Case Study: Northwest Pump

The Challenge: A Clunky, Non-User-Friendly Website

Northwest Pump had partnered with a large global software provider for its B2B eCommerce platform. Unfortunately, the vendor consistently overpromised and underdelivered.

“The old software was clunky on the back end and difficult to use on the front end,” said Missy Stearns, director of marketing at NWP. “The site was constantly down or under construction, which made it hard for our customers to navigate.”

Northwest Pump was also managing a public B2C eCommerce site that came with a recent company acquisition. On the B2C platform, provided by a different vendor, products had to be uploaded manually because the site wasn’t able to integrate with Northwest Pump’s ERP.

Ultimately, Stearns and the team set out to find a new eCommerce platform that could integrate easily with the ERP on both the B2B and B2C sites, as well as offer an intuitive backend for staff, and an easy shopping experience for customers.

The Solution: A Single Partner for B2B and B2C eCommerce sites

Already familiar with Channel Software, NWP still did its due diligence. “We talked to Channel’s customers and they all said the ERP integration went seamlessly. That really stood out to us compared to other vendors we considered,” said Stearns.  

Northwest Pump chose Channel Software’s CSX eCommerce platform for its B2B and B2C websites. Built for modern distributors and manufacturers that want to grow and scale their business, the Channel Software platform is a responsive, flexible and easy-to-use solution that seamlessly integrates eCommerce with any ERP system.

“It was great to have a single partner for both the B2B and B2C site, especially because we had a very fast timeline of going live in three months,” explained Stearns.  

The Result: “Huge” Growth

Northwest Pump is now live with robust B2B and B2C websites, and sales have increased 46% on the B2C site and 38% on the B2B site year-over-year. As of the middle of this year, the company is well ahead of where it hoped to be by December.

“These are huge numbers for us and it’s exciting to see the growth,” said Stearns.

A B2B website that shines

The B2B eCommerce site from Channel Software provides an easy shopping and checkout experience for customers. With a smooth ERP integration, customers have visibility into real-time inventory counts at each warehouse, giving them a better understanding of when they can expect a product to be delivered.

“It was really easy to train customers on the website,” reported Stearns. “It has a lot of functionality, like letting customers create a new ship-to address or live order tracking…that’s been huge and has helped cut down on questions like, ‘Where’s my order?’ On the back end, our employees can easily build out new accounts and manage the overall site.”

An optimized B2C website

The ERP integration with the B2C eCommerce site has eliminated the need for employees to manually upload inventory each morning. Instead, they can focus more time on customer-facing initiatives.

In addition, Channel Software worked closely with NWP’s marketing agency to ensure the B2C site was optimized for search, as well as integrated with tools such as Google Shopping Ads to promote the website.

Stellar support

Northwest Pump has been delighted with the personal and responsive service from the Channel Software team. Unlike large global vendors that require formal tickets or requests for help, Stearns appreciates picking up the phone and directly talking with her contacts at Channel Software.

“Our account manager was so easy to get in touch with,” she said. “He put in a lot of hours on our project and really went to bat for us. If something wasn’t possible, the Channel Software team was upfront and transparent about it. With Channel Software, we always get the straight story.”