A Win/Win Solution A division of a multimillion-dollar manufacturing company on the West Coast wanted to increase its brand recognition among 700 North American resellers. The division tried several approaches, including co-op advertising, signage, point-of-purchase displays and direct marketing. Conrad Marquard and Bob Workman, co-owners of Tigard, Ore.-based Proforma Spectrum Print Graphics, an affiliate of Cleveland-based distributor franchise network Proforma, provided a value-added solution that would benefit the manufacturing company and its resellers. The distributorship offered co-branded promotional products through a web-based company store. "The co-branding would provide a real value to the resellers and would differentiate us from our competition," Marquard says. "The challenge was to find the right technology to handle this project." Co-Owner Doug Hobbs assessed available e-commerce systems and chose Minneapolis-based supplier Four51 Inc. for its "versatility, particularly on the print side, and its ability to interface directly with our plants," he says. The manufacturing company's division chose Proforma Spectrum Print Graphics and Four51, then established a project plan that resulted in a custom online store launched in January 2005. The division's resellers log into Four51's site via a link on their intranet homepage to purchase apparel, mugs, gloves, caps, knives and pens. Each reseller visits a customized web site, inputs its username and password, and clicks on "Logon." A screen with thumbnail images of promotional products appears. The reseller clicks on either the image or name of the promotional product (for example, "Drinkware"), and a screen displays various styles such as 16-oz. classic, 20-oz. wide body, 52-oz. mug and a stainless steel travel mug. To order the 16-oz. classic cup, the dealer clicks on its image or name, and a screen displays two styles: a division-branded cup and a customizable one, along with their descriptions and prices. To order a customizable cup, the reseller clicks on "Home," then on "Upload Dealer Logo/Imprint." The reseller inputs its logo, enters the product ID and quantity, and clicks on "Add To Order." A screen lists order details, and the reseller continues shopping or clicks on "Check Out." The technology has been a winner for the manufacturer, the reseller and the distributorship. "Before using the system, the manufacturer didn't have a lot of brand exposure at the resellers' level," Marquard says. "Not only do they get exposure, it's almost become a profit center for them." Resellers benefit because they easily can advertise and promote themselves. "If you provide functional items with high perceived value, you'll get advertising exposure that has staying power," he says. "That's putting your marketing dollars to work for you." Marquard says for his company, "The technology gets us tied in with hundreds of users. We can reach out to hundreds of users, which we weren't able to do before." The system also offers a high level of personalization for both print and promotional products, a feature not found in many e-commerce solutions, he says. "You can add logos, images to print and promotional products, and that makes it so dynamic," he says. "We also found it reasonable from a cost standpoint. It's manageable and you can customize the look and feel of the web site, and it's user-friendly." Offering e-commerce ensures customer loyalty, Marquard says. "When customers use e-commerce, they also invest in the technology, and generally stay with you," he says. "I feel that if we don't look for a better solution, our competitors will. There’s huge value for distributors in a system like Four51 because it can be enhanced to offer a variety of products and services, including one-to-one marketing, and print and promotional products." Have a solution? Click here to be featured as an E-Weekly Solution of the Week