The KYKLO team thrives when our clients are happy. When clients are willing to publicly tell their story, it makes our little hearts go pitter-patter. Recently, we received a very impactful testimonial from Jim Brys, Corporate Director of Distribution, of Mitsubishi Electric Automation. He sat down with us to talk about his organization’s nearly 5-year relationship with KYKLO.    Over those 5 years, the partnership has continued to grow and flourish. KYKLO has created digital branches in the form of online shops for many of Mitsubishi’s distributor partners, and continues to push new and improved content out. These combined efforts are an example of fully integrated channel digitalization in progress.  Today, KYKLO provides online shops for numerous Mitsubishi Electric distributors as well as a manufacturer's webstore, used as a lead generation tool that ties to distributors using KYKLO services. This provides Mitsubishi Electric with an advanced web presence , featuring improved product content , search engine optimization, and stronger relationships with their distribution channel. Mr. Brys goes on the record saying,  “The KYKLO webstore (and everything tied to it) is the best lead generation tool we have ever developed.”      In the world of automation, where many marketing experts place the value of a qualified lead north of 125 dollars, creating leads is important. The KYKLO system generates a lot of bang for the buck.  He went on to say, “ Engineers searching for our kind of products online are now directed to distributors. ” The distributor teams then turn those potential customers into orders.   Another important point for distributors is Jim’s experience with the manufacturer and their distributor channel. “ KYKLO can get a distributor up and running in three to four weeks. ” Why waste opportunities as you stumble through a lengthy do-it-yourself project?    In summary:  KYKLO’s capabilities are well-known and widely used by distributors today.  Manufacturers can employ KYKLO to create web-ready and enhanced product data and distribute this information to their entire channel.  KYKLO has the capability to tie the digital activities of manufacturers directly to their distributor channel.  Seamless digitalization is no longer a dream of the future, KYKLO is doing it now.    If you would like to talk more about the digitalization of your business, we would love to talk about how we can customize a plan for your business situation.  We would like to thank Mr. Brys for both his kind words about KYKLO as well as his leadership in the automation industry.    Watch the full video below!

An article   written by A3 highlights the journey manufacturers are taking to digitize their operations, and the challenges and solutions that come along with this. Digitization is essential for manufacturers to stay competitive, responsive, and agile in today’s fast-changing marketplace, and KYKLO has manufacturers covered. Rise of Industrial E-Commerce 80% of B2B sales between suppliers and buyers are expected to take place in digital channels by 2025. Manufacturers have two choices: Get online Get left behind Thankfully, KYKLO provides a B2B eCommerce platform and product content solutions for industry-leading industrial manufacturers and their distributors . These solutions are built entirely by KYKLO’s team of industrial engineers who know exactly how buyers spec out products. “More than half of our organization are engineers by trade, so they are very familiar with the product content they are creating,” says Ryan Francis, Managing Director at KYKLO. “We’re not simply an e-commerce provider, we are a data-driven e-commerce provider. SEO enrichment is at the core of our business.” This gives KYKLO the unique ability to provide our customers with product content enriched for SEO, that’s built to be easily discovered. When it comes to manufacturers and distributors, it’s not just about having a web presence, it’s about being found. In case you missed KYKLO Co-Founder and CEO, Remi Ducrocq’s B2B Online Keynote speech on why manufacturers are losing as online discovery, check out the recording ! Manufacturers Online or Behind According to Ryan Francis, “If you’re manufacturing more than a few thousand parts, it becomes increasingly difficult for your customers to find the right product. If you don’t have all your products online, then you’re hurting your channel partners and ultimately your end users. ” Watch this video to learn more about KYKLO’s solutions for manufacturers. KYKLO has created product content for over 600 manufacturers represented by KYKLO’s distributor customers. Our manufacturer partners are big names in industrial automation, including ABB, Festo, Panasonic, Phoenix Contact, Schneider Electric, WAGO, and Yaskawa. Mitsubishi Electric Automation is another partner manufacturer. “If you go to our webstore , in the bottom corner it says powered by KYKLO. Because of their understanding of what we do as a manufacturer and the technologies we can provide, they were able to help us develop a webstore to meet the needs of our end customers,” says Jim Brys, Corporate Director of Distribution at Mitsubishi Electric Automation. “For distributors of our products, KYKLO can also provide a subscription service for those who would like to have webstores. You have to change with the times. This is the way of the future.” ✅ Read the full A3 newsletter here :  https://www.automate.org/industry-insights/manufacturers-go-digital-to-future-proof-operations ✅ Explore Mitsubishi's webstore :  https://hubs.li/Q01v1hly0

If you want to make a distributor talk, just ask why customers love their company, then sit back and listen. You will hear snippets on quality products, inventory on hand, and qualified people, but then the talk turns to ease of doing business and making the customer’s life easier. Streamlined buying process For a distributor to be easy to do business with, there would be a customer-centric approach to their operations, which involves anticipating the needs of their customers and ensures those needs are met promptly and satisfactorily. This means clear and concise information on products and services, multiple channels for customer support, and ensuring customers can easily find, buy, and use the products. A streamlined buying process would be part of the equation. The KYKLO One Step Checkout Feature provides just that. A customer using the system can find the right part and immediately determine exactly what the total cost of the part is - including both tax and shipping costs. If a picture is worth a thousand words, this minute and a half video produced by Molly Mitchell, KYKLO Customer Success Manager might be worth a million words: Easier business works for the seller too The One Step Checkout makes business easier for the seller as well. There is no need for manually determining shipping and tax information. No calls back to the customer to justify their invoice for shipping and tax information. The distributor is spared countless hours of customer service tasks which create no value for the customer. All the while, the customer gets instant gratification. Easy for everybody is the perfect business solution. KYKLO’s mission is to eliminate the unnecessary friction in getting from idea to order. If you would like to learn more about KYKLO’s services to distributors and manufacturers, give us a call. We are dedicated to making digitalization easy. And, we are easy to do business with.

Expanding on a previous partnership with KYKLO, WAGO has migrated to KYKLO’s Syndication+.    Under the partnership, KYKLO provided enhanced product data and proprietary services to WAGO distributors using the KYKLO eCommerce solution. In this new agreement, WAGO becomes one of a growing number of companies to take advantage of KYKLO’s Syndication+ service . Syndication+ is a service designed especially for manufacturers determined to expand their digital footprint across their entire channel to market. KYKLO’s offering extends syndication from the existing model of publishing data with the expectation that it will be used correctly for something entirely different. Other companies provide the service of updating new products and adding them to the manufacturer’s library of products. Most either rely on their clients to forward them data or “scrape” the internet for product information previously published elsewhere.   KYKLO takes the process a major step further. They enrich the data by adding terms discovered through the analysis of thousands of searches, expanding manufacturers' terminologies to include common names and industry jargon used by customers. The product descriptions are unique, per SKU, and overall product data is structured with the right filters and categories making it possible to find products in just a few clicks. This massively impacts SEO visibility. Further, the KYKLO solution includes follow-ups with distributors to make sure the new data is added to websites across the manufacturer’s channel. Understanding that many distributor websites are maintained by staff also responsible for other operations, this ensures the channel is using the syndicated data. KYKLO also measures what percentage of product data each distributor deploys to their website. This information allows the manufacturer to better understand what part of their product offering is being fully supported by each distributor. This is very important when manufacturers “share shelf space” and digital presence with other competitive manufacturers.   John Bukowski, WAGO’s Senior Channel Director, finds the service to be important to a company working through a diverse group of distributors:  “The information reporting allows our sales team to better understand, which products the distributor is focusing their sales efforts on at any given time. All this reporting is something most manufacturers, like WAGO, have neither the time nor staffing to carefully analyze. In a digital world, analytics are essential and becoming a must-have.” KYKLO, President and Founder, Remi Ducrocq said, “We are happy to have such a well-respected company recognize our efforts in the business digitalization process. WAGO has a broad product offering and our team is excited to be asked to make their products easier to find across the internet.” About WAGO: WAGO is an international company that offers a wide range of products including electrical connectors, terminal blocks, relays, sensors, and other automation components. They serve a variety of industries such as automotive, transportation, energy, and building automation. WAGO America is known for their innovative products and solutions that help simplify and improve electrical interconnection and automation processes. About KYKLO: KYKLO was founded in 2015 by 2 former Schneider Electric employees, Remi Ducrocq and Fabien Legouic, with one sole purpose: To help industrial manufacturers and distributors modernize for the growing trend of online shopping. KYKLO is the only company on the planet to provide product content enrichment services as well as powerful search, filtering, and configuration tools – both solution and content, fully built by engineers from the industry. KYKLO's library contains product data for over 5 million SKUs. Visit  www.kyklo.co  to learn more about the company and its products.

You’ve heard the old saying, “There is No Rest for the Wicked.” While we here at KYKLO normally think of ourselves as pretty nice folks, somehow the minds of the universe must have judged differently.   Taking a quick glance at our calendar for next month explains why. The KYKLO team finds themselves scheduled for a record number of events in April. As standalone occurrences, each, and every, one of the events would be massively fun. We will meet old friends, make new friends, and undoubtedly participate in some fun late-night storytelling. Sleeping will be a rare commodity. What are we doing? April 17-19: ISA23 in Phoenix, Arizona April 17-19: Valve Forum Conference San Antonio, Texas April 19-21: AHTD Spring 2023 Conference in Louisville, Kentucky April 29-May 3: NAHAD 2023 Nassau, Bahamas Here’s the scoop… ISA – Industrial Supply Association . KYKLO is an ISA member . We have several partners who are also members, and we are looking forward to further supporting their efforts. In addition to our current partnerships with ABB and Schneider Electric , we have enhanced content for 3M and several other major companies . Industrial buyers are ramping up their use of the internet to find products.  Several of the biggest MRO distributors report that more than half of their business comes via online purchasing activities. Manufacturers and Distributors alike want to integrate their existing business systems with their online efforts and KYKLO has the tools to make that happen quickly. The Valve Forum  is sponsored by the Valve Manufacturer’s Association. While not a member of VMA, KYKLO has been invited to attend. Why?  We have partnerships with Festo , IMI/Norgrem , Bimba , and others. Plus we have massive content for SMC , Festo , Parker , ASCO , Bosch , and Eaton . The valve industry represents a $50 billion slice of the manufacturing sector and KYKLO has the know-how to quickly bring them into the 21st Century. We want to help . AHTD Spring 2023  is a must for KYKLO. The Association of High Technology Distribution is our “homeroom.” KYKLO is a Strategic Business Partner of the group.  Quoting Leigha Schatzman , AHTD’s Executive Director “Having Strategic Business Partners (SBPs) like KYKLO is one of the reasons AHTD Rocks. AHTD members report that KYKLO’s plug-and-play e-commerce platform, with its constantly updated contents and various API integrations, has made it easier, less labor-intensive, more updateable, and more customer-friendly to migrate to a webstore. We appreciate the team at KYKLO for helping our members to innovate, collaborate, and achieve their business goals faster!” We have hundreds of friends and allies in this group. Need we say more? NAHAD 2023 will be our first time attending as a member. We have enhanced content for some of the leading manufacturer members and a partnership with several others. Some of our Distributor customers such as Air Hydro Power or Applied Industrial Technologies are also part of the NAHAD association so this meeting will allow us time for conversations on how we might better serve them as well. Tired, but a good kind of tired Have you ever finished a project, something like a DIY remodel, or planting a new garden, and found yourself weary? As you laid down at the end of the project, your mind and body were tired but as you reflected on the work, did a warm sense of accomplishment drown out the aches and pains?  We are anticipating that warm afterglow. But for now, it’s still “No rest for the wicked, and we are the meanest people in town.”

Manufacturers looking for an e-commerce solution know that Shopify is a popular choice. However, many don’t realize that there are more effective options available - especially if they plan to focus on B2B sales.  While Shopify has features that make it great for consumer-facing stores, the platform doesn’t always provide the level of functionality that manufacturers and other companies need to sell products directly to businesses. Fortunately, there are more alternatives available that are specifically tailored for B2B e-commerce. Let’s explore some of these options and discuss why they are preferable to Shopify in certain cases. When is Shopify a good fit? There is a reason that Shopify is the go-to platform for many e-commerce businesses. Setting up and selling is easy, with minimal upfront costs. If you’re a manufacturer that invests 1% of your budget in marketing, this e-commerce platform is for you. However, Shopify has limitations that make it unsuitable for larger B2B manufacturers. For example, Shopify doesn’t support more than 500 SKUs very easily , meaning businesses with an extensive product lineup will outgrow the platform quickly. If you’re not doing frequent global product changes and don’t require a comprehensive productized taxonomy, Shopify might be a good fit. However, if you’re looking for an e-commerce platform with a built-in product information management system (PIM), we suggest you look elsewhere. Three alternatives to Shopify for manufacturers There are three enterprise-level alternatives that B2B manufacturers use instead of Shopify. All of these alternatives cater to B2B requirements and help manufacturers build their business networks with complex order management tools, robust security, and comprehensive analytics. Alternative 1: SAP Hybris SAP describes Hybris as a “cloud-based e-commerce platform.” SAP Hybris is an enterprise-level solution that offers an integrated suite of tools for B2B sales and marketing. Some advantages of Hybris include its scalability, ease of integration, and comprehensive customer analytics. It supports products from various vendors and multiple currencies, payment methods, languages, and more. Hybris can also manage digital and physical goods in the same platform, making it an excellent choice for manufacturers who produce physical goods or offer services alongside their products. Hybris is a product family under SAP, which includes several products with specialized functionality. If you want to take complete control of your business process with Hybris, we recommend getting them all. The Hybris product family includes: Hybris Commerce Hybris Billing SAP Cloud for Customer Sales SAP Cloud for Customer Service Hybris Marketing While this e-commerce solution sounds extensive, once you get the hang of it, it saves you a lot of time and money. Alternative 2: Magento Adobe acquired Magento (now Adobe Commerce ) in 2018 and the platform advertises that it makes site content and promotion easy. Some of its key features include: An intuitive interface for content creation Customer segment personalization Quickly updating your e-commerce pages With Adobe Commerce, you access powerful analytics and reporting tools that track customer engagement, conversion rate, average order value, and more. You also access advanced security features like fraud protection and data encryption. Since Adobe Commerce is now part of Adobe’s product portfolio, it now easily integrates with its other services like Adobe Analytics, Adobe Target, and Adobe Experience Manager. If you’re already using their ecosystem, then Adobe Commerce is a great choice for your B2B e-commerce needs. Alternative 3: KYKLO Perhaps the best alternative to Shopify e-commerce for manufacturers, KYKLO is a platform “ built by the industry for the industry . ” KYKLO is a full-fledged B2B e-commerce platform and product information management platform in one. KYKLO helps manufacturers and distributors improve online product discovery, generate more sales-qualified leads and deliver a better online buying experience. KYKLO’s capabilities: Enriched product content: You enrich and maintain your product content based on your suggestions and KYKLO’s expertise. You don’t have to worry about taxonomizing your product since KYKLO efficiently does it for you. Further, KYKLO offers the industry’s most extensive and highest product library, built by electrical and automation engineers. This gives way to dynamic product content built for SEO and enhanced searchability. Product information and e-commerce platform : KYKLO is a PIM product at its core , with a cart built around it. If you’re looking for a comprehensive and tailored B2B e-commerce solution with full product information management capabilities, KYKLO is the perfect choice. What we like about KYKLO is that it integrates with other business systems, like Oracle NetSuite, Trulinx, and Epicor, and features SAP Ariba native integration . Further, the platform has third-party integration with Intercom for live chat, Stripe for payment gateway, and Google Analytics for tracking. This means that you don’t have to purchase a whole ecosystem just to get the best e-commerce platform experience for your B2B business. Choosing the best alternative to Shopify e-commerce for manufacturers How should you choose your B2B e-commerce platform? Here are three key things to consider. 1. Designed with B2B in mind Shopify is primarily built for B2C businesses that don’t require special segmentation and product information management capabilities. If you’re a manufacturer, choosing an e-commerce platform built with B2B in mind, such as KYKLO, is best. While Adobe Commerce isn’t technically a B2B platform, it scales pretty quickly depending on your ability to pay for its added integrations and systems. 2. Has PIM built-in Managing thousands of SKUs and product information gets complex, especially if you don’t have the right tools. Make sure you choose an e-commerce platform with built-in product information management (PIM) capabilities, such as KYKLO. This way, you don’t have to worry about purchasing and maintaining a separate system. 3. Excellent product searchability Shopify is terrible at SEO, so you want an alternative that does a better job at product searchability. KYKLO is a great choice here as it offers the largest product library , dynamic content optimization, and advanced search capabilities. Try KYKLO e-commerce today In the end, it all boils down to your business needs. If you’re looking for an e-commerce platform that tackles the complexities of B2B sales for manufacturers, KYKLO is the right choice. It has all the features you need to manage your products efficiently and get them to market quickly. Schedule a demo with KYKLO today and see how it helps your business grow.

The e-commerce space has seen dramatic changes in the past few years, with B2B e-commerce platforms growing in popularity and becoming increasingly more complex. For manufacturers looking to deploy a B2B e-commerce solution, choosing the right platform is key to success.  But there are some common mistakes that manufacturers make when choosing industrial e-commerce solutions. If you are a manufacturer who is trying to penetrate the B2B e-commerce space, it is important to keep your goals clear, your expectations realistic, and to understand the correct approach to B2B e-commerce.  5 Mistakes to Avoid 1. Choosing a Partner that Only Offers Custom Solutions Yes, an e-commerce platform should be to your liking and should match your brand, but, as an example, opting for a web agency that only offers custom solutions could be a costly move. Too much focus on the graphical user interface (GUI) can lead to neglecting core functionality. Plus, the web agency will likely not have the technical expertise required to manage industrial B2B electromechanical products.   There's no one-size-fits-all when it comes to selecting a web agency e-commerce partner, but if you want to have success in the B2B area, make sure to choose a partner a web agency that focuses solely on e-commerce solutions and has the technical expertise you need. 2. Prioritizing Popularity  Many B2B manufacturers opt for the most popular platform available as it promises visibility across search engines and customers alike. What many manufacturers don’t realize is that these platforms are great for B2C businesses, but they often lack B2B capabilities , such as multiple addresses, multiple prices per customer, warehouse location, invoicing, price records and inventory levels.  These B2B features are important for B2B manufacturers who want to provide a good customer experience and ensure that orders are fulfilled correctly and quickly. If the platform does not offer B2B capabilities, then you will end up spending more money on development or having to switch platforms altogether.  Therefore, it is essential to make sure that the B2B e-commerce platform you choose is built with B2B features in mind and can handle the wide range of SKUs and large quantities of data that B2B business entails. 3. Most Carts Are B2C, Not B2B B2B e-commerce platforms have different requirements than B2C platforms, such as predetermined shipping methods and payment terms (credit terms, not just credit cards).  It is also important to consider the features that the platform offers. B2B e-commerce requires features such as repeat orders, PO numbers and invoicing that are not typically found in B2C platforms.  Also, B2B e-commerce platforms accommodate multiple buyers per account, while B2C platforms typically accommodate just one buyer, and one delivery address, no payment terms, and few payment methods, which significantly limits the experience offered to your customers.  The predetermined shipping and payment terms for B2B customers are also very different from those for B2C, so it is important to make sure that the platform you choose has the ability to accommodate these differences. By considering these factors, you make sure you choose a platform that understands the nuances of B2B e-commerce . Discover how you can stand out from the crowd. The hesitation to digitize is holding back many manufacturers’ potential for providing a great customer experience (CX) online. Whether your top goal is a shopping or a transaction site, the essence of a good customer experience requires content to be on point or you risk losing your customers to competition. In this report, we dive into the components that determine the Online Customer Experience by analyzing over 110 of the largest manufacturers in the electrical and automation sector. You'll discover how many manufacturers fall into the "good to great" category, but also examples of what an exceptional customer experience looks like. 4. Buying a Platform that Can’t Seamlessly Integrate with Your Current Systems You already have multiple business systems. So, choosing a platform that can't easily integrate with those systems disrupts your daily operations—and your budget. It will take you multiple person-hours, several resources, and significant costs to get the two systems up and running together.  On average, the integration of two systems takes two years or more, depending on complexity. But if you choose the right platform, the integration can be seamless—and much faster. You can be online in a matter of weeks.   Integration is the most expensive aspect of buying a new system. Expect to pay upwards of $100,000. This investment is not only a huge chunk that you could instead use to reinvest in your business, but also a huge risk, given the possibility of poor project management that stems from not understanding details about information flow. This is a hindrance not only for those who manage the project, but also for other departments that rely on the system.  Then there’s the matter of speed. A typical ERP communicates at 1.6 million data points a day, while an average pricing database sees 100 million data points daily. So, you need to pick a system that handles large amounts of data without crashing or slowing down page requests. Otherwise, this will affect user experience and possibly lead to customers abandoning your site. 5. Overlooking How the Platform Helps Buyers Search Choosing a platform that provides users with advanced search capabilitie s is key to making sure your customers easily and quickly find the products they are looking for. Filtering, sorting, and taxonomy are just some of the features you should look out for when selecting a B2B e-commerce platform.  Filtering allows users to conduct more targeted searches, including by category, manufacturer, and price range. The problem is when taxonomies aren’t normalized. For example, air conditioners are often called cooling units, and manufacturers are fond of differentiating their products with novel names, which confuses buyers. Likewise, do relays belong under the relays category or under the line voltage category? How you categorize your products matters to searchers. Some B2C platforms give you little choice because they are not built for engineers and other technical buyers and the ways they search for products.  Remember, your website visitors have their own way of searching for products. A typical searcher might enter a supplier name and the category of product or technology they are looking for. They may also search by part number, or with a combination of the two. In order to make sure your customers can find what they need on your site, you need a platform that indexes and stores as many product images, documents and data sheets as possible. This way, all the necessary information is available and ease of use is maximized.  Try KYKLO’s Commerce today Getting caught up in the surplus of e-commerce options can be overwhelming. Choosing an e-commerce platform tailored explicitly to B2B manufacturing makes a huge difference in your business’ efficiency, sales, and customer satisfaction. For manufacturers looking for a comprehensive solution that integrates with their ERP, PIM, and CRM systems, KYKLO is the perfect solution. The Bottom Line  Investing in an e-commerce platform is rewarding when you do it correctly. Being aware of B2B e-commerce for manufacturers mistakes to avoid helps you ensure that your business runs smoothly, maximizes your ROI, and increases customer satisfaction.   Choosing a B2B platform that is well-integrated with other systems saves time, reduces costs and gives your customers an improved user experience. Make sure to invest enough time, and consider multiple B2B e-commerce platforms, to feel confident you find the best solution for your unique requirements.  To learn more about our Product Information and E-commerce Platform for B2B Distributors and Manufacturers, book your demo now .

One important, yet overlooked, part of the eCommerce process is the ability for customers to shop the way they feel most convenient, comfortable, or efficient. For many larger organizations, the ability to use existing systems to automatically send orders is very important. SAP Ariba is the major tool employed. Over 53 percent of the users in the market employ Ariba, compared to 6 percent for the next largest competitor.  What is SAP Ariba SAP Ariba is a cloud-based innovative solution that allows suppliers and buyers to connect and do business on a single platform. Users of the product feel Ariba improves overall vendor management and drives efficiency in their procurement process. Simply stated, it acts as a supply chain procurement service to conduct business regardless of the supplier type. The service is closely tied to the customer’s entire business system. This package greatly simplifies the effort for the customer. Many KYKLO clients play an important role in the customer’s supplier list. For them, the customer’s decision to use Ariba was not efficient – until now.  KYKLO Native Integration to SAP Ariba KYKLO’s native and direct connectivity translates into massive time savings for distributors and customers alike.  Customers can use the KYKLO platform through Ariba to create their orders which means that they have access to KYKLO product catalogs directly into their Ariba system. This means better user experience as well as simplified order placement and processing as they see their normal KYKLO shop.  How does it work? KYKLO customers normally use the KYKLO platform to create their orders. With the native integration, they can now access the KYKLO product catalog to find precisely the right parts for their application and discover some other products they might have otherwise overlooked. Once selected, these items are loaded directly into their Ariba system to create the final order.  The best part is that orders received via Ariba will automatically load into the KYKLO client’s ERP system without the manual intervention which is currently required at most companies. This saves hours of time when dealing with MRO or larger OEM customers where the order flow is large. In the past, the workflow from an Ariba order required a manual price check, a gauge of inventory situation, and a review of the part number. Because of this integration, inside sales/customer service people will gain huge time savings which can be devoted to more important tasks.    Summing all this up  This new KYKLO/Ariba connection comes as the result of man-years of effort from the KYKLO team. Because SAP Ariba does not offer assistance in a process like this, our team had to literally reverse engineer their way through the process. There was much testing, troubleshooting, and redesign. The results make the effort worthwhile for our clients and their customers.  KYKLO is the only eCommerce platform on the planet offering this native integration. This is part of our mission from the very first days.   For KYKLO our goal is to connect the entire business ecosystem. This is just one more step in that direction.   We would love to chat with you about this feature and dozens of other continuing improvements to our system. KYKLO is a world leader in B2B eCommerce give us a call to learn why. Finally…  Our friend Frank Hurtte sent us this from his adventures on the new and perhaps still experimental Artificial Intelligence platform, ChatGPT:  “KYKLO is a B2B (business-to-business) eCommerce platform designed specifically for wholesale distributors and manufacturers. It is a cloud-based platform that provides an end-to-end solution for companies looking to sell their products online. KYKLO's platform integrates with the company's existing ERP (enterprise resource planning) system, allowing for easy product listing, pricing management, and order processing.  The platform is designed to simplify the sales process for both distributors and manufacturers, enabling them to reach new customers, automate their sales processes, and grow their businesses. KYKLO offers a range of features such as real-time pricing and inventory updates, custom pricing for individual customers, and an intuitive user interface that makes it easy for customers to place orders. Additionally, KYKLO provides analytics and reporting tools to help businesses track their performance and make data-driven decisions.  Overall, KYKLO's eCommerce platform is a robust solution for wholesale distributors and manufacturers looking to expand their online sales channels and improve their sales processes.”  We think this is pretty cool.  Read Frank Hurttle last article: The Importance of AI in Industrial Distribution

Selecting the right eCommerce platform isn’t easy for manufacturers. Some eCommerce platforms are more well-known than others, other platforms are open source or free, but not all platforms have the capacity that manufacturers need .   Plenty of eCommerce platforms don’t satisfy business needs despite their immense popularity . The majority of eCommerce systems lack the capabilities that discrete manufacturers need because they were initially engineered for B2C brands rather than B2B manufacturers. To help you make a more informed decision, here are nine criteria every manufacturer should consider when evaluating an eCommerce platform.  The nine criteria to choose the best Industrial eCommerce Platform: 1. Experience in your space Experience in your industry is the most important element to consider when selecting an eCommerce platform for your company. ECommerce caters to a wide range of businesses in multiple industries. In the industrial sector, choosing an eCommerce platform that is built by engineers has several significant advantages.   The people behind your eCommerce platform must be familiar with your product categories, your customers, and their purchasing processes so that the technology effectively aligns and caters to their requirements. The eCommerce platform should already work for your industry so that the software vendor doesn’t require any education about who you serve and what you sell. They should already have the technical skills and knowledge to handle the complexity of your business requirements.  2. Search Excellent search capabilities such as search and filtering, taxonomy, and ease of navigation, are important criteria that must be included in an eCommerce platform for manufacturers.   Remember that your customers are looking for industrial products, which means technical parts and technical terms. The eCommerce platform you choose must direct searchers to the right products as quickly and as easily as possible. In other words, your eCommerce platform must accommodate how your customers look for products, whether that’s by product name, part number, or with a technical description of the product.    3. Speed Speed is one of the main factors influencing the user experience (UX). Of course, no one wants a slow-loading page—eCommerce without speed delivers a poor UX. Slow pages also hurt your SEO, negatively impacting your online exposure. Choose an eCommerce platform that prioritizes and offers speed.  Some eCommerce platforms rely on information from a slower ERP infrastructure. Some pages, which are larger than 1 MB, load in chunks.    The best example of an eCommerce platform with speed is KYKLO , which performs better than other platforms in technical SEO. It also has the quickest engine available, and consists of 5 million SKUs, and 17 million URLs. KYKLO responds in nine milliseconds as opposed to the average four to eight seconds of other commercial eCommerce platforms.  Discover how you can stand out from the crowd. The hesitation to digitize is holding back many manufacturers’ potential for providing a great customer experience (CX) online. Whether your top goal is a shopping or a transaction site, the essence of a good customer experience requires content to be on point or you risk losing your customers to competition. In this report, we dive into the components that determine the Online Customer Experience by analyzing over 110 of the largest manufacturers in the electrical and automation sector. You'll discover how many manufacturers fall into the "good to great" category, but also examples of what an exceptional customer experience looks like. 4. Security In the modern world, security is a key topic given how quickly technology and cyber attacks are developing. Security flaws are frequently present during installation, so pick an industrial eCommerce platform that addresses all security aspects to avoid making the same mistakes as other organizations.  Some manufacturers lack knowledge about security, especially online, which creates holes in protection and increases the risk of attacks. Your level of security is partly dependent on your hosting, so choose a provider that offers military-grade security. Choose an eCommerce platform that lets you cover all areas of security, safeguards credentials, and adheres to compliance requirements.  5. Ease and Speed of Implementation Ease and speed of implementation should be a top priority in picking an eCommerce platform for all of your company’s products and services. For most eCommerce platforms to get up and running, you must have several dedicated employees to manage the implementation. For many industrial companies, this means hiring extra staff to exclusively handle eCommerce or taking existing staff away from their core responsibilities.   Some manufacturers try for years to implement their eCommerce platforms, but fail. On the other hand, with easy-to-implement eCommerce solutions like KYKLO , you just need one staff member’s time for 12 hours over six months to utilize the eCommerce solution and take advantage of its benefits.  6. Capabilities and Features Pick an industrial eCommerce platform with specialized features and capabilities that are beneficial in the manufacturing sector. Focus on platforms with capabilities and features that enable customers to quickly search for and find the products and services they need, going beyond boilerplate functionality.   For example, product selectors and configurators need to be designed for your market, your products, and, most importantly, for how buyers search. Your eCommerce solution should include capabilities specific to manufacturing and tax automation that are in line with your company’s processes and offerings.  Pick an industrial eCommerce platform that lets you add:  PO numbers  Remarks to orders  Payment types Example of KYKLO cart checkout: 7. Support Choose an industrial eCommerce platform that provides excellent support - for both you and the customer . When there are questions, some platforms require you to open a ticket and go through a series of steps, which takes too long and hurts both the quality of your service and your customer’s experience.   Instead, pick a platform that has a dedicated support team available at all times, who are knowledgeable about your area of expertise and industry, and who can address any issues.  At KYKLO, we have a customer success team and dedicated customer success managers who are well-versed in the industrial sector. We have a support team that is familiar with you, responds immediately, offers white glove treatment, and resolves over 98% of issues promptly. 8. Integration Pick an eCommerce platform that has a high rate of eCommerce integration to help link all of your company’s systems together.   KYKLO is a top-of-the-line eCommerce platform that offers direct integration with leading ERP systems and other platforms, such as Salesforce, SAP Ariba , and other business tools specialized for the manufacturing industry. Given Choose an eCommerce solution that easily integrates with all of your office systems, saving you up to two hours or more per order, and requiring no re-keying.  9. Cost Large manufacturers are willing to spend significantly on an eCommerce platform, but they fear the expense of integration and implementation. The purchase price of the platform is one variable, but the cost of implementation, followed by complexity and time of implementation, are unknowns.   Smaller businesses are more concerned about the initial cost of a platform, since manufacturers and distributors are usually project-based, unaccustomed to paying monthly subscriptions, habituated to lump sum payments, and unsure of how much to budget.  As a result, many manufacturing companies go to open-source, free platforms, such as Magento. Magento is not SaaS, and it is ultimately not free because it requires staff and resources to operate—resulting in more expenses. KYKLO, on the other hand, is an eCommerce platform that enables you to get a solution for a fraction of the cost of other platforms. KYKLO works around your budget, helping you save money on operating expenses while achieving your business goals.  Mistakes to Avoid  As you create your shortlist of eCommerce platforms, consider these common mistakes that manufacturers make—and avoid them.  Choosing a web agency that offers a single or custom solution only  Choosing a solution that offers limited customization features  Focusing too much on GUI and relatively insignificant issues and not enough on functionality and the core  Picking a purely B2C platform that can’t handle your volume of SKUs, the quantity of data, and your product list  Choosing a platform that can’t easily and cost-effectively integrate with your other systems  Buying a solution from a vendor that doesn’t have expertise in the industrial sector Try KYKLO’s eSOM today Getting caught up in the surplus of e-commerce options can be overwhelming. Choosing an e-commerce platform tailored explicitly to B2B manufacturing makes a huge difference in your business’ efficiency, sales, and customer satisfaction. For manufacturers looking for a comprehensive solution that integrates with their ERP, PIM, and CRM systems, KYKLO is the perfect solution. The Bottom Line  You must select an industrial eCommerce platform based on how well it supports your company’s objectives and delivers an exceptional customer experience. Choose an eCommerce platform from a vendor that specializes in the industrial sector and offers experience in engineering with features that are specific to the manufacturing industry. Finally, choose a platform that provides excellent technical and customer support, and offers complete security features to guarantee that your business is adhering to the necessary standards and regulations for safe and legal operation.  Given how important it is to have the right eCommerce for your manufacturing company, you must work with a trusted and reliable eCommerce platform.   KYKLO is a top-ranked eCommerce platform that specializes in the industrial sector and helps you grow your digital sales and engagement.  Schedule a demo  today and learn more about how we provide you with solutions that meet all of your business needs.

NAHAD – The Association for Hose and Accessory Distribution – is comprised of the leading manufacturers and distributors in the industrial hose and accessories business. As a group, they are focused on world-class instruction on all facets of hose safety and fabrication. Over the years, they have devoted themselves to cultivating an environment for collaboration, growth, and inter-company dialog with the hose industry.     The NAHAD-sponsored Hose Safety Institute represents distributors, manufacturers, and suppliers who share a passion for the industry. The Institute supports and promotes hose assembly safety, quality, and reliability through education, research, and collaboration through end-user forums. As a result of their efforts, NAHAD, and specifically HSI, have become the go-to expert organization when industry questions and needs arise.  Molly Alton Mullins, NAHAD Executive Vice President, commented: “We are so pleased that KYKLO has joined NAHAD… and that they will be attending our upcoming Annual Convention. This gathering brings together close to 1,000 industry professionals for four days of networking, educating, and learning about all the great services available in the industry and we love having the opportunity to introduce new companies to our membership base. Welcome, KYKLO!”  KYKLO currently serves several distributor members of the NAHAD group with our unique combination of enhanced product data and SEO-optimized eCommerce solutions . Joining this group allows KYKLO the opportunity to better understand some of the issues facing the industry. For manufacturers serving the hose and accessory business, establishing a relationship creates new and better strategies for driving digitalization within their businesses.  KYKLO looks forward to further engaging with members of the organization. Ryan Francis, KYKLO Managing Director had this to say of the NAHAD organization: “The hose and accessory market holds many of the same challenges faced by our existing client base. Customers are searching for the right product for their applications. Finding just the right product for their application requires information. Their first step in the buying decision revolves around a search of the internet. KYKLO is well positioned to help customers find the right product and the right company to buy the product.”  About KYKLO:  Headquartered in Buffalo, New York, KYKLO provides a state-of-the-technology solution to distributors and manufacturers via a cloud-based eCommerce platform. Unlike traditional suppliers who provide an unpopulated webshop and require the distributor to supply product data, KYKLO provides rich product data for over 5 million SKUs. Every KYKLO client receives in-depth guidance and ongoing coaching tied to engaging customers with their eCommerce platform. Additionally, they provide best practices for using the system for generating quotes and assisting inside salespeople in product selection. Learn more at: https://www.kyklo.co/nahad

Founded in 1902, the Industrial Supply Association (ISA) is the leading trade association for the industrial MROP industry. As the only organization connecting all partners within the industrial supply channel, ISA is dedicated to helping its members stay competitive and adapt to change. Providing the right tools, education, and networking opportunities is at the heart of its mission: “To lead the channel forward by delivering best-in-class education, networking, tools, and strategies to member companies, allowing them to leverage change and navigate the evolving channel with confidence.” This mission aligns perfectly with KYKLO’s purpose. Our company was created to help the industrial supply channel navigate the shift toward digital commerce. As customers increasingly demand online access to product information and purchasing, many manufacturers and distributors have struggled to keep up. That’s where KYKLO comes in KYKLO empowers businesses by providing enriched product data, built from scratch by a team of industry-experienced engineers. Our solutions include: Custom-built, enriched product content Data syndication for manufacturers Turnkey webstores for manufacturers and distributors A Strategic Partnership Joby Strobo, Director of Strategic Initiatives, is pleased by this announcement: “KYKLO’s participation in ISA provides access to the decision makers in manufacturing and distribution, and the ability to build meaningful relationships, cultivate clients and be part of a dynamic organization whose values closely align with our own.”  About KYKLO Headquartered in Buffalo, New York, KYKLO delivers a cutting-edge, cloud-based eCommerce solution designed for distributors and manufacturers. Unlike traditional providers that offer empty webstores, KYKLO supplies rich, structured product data —covering over 7 million SKUs—so businesses can get online fast and start selling effectively. Our clients also receive in-depth guidance and ongoing coaching to maximize their eCommerce success, from quote generation  to inside sales enablement . ➡️ Learn more: https://www.kyklo.co/isa

Fluid Power is the unheralded workhorse of the North American economy. An estimated 744 companies are involved in the manufacture of fluid power components. The products of those companies create a downstream economic impact affecting the lives of over 845,000 people and producing a payroll greater than $60 Billion. The National Fluid Power Association (NFPA) is a select group of 360 plus companies dedicated to the advancement of this industry. KYKLO is proud to announce they are now a part of this group.  KYKLO feels strongly about this membership. Fluid Power products are a part of nearly every industry segment. From construction and agricultural machinery to automotive equipment and beyond, Fluid Power products play a key role. We believe KYKLO brings expertise in digitalization to this important industry – helping customers discover sources for the right equipment.  KYKLO’s engineering team has manually created over 500,000 enriched product descriptions for the Fluid Power industry. This statistic uniquely qualifies KYKLO as the leading specialist in data for products represented by NFPA members.  “We at KYKLO are extremely excited to join NFPA. As a new member, we’re looking forward to forging longstanding business relationships and helping other members vastly exceed their digitization goals. We are confident that our new NFPA membership is the beginning of a journey that will be both highly productive and extremely enjoyable!”  About KYKLO:  Headquartered in Buffalo, New York, KYKLO provides a state-of-the-technology solution to distributors and manufacturers via a cloud-based eCommerce platform. Unlike traditional suppliers who provide an unpopulated webshop and require the distributor to supply product data, KYKLO provides rich product data for over 5 million SKUs.  Every KYKLO client receives in-depth guidance and ongoing coaching tied to engaging customers with their eCommerce platform. Additionally, they provide best practices for using the system for generating quotes and assisting inside salespeople in product selection.    Learn more:  https://www.kyklo.co/nfpa