The global B2B eCommerce program of technology conglomerate 3M has proven a success for the company after its revamped site went live nearly one year ago. Its launch aimed to bring omnichannel capabilities to global brands, and was an extension of 3M’s in-house platform that is about 10 years old.
Today, however, 3M remains dedicated to expanding its B2B online commerce operations. According to reports released Sunday (May 3), 3M is gearing up to release a new B2B eCommerce platform, starting in Canada and spreading globally within the next few years. The platform, 3M told InternetRetailer, aims to double the company’s current annual online sales of more than $7 billion.
According to 3M’s new B2B eCommerce strategy senior program manager Charles Calisto, the current platform, known as its Enterprise Ordering Center, is “successful but antiquated,” and is in need of a facelift to include features like better search and navigation capabilities. “With the new generation of buyers coming online, they’re more tech-savvy,” Calisto said.
The new platform will include the ability to check an order status, view outstanding invoices, and access product visuals. Business buyers will be able to purchase items by searching for a product number, or be able to re-order items purchased in the past.
The new platform, bCom, has already begun running in Canada and just weeks ago launched in the Philippines, according to 3M. The company remained mum on which markets are next but the company is reportedly planning a rollout in several European countries.
3M’s new site is build on hybris software, which it first utilized last year to re-launch EOC. The hybris Commerce Suite provided 3M with greater functionality and capabilities, the company said at the time. “At 3M, we require a lot from our commerce technology, and in addition to giving our B2B customers a high quality, omnichannel commerce experience, our platform must perform flawlessly and quickly adapt to new markets and business models,” James Fall, 3M vice president of global sales operations, said when the company announced its collaboration with hybris last September.
It appears that this partnership has proven successful. Hybris’s functionality is “unlimited,” Calisto said, adding that 3M is “extremely happy” with its services.
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