B2B Modernization: Bringing Industrial Expertise to Digital Commerce

An established player in Québec’s hydraulics, pneumatics and industrial automation sector for more than 50 years, Groupe EP embarked on an ambitious digital transformation to complement its existing sales model, built on human expertise and customer relationships, with an online purchasing experience. Designed to support its teams and give customers greater autonomy, this modern, high-performing and scalable commerce ecosystem reflects the expertise and personalized support that define Groupe EP’s reputation.

Groupe EP’s teams typically assist customers with orders by phone or email, following a consultative approach in which expertise and personalized service play a central role. To anticipate evolving B2B buyer expectations, Groupe EP wanted to enhance this approach by giving customers an additional option to place certain orders more easily and quickly, independently and at any time. Customers can browse products, check availability, access detailed technical specifications and make purchases whenever it suits them. For Groupe EP, the challenge was to create an online purchasing experience that could support long-term growth while preserving the value of its technical expertise, going beyond simply digitizing its catalog.

With Novatize’s support, Groupe EP modernized its digital ecosystem through an Adobe Commerce platform integrated with SAP Business One by MAGB1. Designed to meet B2B commerce requirements, the solution makes a complex technical catalog more accessible, simplifies purchasing processes and provides the capabilities needed to support an efficient, self-service and scalable customer experience.

The objective was to bring Groupe EP’s established service quality online while giving buyers greater autonomy in their day-to-day operations. Beyond technology modernization, the project aimed to deliver practical improvements to the B2B buying experience. Several features were deployed to simplify daily operations for both customers and Groupe EP’s team:

• Multi-account management with an account selector:Buyers can quickly switch between different entities, branches or departments within a single session. This feature simplifies order management for major accounts and organizations with complex structures.
• Catalog with bulk add-to-cart functionality:The catalog view allows customers to select multiple products and add them to their cart in a single action. This efficiency gain is particularly relevant in industrial purchasing, where orders often include several technical components.
• Customer reference display:The platform supports SKU number display and search, making items easier to identify and reducing the risk of errors.
• Requisition lists:Customers can create lists of frequently ordered products to speed up purchases for maintenance, recurring projects or regular replenishment.
• Complementary products and targeted recommendations:Teams can manually manage suggested products to guide customers toward the complementary components needed for their installations or technical assemblies.
• Purchase order number validation:A required purchase order number field was added to the checkout process to accommodate B2B organizations’ approval workflows and accounting requirements.
• Credit limit notifications:Using data from SAP Business One, the platform can display warnings related to a customer’s credit limit, providing greater visibility before the transaction is completed.

Groupe EP now has a modern eCommerce platform designed to meet the needs of the industrial sector, with the technology foundations required to support its long-term growth. This transformation has delivered tangible benefits for both internal teams and customers. Key improvements include:

• Centralized product data:Product information is structured and unified, supporting a more consistent experience across touchpoints.
• Reduced administrative workload:Straightforward orders can now be processed directly online, freeing teams to focus on higher-value activities.
• Greater customer autonomy:B2B buyers gain flexibility through round-the-clock access to their products, pricing, accounts and commercial terms.
• Scalable, compliant platform:The new infrastructure provides a sound, secure foundation that complies with Québec’s Law 25 requirements while supporting Groupe EP’s digital growth ambitions for the years ahead.