Challenge:
Take multiple product lines and sales channels, each with their own pricing and access models, and combine them into a single website where all customers see the proper selection and pricing based on their role. To kick it up a notch, make many of the same products available to both types of customers, but with different pricing or purchase models for each type of customer. And don't forget that the entire site needs to tie in with an AS/400 order processing system to serve up real-time order status and order and invoice history. One last thing: Allow customers with multiple locations or divisions to log in and view an additional layer or two of aggregate customer service data.
Solution:
Just as eBlox was preparing to formally launch their upgraded storeBlox 2.0 e-commerce platform, ForeFront Golf approached the company with a challenging set of features and an aggressive schedule. eBlox began with requirements analysis and proposed a phased rollout of features, including a number of new features to be developed along with the development and production of the main site. ForeFront needed to roll two major product lines (which had been separate companies and separate websites) together into a single website, and add a few new lines as well. storeBlox 2.0's best-in-class attribute management system was up to the task, enabling eBlox to build an access model that permitted overlapping product display with discrete pricing and purchase processes for channels that had previously visited completely separate websites.
eBlox' integration team then worked closely with ForeFront IT to build an integrated customer service application for "single log-in" access to account information. The system was expanded prior to launch to include the capability for large customers and sales representatives to log in to "super-accounts" and view multiple locations with just a few clicks. Utilizing JDBC connectors to the AS/400 BPCS system, eBlox was able to deliver a completely integrated customer service system in a rapid fashion.
Outcome:
In just a few months, eBlox built and delivered a complete solution in time for critical product and tradeshow launches. storeBlox 2.0 proved itself once again as an incredibly flexible business-to-business e-commerce system, enabling ForeFront to manage all of its sales channels through a single web system.
"'eBlox was able to see the entire picture and build a solution that allowed us to consolidate without losing the individual attention our different channels need," notes Max Waits, ForeFront's Chief Operating Officer. "We're excited to have a system that dovetails so well with our growth strategy, and we're confident that the eBlox team can handle just about anything we throw at them in the future."
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ForeFront Golf
