E-Commerce Ecosystem: One Face to the Customer

Have you taken the first step toward eCommerce? Have you added an integrated spare parts shop to your digital spare parts catalog or service information system? Your customers now can search for, find, and directly order the right spare parts within one system? They can also obtain all the relevant information on repairing and maintaining their machine and installing the required spare part at a glance?

Wonderful! Then it's now time to think about step two: Create a world that brings together all your purchasing options!

One Face to the Customer - or: One eCommerce world for your customers

One possible expansion stage of your integrated spare parts shop is an eCommerce ecosystem and thus the consolidation of all offers into one system. Your spare parts store thus becomes part of a corporate platform that offers not only your spare and wear parts, but also your services and - where appropriate - your primary products. Your customers move around on a single interface, ideally always with the same user guidance, so that they can find their way around quickly and effortlessly.

The eCommerce platform serves as a customer portal for which your customers and prospects can create an account. It usually makes sense to set up access for customers in such a way that they only receive content on the machines and systems they use - and which may be of interest to them. This provides more transparency, simplifies processes and ensures that your customers only see the content that is relevant to them.

Personalized offers

The digital portal is the ideal place for you to display personalized offers to your customers for suitable additional sales or to identify and exploit cross-selling and upselling potential.

Focus on anticipatory service and offer your customers the right products (for example wear parts) based on their order history, so that no machine downtime or stock shortages will occur in the first place. Increase satisfaction by responding individually and tailored to the needs of your customers.

Sale of services

Investment-intensive goods such as machinery and equipment usually have a very long service life, but require regular care, maintenance, and repairs. Use the eCommerce platform to offer your customers maintenance contracts or services for direct ordering. Enable your customers to contact you in a simple way via the self-service portal. Also count on digital channels here, such as video calls, chats, or callback functions.

Space for new, personalized business models

Your eCommerce ecosystem is also the perfect place to evaluate, develop and offer new, personalized business models.

One example:
Machines, plants and equipment are no longer just bought, rented, or leased these days. Selling the output is considered an innovative business model. For example, it is no longer a complete air compressor that is sold, but compressed air that is paid for by quantity. These so-called product-as-a-service or pay-per-use models enable a whole new market entry.

Would you like to evaluate which new business model could be suitable for you? Then analyze the data collected via your eCommerce platform about the use of your products and services. This will give you insights into the needs of your customers.

Your benefits of a comprehensive eCommerce world:

  • Increased revenue: Realize your maximum revenue potential by providing your customers and prospects with the easiest possible access to your products and services.
  • High acceptance by your customers: Your customers are used to being able to book services, manage orders and make purchases flexibly within a self-service portal from the B2C sector.
  • Increase customer satisfaction: Meet your customers' expectations and position yourself as an innovative, modern, digital company.

Our Customer Success Stories

To further increase sales in the after-sales business, the two companies MAFI Transport-Systeme GmbH and TREPEL Airport Equipment GmbH decided to further expand their electronic spare parts catalog. Both companies now offer an intuitive online service portal with:

  • customer-specific, machine-specific 2D spare parts catalogs
  • customer-specific price, ordering and delivery information
  • information on modifications made to the machines

Would you like to learn more? Read Case Study