One important, yet overlooked, part of the eCommerce process is the ability for customers to shop the way they feel most convenient, comfortable, or efficient. For many larger organizations, the ability to use existing systems to automatically send orders is very important. SAP Ariba is the major tool employed. Over 53 percent of the users in the market employ Ariba, compared to 6 percent for the next largest competitor. 

SAP Ariba is a cloud-based innovative solution that allows suppliers and buyers to connect and do business on a single platform. Users of the product feel Ariba improves overall vendor management and drives efficiency in their procurement process. Simply stated, it acts as a supply chain procurement service to conduct business regardless of the supplier type. The service is closely tied to the customer’s entire business system. This package greatly simplifies the effort for the customer. Many KYKLO clients play an important role in the customer’s supplier list. For them, the customer’s decision to use Ariba was not efficient – until now. 

KYKLO’s native and direct connectivity translates into massive time savings for distributors and customers alike.  Customers can use the KYKLO platform through Ariba to create their orders which means that they have access to KYKLO product catalogs directly into their Ariba system. This means better user experience as well as simplified order placement and processing as they see their normal KYKLO shop. 

How does it work? KYKLO customers normally use the KYKLO platform to create their orders. With the native integration, they can now access the KYKLO product catalog to find precisely the right parts for their application and discover some other products they might have otherwise overlooked. Once selected, these items are loaded directly into their Ariba system to create the final order. 

The best part is that orders received via Ariba will automatically load into the KYKLO client’s ERP system without the manual intervention which is currently required at most companies. This saves hours of time when dealing with MRO or larger OEM customers where the order flow is large. In the past, the workflow from an Ariba order required a manual price check, a gauge of inventory situation, and a review of the part number. Because of this integration, inside sales/customer service people will gain huge time savings which can be devoted to more important tasks.   

Summing all this up 
This new KYKLO/Ariba connection comes as the result of man-years of effort from the KYKLO team. Because SAP Ariba does not offer assistance in a process like this, our team had to literally reverse engineer their way through the process. There was much testing, troubleshooting, and redesign. The results make the effort worthwhile for our clients and their customers. 

KYKLO is the only eCommerce platform on the planet offering this native integration. This is part of our mission from the very first days. 
 
For KYKLO our goal is to connect the entire business ecosystem. This is just one more step in that direction.  

We would love to chat with you about this feature and dozens of other continuing improvements to our system. KYKLO is a world leader in B2B eCommerce give us a call to learn why.

Finally… 

Our friend Frank Hurtte sent us this from his adventures on the new and perhaps still experimental Artificial Intelligence platform, ChatGPT: 

“KYKLO is a B2B (business-to-business) eCommerce platform designed specifically for wholesale distributors and manufacturers. It is a cloud-based platform that provides an end-to-end solution for companies looking to sell their products online. KYKLO's platform integrates with the company's existing ERP (enterprise resource planning) system, allowing for easy product listing, pricing management, and order processing. 

The platform is designed to simplify the sales process for both distributors and manufacturers, enabling them to reach new customers, automate their sales processes, and grow their businesses. KYKLO offers a range of features such as real-time pricing and inventory updates, custom pricing for individual customers, and an intuitive user interface that makes it easy for customers to place orders. Additionally, KYKLO provides analytics and reporting tools to help businesses track their performance and make data-driven decisions. 

Overall, KYKLO's eCommerce platform is a robust solution for wholesale distributors and manufacturers looking to expand their online sales channels and improve their sales processes.” 

We think this is pretty cool. 

Read Frank Hurttle last article: The Importance of AI in Industrial Distribution