B2B perfected A
lot of people in consumer direct commerce have little knowledge of how their B2B counterparts
operate. They may have seen office supplies or tradespeople’s catalogues, might have tripped across catering products catalogues, or perhaps bought products for their own businesses to use, but I’ll wager that few have looked to the B2B sector for inspiration. Yet beautifully executed B2B direct commerce is direct commerce at its targeted best.
When asked for examples I invariably find myself gravitating towards International Dance Supplies and Ironmongery Direct. Both are UK-owned businesses whereas many of the B2B brands operating here in the UK are subsidiaries of European or US groups. Both were founded and built over years by homegrown entrepreneurs who know their markets inside out and back to front. Both businesses remain independently owned and International Dance Supplies is, as its name suggests, trading all over the world and making strong inroads into the direct commerce heartland, the USA. Ironmongery Direct competes with and competes well against the very much larger Screwfix Direct business which, as most know, has all the support of a major group behind it.
So what makes these two entrepreneurial businesses stand out? In any successful B2B scenario it is the business which has the right products at the right price and which can deliver
at the right time, on time, every time that differentiates the winners from the also-rans. It is depth of range and the product knowledge. It is the complete understanding of what the customer needs to be able operate his/her own business professionally and successfully.
These two businesses could not be further apart when it comes to the sectors they serve yet they share many qualities, not least their commitment to providing a top quality service to their customers. International Dance Supplies’ customers are the proprietors of dance schools ordering costumes and accessories for their pupils, for use in examinations and for the stage shows they present. The range has to be seen to be believed. Headed by a former dance school owner who remains as passionate about her business today as she did when she launched it over 30 years ago, the business is as agile as the dancers it clothes. In addition to its catalogue marketing programmes, web and digital marketing, its team exhibits at its sector trade shows in the UK and overseas and is even launching its own conference for dance teachers this year. What the International Dance Supplies team does not know about the needs of its customers can be written on a pin head. There isn’t a member of its team who hasn’t been given opportunities to undertake training and the culture is geared towards facilitating and rewarding personal development which enthuses the team, engenders loyalty and results in outstanding customer service.
ironmongerydirect.co.uk
Ironmongery Direct was launched more or less at the same time as International Dance Supplies with a product range aimed squarely at tradespeople. Again, it is depth of range and product knowledge that stands out here. Arguably anyone can sell door closures or packs of screws. Many of the DIY retail sheds do. But if it is quality you want, a specification you need to adhere to, a choice of finish and ultra swift delivery, you’d find it very hard indeed to beat Ironmongery Direct. The business is still expanding despite the downturn in the construction sector and has greatly extended its range. With
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informative catalogues, a robust website and a very well trained call/contact centre team, many tradespeople depend on Ironmongery Direct to deliver the right products for each contract – slap bang on time and at a competitive price. Like its competitors, Ironmongery Direct also attracts consumers buying for DIY projects along with facilities managers and those employed in buildings maintenance. One of the keys to Ironmongery Direct’s success is the customer loyalty it has developed. In this huge sector it never forgets that its customers have many options open to them – from the trade counters operated by major builders merchant chains, through to the large chains of DIY products retailers, right down to the local, if now rare,hardware store. All competing particularly on price and working hard to attract independent contractors and tradespeople from all disciplines.
Yet even with all this competition Ironmongery Direct is holding its own and achieving the kind of growth that others envy. With the future of the UK subsidiaries of certain major US owned builders merchant chains hanging in the balance, the smart money is on Ironmongery Direct, which will undoubtedly “mop up” as regional trade counters get closed and the customers seek a new reliable supplier. Jane Revell-Higgins
ecmod DIRECT COMMERCE YEAR BOOK 2011
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