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Most often eCommerce is thought of as a purchasing platform for companies that sell their products either B2B or B2C. But have you considered how eCommerce could be used internally? This blog will help define online company stores and why they may be important to your company.
Imagine your entire team, regardless of geography or location, having access 24/7 to all your company’s marketing assets. Consider sales brochures and presentation pieces, corporate apparel and uniforms, recognition and awards gifts – all at their fingertips. eCommerce solutions, or on-line company stores, are particularly beneficial to companies with multiple locations.
Securing marketing collateral is often left to the last minute without much time to respond. At times, employees are left to their own devices to develop marketing and sales brochures. If they are not well versed in brand guidelines the products may or may not reflect the brand appropriately. A brand manager knows the intricacies of logo guidelines. When pantone shades, proper spacing, correct font style and size are not known companywide, a company runs the risk of brand inconsistencies.
For marketers supporting large multi-location organizations, this is an all too familiar example. At the last minute you find out that there is an upcoming event or meeting that requires sales collateral, promotional materials, corporate apparel and there is little time for you to prepare. You make a mad dash to the storeroom to see what you can find. The leftover items may not be ideally suited to this situation, the shirts may not be the right size but it’s all you have so it will have to do. Is there a better way? What if you could automate this process?
That’s right; imagine automating your brand assets so that all employees could have access 24/7 to pre-approved marketing materials. The very tools that they need to be successful in their jobs, from sales brochures, forms, presentation pieces to corporate apparel and tradeshow giveaways could be at their fingertips with an online company store.
But the benefits go much further than that. Having an eCommerce or online company store provides the following advantages.
• Gain control of the brand/identity.
• Gain control over spending and leverage purchasing power of a $500 million partner in Proforma.
• Improve the workflow to provide retail-like shopping experience.
• A permission-based tool allowing end users to order, manage, report, and pay for the products they need, eliminating rogue or unauthorized spending.
• Reduces administrative strain, frees up time to focus on activities that directly affect the company’s bottom line.
What kinds of products can be included? Proforma’s eCommerce sites support all types of product.
• Print collateral like sales brochures and presentation folders.
• Business forms.
• Variable printed products which can include custom contact information.
• Promotional products.
• Company uniforms or corporate apparel.
Source: http://proformasi.com/on-line-company-store-manages-marketing-assets
