Online Shopping

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Date: 03.05.22
The last two years have been very challenging. Covid-19 affected every corner of the planet and, alongside health precautions and risks, everyonehad to find new ways to communicate and work together.-By Kostas Kosmidis
Ensure
TO ENSURE CONTINUOUS GROWTH,

companies around the globe are prioritizing digital transformation. As a result of this, the importance of eCommerce in business-to-business (B2B) relations is increasing.


Fast and easy procurement

One vital role of a B2B eCommerce platform is its ability to provide existing customers with an additional channel to independently order goods and manage their stock without the need for personal interaction. In the pandemic, this offered health and safety benefits, but for the long term it is an effective and convenient way to do business.


While B2B eCommerce growth is not comparable to business to-consumer (B2C) growth, it does follow the same trends. Both sellers and buyers see a positive impact coming from digitalization.

With its Seals-Shop offering, Trelleborg Sealing Solutions gives customers in different locations and industries an online solution for fast and easy procurement of high-performance solutions. Products ship directly from Trelleborg’s Logistics Centers, ensuring quick delivery.

An expanding portfolio

Developed six years ago, the Industrial Seals-Shop gives European customers an additional way to purchase seals alongside the traditional channels. In the shop, they have access to their product portfolio, including customized parts, as well as individual pricing and payment conditions.

“Due to the continuous development of the online store and the growth of eCommerce in B2B, the turnover in the Seals-Shop has tripled since 2020”
-CHRISTIAN PACHUR,
Manager Distribution & Online Sales, Channel Management Distribution Europe at Trelleborg Sealing Solutions.

ACCOMPANYING THE DIGITAL CUSTOMER JOURNEY

We are starting to see a broad shift in how we interact with technology, toward something referred to as the metaverse, a network of 3D virtual worlds focused on social connection. Research company, Gartner, anticipates that by 2026, 25% of people will spend at least one hour a day in the Metaverse for work, shopping, education, social media and/or entertainment.

B2B

Most B2B seller interactions have moved to remote or digital

"How would you currently interact with sales reps from your company's suppliers during the following stages of interactions?"

The latest release, a new Custom Seal Selector, gives users the ability to order standard seals in custom dimensions to meet unique application needs. The tool offers a wide
selection of industry-standard sealing profiles for static and linear applications. These can combine with a variety of different Zurcon® engineered plastic and elastomer materials.

Christian Pachur, Manager Distribution & Online Sales, Channel Management Distribution Europe at Trelleborg Sealing Solutions, has witnessed the value of eCommerce  firsthand. "Due to the continuous development of the online store and the growth of eCommerce in B2B, the turnover in the Seals-Shop has tripled since 2020.

“Last year we launched the Marine Seals-Shop to meet the specific needs of the shipping and marine industry. Integrated within the existing store, the Marine Seals-Shop expands the portfolio, giving customers access to a full range of Orkot® composite bearings. The next store updates will expand the product portfolio even more, integrate new online services and further improve the user experience!"

Development by region and country

For North American customers, a couple of industry-specific shops provide 24/7 self-service for manufacturing and maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) customers.

In 2020, the Chemical Transportation Seals-Shop launched, enabling customers to purchase repair kits and individual components for valves and other applications critical to the function of chemical transport tank cars, trucks and ISO containers. Following this was the Fluid Power Seals-Shop, which simplifies the procurement process by facilitating
online ordering of O-Rings and standard sealing solutions for hydraulic applications.


In 2020, Trelleborg Sealing Solutions launched a self-service portal for customers in India, which, in its first phase, serves a selected set of 80 existing customers. The portal, which was almost six months in the making, meets the specific needs of the Indian market and the customers registered to the platform, who now conduct all their business online.

[No text in field]“We see the self-service portal as an extension of our services toward customers, alongside more traditional ordering formats.”
ROHIT NAIR, 
Head of Marketing & Communications for Trelleborg Sealing Solutions in India

... and that's exactly what customers want.

"How would you prefer to interact with sales reps from your company's suppliers during the following stages of interactions?"
Cust

~70–80 % of B2B decision makers prefer remote human interactions or digital selfservice3


Why?

  • Ease of scheduling
  • Savings on travel expenses
  • Safety

Rohit Nair, Head of Marketing & Communications for Trelleborg Sealing Solutions in India, explains the idea behind their portal: “We see the self-service portal as an extension
of our services toward customers, alongside more traditional ordering formats. The fully automated order to dispatch streamlines internal processes and gives us the ability to
scale up use of the platform in the future.


“After receiving positive feedback from customers, we’re planning to expand use of the portal to customers in other regions and in other industries. As a second step, we want
to further develop the platform to handle new inquiries and processes, connecting it to existing lead management processes. While the eCommerce journey for India has only
just begun, we are very excited to follow its growth.”

 

Accompanying the digital customer journey

B2B eCommerce will play a vital role in the digital transformation of more and more companies. The ability to operate in a virtual environment, reduces costs, while offering sellers and buyers a new channel to easily conduct business. Integration of Product Information Management (PIM), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems, is crucial to providing customers with the best service possible and maximizing business benefits.


With its set of eCommerce portals for customers in different regions across the globe, Trelleborg Sealing Solutions has laid a good foundation for continuous innovation accompanying and enabling the customer in their digital journey.

ecom
NEW FLUID POWER SEALS-SHOP

In December 2021, Trelleborg Sealing Solutions launched the Fluid Power Seals-Shop. Available to customers in North America, the Seals-Shop is an online solution for fast and easy procurement of high-performance seals and wear rings critical to the function of hydraulic components in fluid power applications.

 

The 24/7 self-service platform for manufacturing and maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) customers, enables them to place orders for a wide range of standard products, such as rod and piston seals, scrapers, wear rings, and AS568 O-Rings.

 

Products ship directly from Trelleborg’s Logistics Centers, ensuring quick delivery. Customers can easily search for products and access their invoice payment, order history, and shipment tracking, all from the Seals-Shop.

 

Michael Cook, Global Segment Director, Off-Highway and Marketing Americas Segment Manager, Fluid Power, says: “Quality Trelleborg seals for a variety of hydraulic components are in stock and ready to ship using the Seals-Shop. With the many challenges manufacturing and MRO customers face today, this self-service ordering platform saves valuable time, so they can focus on the things that matter most to their business.”


Shop online for seals now:
 https://www.fluidpowersealsshop.com