CHICAGO, May 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Acquity Group (NYSE MKT: AQ), a leading global Brand eCommerce® and digital marketing company, announces today the launch of an enhanced web presence for Carlton-Bates Company, an automation controls, electronic and electromechanical products distributor under the WESCO International, Inc., family of companies.
A global B2B distributor, WESCO enlisted Acquity Group to improve Carlton-Bates' online business and customer experience. Built on the hybris Commerce Suite, Carltonbates.com features enhanced eCommerce capabilities that simplify the user experience for both Carlton-Bates consumers and internal teams. New capabilities include account flexibility for clients to manage online orders, a streamlined purchasing path and a single commerce platform for both B2B and B2C businesses.
"Even with our complex back-end systems, Acquity Group possessed the expertise needed to integrate a new eCommerce experience into our existing infrastructure," said John Gierl, Director, Systems Technology & Infrastructure at WESCO. "Acquity Group knows B2B eCommerce and tailored the platform implementation to our specific needs, making the process easier on us."
In addition to new eCommerce features, Carltonbates.com leverages advanced analytical tools to monitor crucial data and real-time feedback to make user experience improvements at a quicker pace. The site's improved search functions are powered by an Endeca integration.
"As a leader in the B2B digital shift, WESCO's investment in eCommerce provides a foundation for the company's continued growth in multi-channel transactions," said Chip Knicker, Vice President at Acquity Group. "We're seeing a growing number of B2B companies developing online experiences that incorporate features and offerings standard in today's B2C eCommerce experiences, so we were thrilled to help WESCO enhance Carlton-Bates' digital presence to better serve their customers."
With the hybris Commerce Suite, Carlton-Bates can manage all online content needs quickly and effectively, without having to go through the IT department. The new platform gives Carlton-Bates' internal team more flexibility to add multiple promotions and rich media, and make rapid content changes - an especially useful component when used in conjunction with the analytics platforms.
"WESCO is one of the largest electrical wholesalers in the world and we are excited to be part of its successful eCommerce strategy," said Steven Kramer, Executive Vice President Sales Americas at hybris. "Our solution has enabled WESCO to manage both its B2B and B2C commerce sites on a single platform while delivering rich product content and improving overall time to market."
With digital investments on the rise, a growing number of B2B organizations are enlisting Acquity Group's expertise to create digital experiences on par with popular consumer brands. Acquity Group's brand eCommerce solution blends creative design, digital marketing and technology to deliver dynamic, mobile-ready shopping experiences that incorporate electronic catalogs, ordering and support for on-the-go business buyers.
To learn more about Acquity Group's award-winning projects and eCommerce capabilities, visit www.acquitygroup.com.
About Acquity Group
Acquity Group is a leading Brand eCommerce® and digital marketing company that leverages the internet, mobile devices and social media to enhance its clients' brands and e-commerce performance. It is the digital agency of record for a number of well-known global brands in multiple industries. Acquity Group has served more than 600 companies and their global brands through thirteen offices in North America. For more information about Acquity Group, visit acquitygroup.com.
About hybris
hybris helps businesses on every continent sell more goods, services and digital content through every touchpoint, channel and device. hybris delivers "OmniCommerce™": state-of-the-art master data management and unified commerce processes that give a business a single view of its customers, products and orders, and its customers a single view of the business. hybris' omni-channel software is built on a single platform, based on open standards, that is agile to support limitless innovation, efficient to drive the best TCO, and scalable and extensible to be the last commerce platform companies will ever need. Both principal industry analyst firms rank hybris as a "leader" and list its commerce platform among the top two or three in the market. The same software is available on-premise, on-demand and managed hosted, giving merchants of all sizes maximum flexibility. Over 500 companies have chosen hybris, including global B2B sites W.W.Grainger, Rexel, General Electric, Thomson Reuters and 3M as well as consumer brands Toys"R"Us, Metro, Bridgestone, P&G, Levi's, Nikon, Galeries Lafayette, Migros, Nespresso and Lufthansa. hybris has operations in 15 countries around the globe. hybris is the future of commerce™. For more information, visit www.hybris.com
