Frequently Asked Questions
We solve challenges in connecting ERP to eCommerce to B2B customers and manage eOrders and eInvoices between them.
We can imagine you and your vendor have questions, please find FAQ and answers below and feel free to contact us.
PunchOut, also known as cXML Punchout, Procurement Punchout, and OCI Roundtrip, is a widely used protocol in the e-Procurement industry. It allows for secure online shopping and ordering between e-Commerce platforms (such as Magento, Woo, Shopify, Episerver, Prestashop, Big Commerce, OpenCart, Oro Commerce, etc.) and e-Procurement systems (such as Coupa, SAP Ariba, Workday, Oracle, Jaggaer, iValua, Birchstreet, SAP SRM, etc.). This protocol has been around for over two decades and is now supported by all e-Procurement and ERP systems. By using PunchOut, your customers can easily and securely purchase products from your e-Commerce website using their preferred e-Procurement system.
If your customer, the buying organization, is asking for PunchOut, it’s because they are implementing an e-Procurement system to order products online from suppliers like you. This system requires that they can automatically log in to your e-Commerce website from their e-Procurement system, view your website inside a browser frame in the e-Procurement system’s user interface, add items from your website to the e-Procurement system’s shopping cart (which may also include items from other websites), and pre-approve the order before fulfillment. PunchOut is the solution that enables this process to happen seamlessly. By implementing PunchOut, you can help your customer to streamline their purchasing process and make it easier for them to do business with you.
You may wonder why your customer can’t simply use your existing online web store. However, by adding PunchOut capability to your web store, you can benefit from increased brand exposure to customers, lower order processing costs, reduced errors and exceptions, improved customer intelligence, and tighter integration to customer systems and processes. All of these benefits can lead to increased customer satisfaction. By offering PunchOut, you are providing a more streamlined and efficient purchasing experience for your customers, which can ultimately lead to increased sales and a stronger business relationship.
If you add PunchOut capability to your online web store, you can enjoy several benefits. These include increased brand exposure to customers, lower order processing costs, fewer errors and exceptions, improved customer intelligence, and tighter integration to customer systems and processes. All of these benefits can lead to increased customer satisfaction, which is crucial for the success of your business. By offering PunchOut, you can provide a more efficient and streamlined purchasing experience for your customers, which can help you stand out from the competition and strengthen your business relationships.
If you want to add PunchOut capability to your web store platform, there are two options: building it yourself or using a PunchOut Plugin™. Building it yourself can be time-consuming and expensive, especially if you or your Agency partner aren’t familiar with PunchOut. To get PunchOut-Ready fast, the Vurbis PunchOut Plugin™ is a fast, reliable, and cost-effective way to make your web store PunchOut-Ready. With a Plugin-based solution, you can leverage the investment you’ve already made in your e-commerce web store and maintain consistent user experience and branding, regardless of whether customers are accessing your store via PunchOut or directly. Additionally, the Vurbis PunchOut Plugin™ is non-invasive, meaning you don’t have to make any modifications to your web store. With fixed annual pricing, you can plan ahead for additional customer requests for PunchOut.
If you don’t have a stable web store or your current web store lacks B2B functionality, you may benefit from Vurbis’ PunchOut-Ready B2B Web Store. By using this solution, you can support e-Procurement customers requesting PunchOut while also accepting web orders from other customers. With fixed annual pricing, you can plan ahead for additional customers requesting PunchOut. The PunchOut-Ready web store offers speed and simplicity, allowing your business to go from barely being e-Commerce ready to fully e-Commerce ready in weeks. This solution is especially useful for those who are implementing their multi-channel e-Commerce platform. Many B2B sellers start with the PunchOut-Ready B2B Web Store and then convert to the Plugin once it’s in place.
PunchOut can indeed increase your sales. By enabling PunchOut functionality in your web store, you allow your customers to access your store directly from their e-Procurement system. This means that your store is just a click away for their users. This is especially important as many buying organizations mandate the use of e-Procurement systems for order placement. By being PunchOut-Ready, you make it easier and more compliant for them to order from you compared to your competitors who lack PunchOut capability. This can result in increased sales and revenue for your business.
Can PunchOut increase sales? Let’s ask Amazon…
In late-2015, Amazon Business added PunchOut capability to its site. Now they could integrate with ANY e-Procurement system (see list below.) What happened? Sales increased 10X in two years.
Source: Amazon Business
By adding PunchOut capability to your web store, you can tap into new markets and customers that use e-Procurement systems to place orders. Large organizations, especially global ones, are the primary users of these systems. If you want to sell to them, having a PunchOut-Ready web store is crucial. In fact, Amazon Business saw a significant increase in sales by more than 10x in just two years after they added PunchOut capability to their site. By following their example, you can potentially increase your sales and reach new customers in the process. What do I do, if I don’t have an extensive technology team?
Vurbis is here to help you with your PunchOut needs! Our team of technology experts can assist you in creating and managing your PunchOut implementation to meet the specific needs of your customers. With our expertise, you can ensure that your PunchOut integration is seamless and efficient, allowing you to focus on what you do best – growing your business. Let Vurbis be your partner in PunchOut success!
If you ignore your customer’s request for PunchOut capability, you risk losing their business. E-Procurement systems are typically mandated within buying organizations. They maximize the number of orders processed, leading to a higher ROI. By not providing PunchOut capability, your orders cannot be processed through their e-Procurement system. As a result, your customer may have no choice but to find another supplier that offers PunchOut capability. In fact, they may even turn to competitors like Amazon Business, who have seen significant sales growth after making their site PunchOut-enabled. It’s essential to comply with your customer’s request for PunchOut capability to ensure you don’t lose their business to competitors.
As e-Procurement systems continue to grow and become more prevalent in the business world, it is safe to assume that more customers will be requesting PunchOut capability from their suppliers. The trend is expected to triple by 2021, according to The Hackett Group. It’s essential to act now and implement the necessary changes to stay ahead of the competition. Failure to do so could result in being left behind in the ever-changing business landscape.
Yes, there are multiple versions of the XML PunchOut standard. The most widely used version is cXML PunchOut, which is supported by most e-Procurement and ERP systems. Another common version is OCI Roundtrip, which is specific to SAP SRM e-Procurement applications. Some applications support both, but cXML is often preferred for its robustness and ease of support. It’s important to note that each e-Procurement system vendor has their own sub-versions of each iteration, customised to suit their specific business needs. Therefore, it’s important to understand which version and sub-version your customer requires to ensure compatibility.
A Level 2 PunchOut implementation is also known as OCI5 in SAP SRM. It allows the user to shop within their e-Procurement system’s built-in e-Catalog and then directly PunchOut to the item details page of your web store. This makes the process quicker and more streamlined. However, Level 2 and OCI5 are not commonly used. Extra work and expenses are required by both the buyer and supplier to create, test, and maintain the search index in the e-Procurement system.
Joining your customer’s e-Procurement vendor’s supplier network is a common request for suppliers with PunchOut capability. This is because some e-procurement vendors (like Ariba and Coupa) require all PunchOut requests to be routed through their supplier network. Joining the supplier network is a simple process that usually takes only a few minutes. It has minimal impact on your PunchOut implementation. By joining the supplier network, you can ensure that your PunchOut requests are processed quickly and efficiently. This will improve your overall customer experience.
Implementing PunchOut has no significant downsides. Instead, the benefits of implementing PunchOut speak for themselves. PunchOut should not be considered an incremental business cost, but rather a critical component of a multi-channel selling strategy. It is an investment in the future of your company, just like a new cutting-edge machinery or a super-efficient distribution center.
