Building E-Commerce Around How Customers Buy w/ Tim Roenicke and Beth Bauer of Fullerton Tool Company | IMC Live

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When Fullerton Tool started down the e-commerce path, they weren’t trying to build a custom platform. They were trying to solve customer problems.

In this episode, Beth Bauer and Tim Roenicke share how a website that initially focused on inventory visibility and product search gradually evolved into a business-critical tool for quoting, ordering, customer service and distributor support.

One of the most interesting parts of the conversation is how often customer behavior shaped the direction of development. Search functionality led to quoting. Quoting led to new workflows. Distributor feedback led to new features. Internal teams began using the same tools customers were using. Over time, the platform became less about e-commerce and more about removing friction from the buying process.

We discuss:

• The lessons learned from an early failed attempt at e-commerce

• Why product search became the foundation for everything else

• How instant quoting helped speed up sales conversations

• The importance of customer feedback loops

• Why some distributors embraced the platform while others resisted it

• The realities of supporting a custom system in-house

• What manufacturers should consider before deciding to build or buy

This is a conversation about e-commerce, but it’s really a conversation about understanding customers and designing digital experiences around the way they actually work.

ABOUT IMC LIVE

IMC Live is the interactive webinar series from the Industrial Marketing Collective — created for marketers at manufacturing companies. Each session is designed to help you connect with peers, sharpen your skills and drive measurable results in your work.