Ewweb Com Sites Ewweb com Files Uploads 2015 09 Affiliated Distributors 200
Ewweb Com Sites Ewweb com Files Uploads 2015 09 Affiliated Distributors 200
Ewweb Com Sites Ewweb com Files Uploads 2015 09 Affiliated Distributors 200
Ewweb Com Sites Ewweb com Files Uploads 2015 09 Affiliated Distributors 200
Ewweb Com Sites Ewweb com Files Uploads 2015 09 Affiliated Distributors 200

AD Bolsters eCommerce Offering with Unilog Partnership

Oct. 2, 2015
Affiliated Distributors, Wayne, Pa., has made a major investment in its member companies’ abilities to compete in e-commerce through a new partnership with the Unilog to provide product data for its AD eContent Service program.
Affiliated Distributors, Wayne, Pa., has made a major investment in its member companies’ abilities to compete in e-commerce through a new partnership with the Unilog to provide product data for its AD eContent Service program. This program includes a comprehensive content management solution with a shared Master eCatalog and Web Portal, along with member Specific Sub-Catalog and Store Front options.

Bill Weisberg, AD’s chairman and CEO, said in a press release, “Independent wholesale distributors’ battle for a level playing field must be fought anywhere that nationals are able to use their size and leverage to create a competitive advantage for themselves to the potential detriment of independents. And one place that this battle must clearly be engaged and fought is on the Internet.

“We have full-time staff members working inside AD specifically to support e-commerce for our members, we have active engagements with business partners and consultants, and we are making direct investments alongside our AD members for the express purpose of helping the AD Independents compete and win on the Internet. This includes eContent production, paid search demand generation and the purchase of licenses and technology. Our model is member-defined because we believe that distributors understand better than anyone how products should be organized (taxonomy) and what pieces of data are the most important about the products (attributes).”

 The AD Industrial Division has undertaken and funded the build out of two million product SKUs and marketing content and maintenance to support them on an ongoing basis. The AD Electrical and Pipe, Valve & Fittings Divisions are revising the e-commerce initiatives they started several years ago to follow this model so that all seven AD divisions can leverage the group’s multi-Divisional economies of scale and share ongoing production costs and content.

Ed Crawford, president of AD’s Electrical Division, said in the press release, “This is a game changer for our members. Current data sources in the electrical industry lack consistency across suppliers as well as the marketing content needed to support a good e-commerce solution. There are a lot of people out there addressing this need for good e-content on their own – working to build a database that reflects their needs. But what they are finding is this is an incredible undertaking. Just getting the data in the format needed and keeping it current requires dedicated resources. However, working together we can build a cost effective solution for our members.”

To implement the program, AD has strategically partnered with Unilog, a global technology company specializing in e-commerce and enriched product catalogs for the B2B marketplace to provide its CIMM2 platform to its members. 

 Suchit Bachalli, President of Unilog North America, said in the press release, “We believe this is a watershed moment in wholesale distribution. When you look at the collective power that AD brings, this program is going to have a meaningful impact on the entire industry. We’re very pleased to be partnering with AD to deliver this program to its members, helping them to achieve a superior e-commerce presence. Our platform, CIMM2, is uniquely designed to address the host of complex integration challenges that wholesale distributors often face when deploying an online storefront, hindering them from competing in a digital world. By providing the right tools and technology, we want to help these businesses eliminate the boundaries prohibiting them from making e-commerce a reality.”

 Electrical Marketing newsletter will provide more details on this initiative in its next issue.