Distripaints
- Product Information management in CMS
- Source information from sister company
- Database prepared for 2nd language
- User Friendly site navigation
- On the fly customer specific Excel price list generation
- Data exchange with existing Progress database
- Login for additional information
- Search throughout site with grouped results
- Automatic future price update notification mail
Challenge
Distripaints is a wholesaler of paints and related products to large supermarket chains and Do It Yourself shops. Since their products pricing depends on the prices of raw materials such as oil, keeping the customer up to date about product pricing has not been that easy. Paper pricelists usually become outdated in the time between leaving Distripaints and arriving at the customer so an electronic system is required. A website is one option but Distripaints decided to go a step further and make a website available with a number of features that made it easier for the customer to be kept up to date with prices changes.
Approach
Distripaints has access to a product database used for publishing price lists. We made an analysis of the differences in product assortment between the two companies and as well as present a number of solutions available to our customers in order to notify them of price changes. Distripaints discussed these options with their customers, as they are the people for whom the investment is being made.
Solution
The solution comprises of a website where each customer can log in. Once logged in they can view the current and upcoming promotions as well as access the most up to date prices. Per product group an electronic price list can be generated on the fly allowing the customer to generate and download this price list at any time of the day. Since this is also database driven, Distripaints only has to updated the prices in the database and not on each individual price list. These electronic price lists are further used by the customers to import the latest pricing into their own systems, such as cash registers in the shop. Furthermore, registered customers receive regular automated emails notifying them of products that will change price in the coming 2 weeks. This is done on the basis of storing future price information in the database together with a date from which the new price is valid.
Benefits
decreased administration for Distripaints' accounts department as the customer knows what price he will be invoiced
increased customer satisfaction as they are kept up to date of the latest prices
high level of automation meaning there is little dependancy on Distripaints staff for processes to be carried out punctually
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