- The foundation of our service is that we always think on the basis of our customers’ needs, says Jessica Lénberg, Project Manager at John Fredrik AB.
John Fredrik is a full assortment wholesaler for the Heating, Ventilation and Sanitation Market in the West coast of Sweden, with a large number of products and tools to cover the installer’s needs. The company’s central warehouse and head office is at Hisingen in Gothenburg, where the distribution tours are based from. There are also three Professional Centers in Uddevalla, Sisjön, and Hisingen where customers can go if they want any help, or to collect material.
As many other B2B companies with extensive experience of traditional B2B sales, the site wasn’t updated in how most of the customers want to shop today. With a clear focus to make the communication easier with the end customers, and make the administration more efficient, the decision was made to invest in a newly-developed e-commerce solution.
Responsive Site with PIM
Litium was the selected platform, where the goal was a modern, responsive e-commerce site that is easy to work with, and with enrichment of product information in Litium PIM. The solution is developed with 3bits Consulting, who are used to develop B2B sites who need to adapt to how we shop today and tomorrow. The simplicity and efficiency of consumer sites and the way we humans act as consumers, are now driving the companies in the same direction.
- JohnFredrik.se is a great example of a B2B solution that has gone from an older to a new e-commerce system adapted to today’s business, and they can already see that it has a positive effect on the customers. A solution that can be completed with some special functions adding value for both customers and salespeople, says Ola Linde, Vice President at 3bits Consulting.
Stability and Flexibility are Key Words
The goal of the project was to change e-commerce platform and create the technical conditions that are required to assist the customers in the best possible way. In the same way as an internal streamline of the information management was needed to relieve pressure of the sales organization and ensure the quality of the information in all external communication.
The idea is to start in a small-scale and develop a simple and pedagogic solution, where stability and flexibility are keywords. It should be easy to find information about the available products, and their supplier, no matter where or in which situation the customers are at the moment. There is a lot of focus on product information and product images. It is important to create a forum and a site that is able to provide knowledge and all important information about the products.
- We have created the base for an exciting future, where we can combine the digital and physical contact with our customers, strengthening our overall communication, says Jessica Lénberg.
Functions Adding Value
JohnFredrik.se is a B2B site for the installation line in the Heating, Ventilation, and Sanitation business, but several functions are general and can be applied in different businesses and adapted to the certain needs for the respective industry.
The site has not only improved design, and is easier to work with. It is also filled with functions to make everyday life easier for both customer and salespeople. You can as a customer create a material proposal to the end customer by creating a shopping list. The list is sent to the given e-mail address together with a login. The end customer can then edit the numbers, and change the material proposal from the customer’s preferences.
There is a possibility to create different shopping basket templates to make recurring orders easier. From a template, a new shopping basket is created, that can be complemented and changed before it is ordered. Efficient orders can also be carried out by the customers in the so called quick checkout, which means that you only enter article number and the quantity.
Scalable and Flexible System
The investment in a flexible and scalable e-commerce system makes it possible to have a stable foundation to continue building on for several years ahead. And it didn’t take long before the benefits with new solutions started appear.
- Despite a recent launch, we can already see that we have attracted several new customers, says Jessica Lénberg.
John Fredrik has a vision to provide the right information at the right time for all visitors, and with the new digital solution, they feel comfortable for the future. There is a solid foundation, and John Fredrik can scale up the system, and add functionality when the e-commerce turnover, and their, and their customer’s demands, increase.
John Fredrik is a full assortment wholesaler for the Heating, Ventilation and Sanitation Market with professional installers in the West coast of Sweden. Our geographical business area are the counties of Västra Götaland and Halland. The company’s central warehouse and head office is at Hisingen in Gothenburg. The company has a turnover of approximately 200 MSEK, and employs 40.
