OXID Commons 2016: E-Commerce for Manufacturers & Producers
Industry 4.0 was one of the top topics at OXID Commons 2016. The future of industry and the entry of the manufacturing sector into e-commerce play an important role here - not only in relation to the OXID shop software. In addition to trading in online shops, selling on marketplaces can also be promising. Central multi-channel e-commerce management plays a crucial role here.
"Digital with Morals" was the headline of an impressive keynote speech at OXID Commons 2016. Speaker Wolfgang Grupp, managing director and owner of Trigema, proved in his presentation that e-commerce is a key success factor for the manufacturing industry. The right e-commerce strategy makes a company competitive and may clarify the question of whether it can afford to produce in Germany or whether it has to relocate its production facilities abroad.
Grupp, a full-blooded entrepreneur, produces in Germany. In addition to an OXID eShop, he uses online marketplaces such as Amazon or eBay as a sales channel. This allows Trigema to reach its customers wherever they are. After all, marketplaces such as Amazon, eBay & Co. are becoming increasingly popular with consumers. Extensive product ranges, sophisticated search mechanisms and short delivery times score points in everyday online shopping. Brand manufacturers such as Trigema can benefit from this. Online shoppers search for products specifically on marketplaces - often using brand filters. In addition, Amazon or eBay, for example, offer the option of offering products on brand shops within the platform. Here, manufacturers have the opportunity to present their product range on the marketplace with their own company CI and logo.
Online marketplaces are an ideal way for producers to enter the B2C business directly and bypass the usual distribution channels via intermediaries. This increases margins and increases profits - provided the expansion is based on efficient e-commerce management. Companies that want to take this step should rely on intelligent e-commerce middleware. This controls the sale of products on various online marketplaces - and possibly also in online shops - from a central system. Channel-specific preparation of product data, rule-based distribution of products in the sales channels and sophisticated ordering and inventory logic significantly simplify complex online trading. Despite increasing sales figures, e-commerce remains clear and efficient.
In addition to the textile manufacturer Trigema, producers from other industries are already on a successful multichannel e-commerce course and can keep their production facilities in their own country. The Swiss cookware manufacturer Kuhn Rikon is implementing its multichannel strategy with internationally oriented OXID online shops. Kuhn Rikon uses the brickfox software for efficient e-commerce management. Using brickfox, sales in numerous online shops and also on marketplaces can be centrally managed - an optimal basis for far-reaching expansion ... and for securing the production location in Switzerland. In this sense, OXID eSales and brickfox Multichannel E-Commerce are making their contribution to "Digital with Morality".
>> Further information on OXID online shops in connection with brickfox.