Today’s shoppers, shaped by B2C e-commerce, have high expectations for online stores. As such, we are going to great lengths to ensure that the default OroCommerce theme is both clear and efficient, without neglecting any of the necessary features of an online B2B store. It is important to mention again that we are making sure the default theme will be fully customizable to fit any business processes and brand needs, as well as ensure the most efficient “working place” as the customer progresses through the purchasing process.
In our previous blog, Show Me the Theme, we focused on the distinct navigation menu along with the importance of clean visuals, aesthetics, usability, efficiency, and the home page. In this post, we will focus our discussion on the product catalog.
Catalog
A business buyer usually purchases goods and services for multiple departments and business units simultaneously. To accommodate for this unique B2B commerce need and increase productivity, we are going to introducing a few concepts.
The first is a toggle view that allows the buyer to switch between a view with multiple image information, a list view with images, and a list view without images. This feature accommodates a faster scroll and allows the buyer to review products that do not require extensive merchandising assets, such as nuts, hinges, screws, and bolts, faster.
The second concept is a shopping list. The B2B buyer would be able to create a shopping list, or multiple shopping lists, for each business unit in the organization and assign it to the appropriate cost center. The buyer will be able to view the different price lists including MSRP, list price, and his own special price. Through the catalog page, the buyer will also be able to add products to a list, edit a list, transfer products from one list to another, and more.
OroCommerce’s default theme will introduce a clean and easy-to-read product catalog, both for customers who are merely scanning and for those who want in-depth information. Important information like discounts, new products, and other special offers will be prominently displayed for the customer to take notice. The left-hand collapsible navigation bar, product display toggle, and “sticky” header will allow B2B buyers to curate their view, easily sort search results based on product attributes such as manufacturer, color, and size, and quickly find the product they are looking for and the information they need. Moreover, the customer will be able to add products to the shopping list and request a quote without leaving the page.
Product images and other digital assets would be displayed alongside pertinent information such as shipping time, inventory level, rating, and price (which may include the listed price, the MSRP, and the customized price, if applicable), providing the customer with all the information he needs to proceed with the purchasing journey. If the information in the product catalog is not sufficient, the customer could easily navigate to the product page for more specific and detailed information.
We will continue to discuss other elements and pages of the default theme and bring you more exciting news about OroCommerce and its capabilities! For now, follow these instructions to install the Alpha release, or simply try the public demo.
As always, we would love to get feedback along the way through either GitHub, email, or the OroCommerce forum.
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