B2B Ecommerce for Industrial Distributors and MRO Supply
Where Industrial Supply Ordering Breaks Down
Buyers search by part number and spec
Maintenance buyers arrive with a manufacturer part number, a competitor’s number or a set of specs. Keyword search on product names misses them, so they call the counter instead.
Part-number lookups, spec filters and cross-references across millions of SKUs, with faceted filters by brand, attribute and size.
Millions of SKUs from hundreds of suppliers
Product content arrives as supplier feeds in different formats and taxonomies. Keeping attributes consistent across lines turns into a full-time job, and gaps in the data cost sales.
Catalog import from CSV, JSON, API or PIM with attribute validation and de-duplication, AI categorization into your taxonomy, and datasheets and certificates on every SKU.
Plant contracts, not list prices
Large accounts buy on negotiated contracts, sometimes with different terms per site. A list price online sends buyers back to email and phone.
Contract-based catalogs and account-specific prices that each site sees at login.
Plants order from their procurement systems
Many plant buyers requisition inside SAP Ariba, Coupa or another procurement system. A distributor that is not there is not on the requisition.
PunchOut catalogs that carry your contract catalog and pricing into the buyer’s system, with approval flows by spend, department or contract.
Which branch has it today
Downtime makes availability the first question. Buyers need to see stock at the branch that serves them, in the unit they order in.
Stock across warehouses and branches with reservations and routing rules, and units of measure from each to case.
Reorders and urgent orders
Maintenance teams reorder the same consumables every week and need urgent parts entered fast, often from a list, a photo or a scanned label.
Quick order by SKU, CSV import and barcode scanning, reorder from history, AI Capture for printed or handwritten lists, and a sales rep hub for ordering on a customer’s behalf.
Capabilities Industrial Distributors Use
Each capability is part of the Virto Commerce platform and has its own page with details and a demo.
Connected to the ERP Your Branches Run
Your ERP stays the system of record for prices, stock and orders. Virto Commerce connects to Epicor Prophet 21 and the other major ERPs, and to custom or older systems through the interfaces they already have.
SAP
Microsoft Dynamics 365
Oracle NetSuite
Epicor Prophet 21
Custom ERP
Legacy ERP
Proven with Industrial and Technical Distributors
Also on Virto Commerce: a major caps and plugs manufacturer that migrated a 1.8M+ SKU catalog within a year.
A US distributor of hydraulic and mobile-equipment parts with 11 locations launched B2B self-service in 10 months and grew online sales 11%.
A Dutch technical wholesaler for professional installers unified its B2B and B2C storefronts, launched an MVP in 8 weeks and recovered revenue within 6 months.
A Nordic supplier of tools and equipment for building-trade professionals runs several country channels on one shared catalog.
Industrial Supply Questions, Answered
On the commerce side, it is the system industrial and MRO supply distributors use to take orders online: search by part number and spec, contract prices per account, ordering from inside procurement systems, stock by branch, and a live connection to the ERP that holds prices and inventory. Plants, contractors and maintenance teams use this MRO ecommerce channel to order and reorder without calling the counter. For a broader view of industrial ecommerce platforms, including manufacturers, see our B2B ecommerce guide for manufacturers.
Yes. Advanced search handles part-number lookups, spec filters and cross-references across millions of SKUs, so a buyer can start from the number on the worn part.
Supplier feeds come in by CSV, JSON, API or a PIM connector, with attribute validation and de-duplication, and AI categorization places new SKUs in your taxonomy. A major caps and plugs manufacturer migrated a 1.8M+ SKU catalog to Virto Commerce within a year.
Yes. With PunchOut, buyers open your catalog from SAP Ariba, Coupa or another procurement system, see their contract prices, and return the cart to their own approval process.
Yes. Epicor Prophet 21 is among the ERPs we connect to, alongside SAP, Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Oracle NetSuite, and we integrate with custom and older ERPs through the interfaces they already have.
The manufacturing page covers manufacturers selling their own products to dealers and direct buyers. This page covers distributors reselling many brands of industrial and MRO supplies across branches. For distribution in general, see the commerce engine for distributors.
Planning online ordering for your branches and plant customers?
Tell us how your catalog, contracts and branches work today, and we will show you how they would run on Virto Commerce.
