OroCommerce and Allianz Trade have partnered to provide a powerful B2B eCommerce solution with integrated eCommerce credit insurance. We sat down with Laurent Desprez, Executive VP and GM Europe at OroCommerce and Liesse Houari, Head of Digital Distribution at Allianz Trade, to find out more about the partnership and the opportunities it has unlocked.
Can you please introduce Oro and tell us about your products?
Laurent Desprez (L.D.): Founded twelve years ago, Oro Inc., is a developer behind OroCommerce, a B2B-focused commerce platform that enables complex sales processes for manufacturers, wholesalers, and distributors. Our B2B eCommerce platform comes with market-leading features and capabilities such as self-service tools, workflow automation, intelligent marketing tools, powerful reporting, and segmentation. Our customers are B2B organizations across various sectors, from building materials to fast-moving consumer goods.
What are the main challenges your organization is facing?
L.D.: Growing B2B companies need the tools to match their goals, and we strive to refine our eCommerce platform to meet their specific needs and expectations– from those moving to online trade for the first time to those that want to expand and strengthen their online architecture to drive operational efficiency. We think making a product tailored for B2B online selling, instead of one-size-fits-all or ones designed for B2C shopping, is what we’re really good at.
B2B companies have completely different needs and trade practices compared to B2C: from the products themselves to the pricing mechanisms, payment processes, KYC checks, and inventory and logistics management. To give a concrete example, there’s a world of difference between buying one notebook, ten notebooks, and ten pallets’ worth of notebooks. Each scenario requires payment processing systems and logistics structures that meet the seller’s and buyer’s needs.
Can you tell us more about the partnership between Allianz Trade and Oro?
Liesse Houari (L.H.): We’re a global company, and we want to support companies in different markets, regardless of size, sector or country. Our solution empowers B2B online checkout to offer customers instant payment terms and enables us to serve a wide range of businesses, and we are very happy to have it embedded in the OroCommerce solution. With our credit analysis and instantaneous credit assessment available to integrate in eCommerce platforms, we are a one-stop shop for B2B specialists such as OroCommerce that want to add flexible payment capabilities in their solutions. Our colleagues at OroCommerce are always responsive and ready to grow and innovate together.
L.D.: Allianz Trade reached out to us at a trade fair, and we have worked in partnership ever since. We provide the eCommerce platform and they bring the eCommerce credit insurance capability at checkout, which allows our customers to provide flexible payment terms.
We’ve teamed up to bring together our strengths: our technical solutions that address our customers’ needs and challenges, and Allianz Trade contributing its payment expertise. By combining our solutions, we’re providing our customers with the top B2B eCommerce solution available, including deferred payment options, which are crucial for this market.
What does this partnership bring to your clients?
L.D.: Providing credit assessment and quick decisions on payment terms has several benefits. Let me break it down for you. It gives companies, especially those wary of online selling, the confidence to offer payment options to customers, knowing that transactions are backed by a reputable insurer like Allianz Trade.
It also automates processes like customer verification and registration, improving the user experience, saving time, and boosting efficiency. Additionally, it enables buyers to purchase larger quantities at reduced costs, thereby increasing their profits. Overall, it offers a significant competitive advantage to companies looking to expand their online sales without facing any risks.
L.H.: Our partnership gives us invaluable insight into B2B online payment behaviors, since OroCommerce’s points of contact with their customers are different to ours (ours are credit managers; theirs are in sales, marketing, digital, and IT roles). This data and these different perspectives help us enhance our credit intelligence, which will benefit our common customers as it will help us to grow our predictive capabilities and thus increase the efficiency of our coverage.
According to you, what are Allianz Trade’s main strengths?
L.D.: Even though Allianz Trade is a global company, we have a dedicated team and point of contact. We always know who to talk to, and appreciate the responsiveness of our partners. Their technology is pretty unique on the market, their expertise is undeniable and we’re glad to have embedded their solution in our platform. We truly feel that we are building something together, and that our values are aligned. I’m convinced that this partnership will benefit many companies in such a fast-changing economic and business landscape.
A word to conclude?
L.D.: I think we have a lot in common with our colleagues at Allianz Trade, and that is essential to enhancing our products and provide market-leading B2B eCommerce solutions. The sky’s the limit!
L.H.: Our partnership was in discussion for some time and we are thrilled that it’s underway and exceeding our expectations. The biggest beneficiaries are our customers!
