Marketing and Sales continue to work together in the digital world, using new channels for B2B transactions. It's important to integrate things like special pricing and product catalogs to make sure your systems align with your customers' systems.
PunchOut Levels 1,2 and X
- PunchOut Level 1: This is the basic level where a buyer leaves their procurement system and goes directly to a supplier's online store to shop. Once they’re done, the cart is sent back to the procurement system for approval and processing.
- PunchOut Level 2: This level allows the buyer to search for specific items directly from their procurement system. The search results will show items from the supplier's catalog, but the buyer still needs to visit the supplier’s site to complete the purchase.
- PunchOut Level X: The most advanced level, where buyers can search, view, and buy products directly within their procurement system without needing to visit the supplier’s site at all. Everything happens in one place.
OCI - cXML or On-Credit
- OCI (Open Catalog Interface): A standard format that allows buyers to connect directly to a supplier’s catalog from their procurement system. It’s a bridge that makes online shopping easier for businesses.
- cXML (Commerce eXtensible Markup Language): A standardized way to exchange business documents like purchase orders and invoices electronically. It ensures that the information flows smoothly between buyers and suppliers.
- On-Credit: This is a payment method where the buyer receives the goods or services first and pays the supplier later, usually based on agreed payment terms.
SSO/SAML (Single Sign-On/Security Assertion Markup Language)
- SSO (Single Sign-On): A feature that allows users to log in just once and access multiple systems without having to log in again for each one. It’s like having one key to unlock many doors.
- SAML (Security Assertion Markup Language): A technology that helps different systems trust each other about who you are. It allows users to log in once (using SSO) and be recognized across different platforms securely.
Cart Validation: Before the purchase is finalized, the system checks if everything in the cart is correct. This includes verifying prices, availability, and compliance with any rules or restrictions. It’s like double-checking your shopping cart before you check out to avoid any issues.
Cart Validation provides the check between the cart sent to eProcurement and the electronic order received from eProcurement. E.g. quantity, price, origin of cart, earlier usage of that same cart. And validation is done on order line level.