A Short Guide of 12 Important Steps for Selling Industrial Supplies Online

Are you selling industrial supplies online? If not, you’re leaving money on the table. And you’re not connecting with decision-makers who have grown up with the advantages of e-commerce.

Why Aren’t You Selling Industrial Supplies Online?

If you’re not taking advantage of e-commerce, it’s probably because you’re doing fine without it. You’re selling your industrial supplies to dealers and salespeople through traditional channels, as you have for years. When you need to get online, you’ll get online. Why fix what isn’t broken?

But that approach IS broken. Like a car with a bad radiator hose that’s quietly getting worse, waiting to strand you at the worst possible time.

Why You Should Be Selling Industrial Supplies Online

The time to get your industrial supply catalog online is today and start selling industrial supplies online . Here’s why:

• Google, Bing, and other search engines need months to index your catalog. The longer you wait, the farther behind you’ll be.
• Search engines like older pages. Established pages tend to show up first in search results. Barging ahead of those pages can be done, but it’s expensive.
• Everyone wants everything now. Why pick up the phone or deal with middlemen when you can click and buy directly in a fraction of the time? The path of least resistance almost always wins.
• You could be making more money. A dollar today is worth more than a dollar tomorrow. Why leave money for someone else to pick up?

Getting your industrial supply business online should be at the top of your to-do list. But you don’t have to do everything at once. To ease you into e-commerce, here’s a two-stage plan that begins with putting your catalog online and ends with a full-scale e-commerce operation:

Stage One Selling Industrial Supplies Online: Getting Your Feet Wet with Industrial Supplier e-Commerce

Start with a little research into how others are selling industrial supplies online. Note what works and what doesn’t. Choose businesses that are like yours, but don’t limit yourself to those. After all, a good approach is a good approach, no matter what they’re selling online.

Here are a few sites and our thoughts on them to get you going:

• www.jamestowndistributors.com – Note the wealth of text and video how-tos, plus the links to manuals and related products, such as on this page:
  Touchscreen Chartplotters. This supplier is doing a great job, but we’d add a little more specification and dimension data.
• www.garmin.com – Tons of information, links to manuals and software updates, and related accessory displays really help to answer all a potential buyer’s questions and address any objections. The site would be even better with video and text testimonials, at least for key products.
• www.mcmaster.com – We like the easy-to-use search and the excellent presentation of even the simplest products. All the details, such as material, tensile strength, and hardness, are there, and you can download CAD/PDF drawings to really see what you’re getting. This may seem like overkill, particularly for something like a screw. But who will a design engineer recommend to the purchasing department: this supplier or a competitor that leaves them guessing as to whether a product will meet their needs?

Once you’ve figured out an approach that will work for you, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and get your product catalog online. Here are a few tips:

1. Choose an expert managed e-commerce provider. It’s tempting to start in-house, but clients tell us the smartest and most economical way to get great results the first time is to leave it to the pros.
2. Know that Web catalogs are different than print. Make sure each item has its own page with full specs, multiple views, and manuals to make things easy for visitors and search engines. Video helps, too. Don’t worry about pricing or shopping carts, for now. Do make sure your managed e-commerce provider optimizes all pages for search engines (a.k.a., SEO).
3. Get dealers in early. If you’re not ready to sell online, you can still boost sales by attracting new dealers. If you aren’t ready for public access, you can require a login to even see products.
4. Don’t forget testimonials. These are money in your pocket. Text is great. Video testimonials are even better.
5. Let the search engines work. As mentioned, it can take months. Have your managed e-commerce provider help things along with Facebook and other social media.

Stage Two Selling Industrial Supplies Online: Rolling out a Full e-Commerce Solution

Once industrial supply operators see how easy it is to get their catalogs online – and how much interest and activity it generates – it’s not long until they want to ramp it up with a full-fledged e-commerce solution. When you’re ready to start selling online, keep these pointers in mind:

1. Integrate tightly with internal inventory and ordering systems. Doing this securely and optimizing for speed and easy management takes years of expertise. Be sure your managed e-commerce provider knows the ropes.
2. Test, test, test. Simulate every scenario you can think of before going live.
3. Consider virtualization. Virtual servers in cloud environment boost efficiency and data protection, among other benefits. Plus, it makes moving and updating your online operation much easier.
4. Make payment as simple as possible. Your managed e-commerce provider will set you up with credit/debit card processing, plus the ability to accept payment by phone and check.
5. Keep dealers happy. Roll out the red carpet for your dealers with great specials, easy login, and priority service. After all, they’ve been with you since the beginning, and they’re likely to be an important part of your strategy for years to come.

Questions about Selling Industrial Supplies Online and Managed e-Commerce

Still not sure about e-commerce? Ready to jump in with both feet? For more information about industrial supply e-commerce for small businesses or to get started with managed e-commerce designed specifically for industrial supply firms, contact FinestShops e-Commerce Management using the form below.