Scenario
Hero Tools' Inventory Manager Lucas George is working with the customer service and product teams to implement order-related features in Optimizely Configured Commerce. He plans to integrate Configured Commerce with Hero's ERP solution but would like to understand how the Configured Commerce constructs work before completing the integration. Together with team members Charlotte Kent (Customer Service Manager) and Elizabeth Osero (Product Manager), Lucas works to learn about about Configured Commerce shipping, payment, and advanced order features before the project begins.
Shipping
Shipping in Configured Commerce manages how customer orders are packaged and sent. Connect Configured Commerce to live-rated services, use flat fees, or combine the two for a unique customer experience.
Hero Tools sells products in all shapes and sizes, from tiny, featherweight grinder replacement felt seals to table saws the size of a small car. These products need to be shipped, and Lucas must use the Configured Commerce order packager to determine shipping costs. Hero has three sizes of boxes it uses to ship products: Small (9"x9"), Medium (12"x12"), and Large (16"x16"). Lucas creates three packages in the order packager, entering the length, width, height, and weight each package can support. When a site visitor places an order, the system evaluates each order line and selects the appropriate package based on the product's length, width, height, and weight.
PunchOut
PunchOut is a way for your customers to integrate the Configured Commerce website into their procurement system. This allows them to continue using the procurement system's workflows but still use the Configured Commerce website for research and product information purposes.
List management
List management allows registered website users to create personal buying lists, share product lists with other users, and create and share product lists editable by multiple users.
Hero Tools customer Barriston Engineering has multiple projects occurring on multiple job sites simultaneously. This can make it tricky for Barriston's procurement team to know which products to purchase, when to purchase them, and where those products need to go. Charlotte speaks with Barriston's Head of Procurement, Daniel Anderson, and recommends Daniel introduce the Configured Commerce Lists feature to his team. Charlotte and Daniel work together to create lists for each job site, and he shares each list with the job site's approved buyers. Approved buyers at each job site can add products to their collaborative list, and Daniel can review and add a list to his cart and check out at his leisure, confident that he is purchasing exactly what that team needs.
Requisitions
The Configured Commerce Requisitions feature allows customers to aggregate a list of products and purchase them all at once. This feature works along with the Requisitioner website user role to allow unqualified buyers to search for and request products but not make a purchase.
Like Barriston Engineering, Hero Tools customer HL Homes has multiple housing projects running simultaneously. Since all the houses they build are very similar, HL purchases a large quantity of a narrow range of products multiple times a year. To save money, HL contacts Charlotte, looking for a way to place fewer orders and possibly receive a discount for purchasing in bulk. Charlotte speaks with Lucas and Elizabeth, as well as Barriston's Sales Rep, and recommends activating the Requisitions feature. HL's Administrator creates several Requisitioner users, and assigns all of them the same approver. Each Requisitioner user may add items to their cart and submit the cart for approval. The designated approver collects the line items from all the carts and places one large order, receiving their requested bulk discount.
Request for quote
Request for Quote (RFQ) allows users to ask their company sales rep for a price or discount on one or multiple products. Products can be flagged as RFQ Required, or users may request a quote on any products they wish.
Hero Tools recently began experimenting with a new line of table saws. These saws are comprised of multiple configurable options, such as table size, drive belt system, storage drawers, product warranty, and blades. Because the saws have many selectable parts at different price points, Elizabeth determines it would be best to create one table saw record with the configuration options listed and mark the item as Quote Required on its Details tab. Users interested in the saw must request a quote for the item before they can purchase it, allowing their Hero sales rep to reach out and make sure they receive a table saw that is configured to their exact specifications.
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