , and GAF (the leading manufacturer of roofing material products) to bring together a best-of-breed suite of solutions to deliver the B2B experience that J&L needed.
Implementation:
Jamersan executed a strategic implementation plan that included the following key components:
- BigCommerce B2B Edition Setup: Jamersan configured BigCommerce B2B Edition to manage J&L’s customer account structure so that contractors could delegate who from their team could place quotes or orders. The platform’s built-in B2B features, such as customer groups, custom price lists, shopping lists, and bulk ordering capabilities, were leveraged to cater to the specific needs of professional contractors.
- Custom Integration with GAF QuickMeasure: This was a crucial element of the project. Jamersan’s development team built a custom application that ingested roofing measurements from GAF QuickMeasure or Hover. This allowed contractors to save time by building out a project bill of materials ready for checkout on the BigCommerce platform.
- Integration with ERP: J&L’s customers now have the ability to see product availability for the first time without having to make phone calls.
- Product Catalog Management: Jamersan worked with Wondersign which was selected as the solution to manage product data.
- User-Friendly Interface Design: Jamersan designed an intuitive and user-friendly interface tailored to the needs of busy contractors. The website featured clear navigation, advanced search and filtering options, and detailed product information, enabling contractors to quickly find and order the materials they needed.
- Training and Support: Jamersan provided training to J&L’s staff on managing the new platform, ensuring a smooth transition and ongoing operational efficiency.
Results:
The new ecommerce capability for J&L delivered significant benefits including:
- Increased Efficiency: The streamlined online ordering process reduced manual effort for both J&L and their clients, resulting in a xx% reduction in order processing time.
- Enhanced Customer Satisfaction: Contractors appreciated the convenience and efficiency of the new online system, leading to a 20% increase in customer satisfaction scores.
- Benefit to J&L Sales Team: the sales team now has a tool to more easily look up pricing and availability of products.
- 24/7 Accessibility: Contractors could now place orders at any time, on any day, regardless of business hours.
