A stable site in 60 days. Then double-digit growth.
First Supply, founded in 1897, is the single-source supplier many Midwestern contractors rely on for plumbing, HVAC, municipal, waterworks, well and septic, builder PVF, and industrial supplies. It knew eCommerce would be central to continuing that legacy.
A basic site inside the ERP
First Supply had a simple website hosted within its ERP, with minimal features and little engagement from customers. It needed more attention and a faster pace than its previous provider offered.
"With our previous provider, we felt like we were just one company in a pool of other clients. We weren't getting any attention or progress at the level that we wanted."
Using Optimizely B2B Configured Commerce, First Supply set out to improve stability and performance, increase eCommerce sales, drive OSR adoption, enhance promotions, streamline credit processing, improve order history, connect to a new cloud-based ERP, and add a customer nurturing program.
Stabilize first, then build together
- 1
Get stable quickly
Within the first 60 days, Layer One stabilized the site and improved the connection to the cloud-based ERP.
- 2
Add features collaboratively
Over the following months, the remaining features went live, with both teams developing what each one could be.
- 3
Keep looking ahead
A strategic roadmap continues to bring First Supply's vision to light and gives it foresight into the short and long term.
- Product data quality toolsProduct analysis to enrich data and improve search, which led to the first version of Product Workbench.
- Cross-sell and upsellA custom connection to First Supply's inriver PIM and enhanced cross-sell and upsell features.
- Delivery trackingDQ Technologies integration with delivery dates, delivery photos, and signature capture.
- Custom promotionsRules for multiple free products or giveaways based on purchase, plus a raffle entry engine.
- Product end-of-life supportGuides buyers to new part numbers when a product can no longer be purchased.
- Custom order importImports orders from ServiceTitan by spreadsheet, and can also read orders from other third-party tools and ERPs.
Faster work and customers who noticed
- Greater speed to market. Layer One increased speed to market and helped deliver double-digit eCommerce growth during the first couple of years.
- A site users like. First Supply's website has a 9/10 rating, and one user said, "This is like Christmas!"
"Do it — that's the best advice I could give. Obviously, do your research and compare companies, but also have full confidence in Layer One's vision and strategic thinking."
"Thanks to Layer One, we've been able to work faster than we've ever worked in the past. Our website has a 9/10 rating, and we wouldn't be where we are now without them."