Inventory Pricing Ecommerce:

There is a misconception among electronics distributors that the transition to eCommerce is a one step process - that their entire inventory, complete with pricing and detailed data, must be a part of their eCommerce website from square one. This is not the case. Besides making the transition more manageable, there are clear benefits to gradually filling out your eCommerce website over the course of several months.

Let's start with an example. Joe, the owner of ZYX Electronics, knows online selling would be a great way to open his business up to new opportunities. Like most distributors, however, Joe is not prepared to sell directly online from day one. He needs to develop price breaks and more detailed product specs. Undaunted, Joe begins building his website with the inventory information he already has - part numbers, quantities, manufacturers, and some basic specs - even though he cannot offer any of his inventory for direct web sale yet. While Joe spends the next few months developing prices and grabbing datasheets, he is surprised to find that more and more prospective customers are finding his website and calling his business. Joe's business is beginning to show up in Google search results for parts and manufacturers in his inventory, and his website is beginning to yield results without even offering a single item for sale.

A website without pricing information can still drive new business. Your inventory data - even when incomplete - is a gold mine of relevant keywords. Adding keyword-rich information on your website greatly increases your chances of appearing in search results - and can drive promising customers straight to your business. When information is added to your website, and organized in the right way, search companies like Google will crawl your website and collect that information. In this way, your website will be more likely to appear when people search for parts, manufacturers, or other relevant information you have stored in your inventory. Search engine results are a key factor of web success, and cannot be provided by other web channels like listing websites and stock checking services.

We present DistiSuite as a sales tool - and it is - but it is also a marketing tool. We have built a system that focuses on the power of search engines to attract new customers to distributors. We help our clients make the most of the information in their inventories, however limited. Electronics distributors agree: Online selling is an increasingly valuable means to generate new relationships and revenues. Rather than feeling daunted by the end goal, think about the benefits of a gradual approach to online sales.