Morin

Overview

Morin, required a custom-built e-commerce solution to streamline their internal sales operations. The goal was to create a robust platform that would enable their sales team to efficiently manage orders, access customer data, and handle unique items such as samples with no monetary cost. To meet these requirements, we developed a fully tailored website using the Miva e-commerce platform—designed not only for public-facing transactions but as a highly functional tool for internal sales teams.

Challenges

The client’s existing systems lacked integration, ease of use, and customization for the unique requirements of the sales team. Key challenges included:

• Inefficient Order Creation: The sales team was manually entering client information and product details into the system, leading to possible errors and delays.
• Limited Customization: Off-the-shelf e-commerce platforms were not flexible enough to accommodate the complex workflows and custom order types required by the client.
• Zero-Dollar Item Management: The client needed a solution to handle zero-dollar items (such as samples) in a way that was both functional and aligned with the overall user experience, without simply displaying them as “$0.00” products.
• Customer Data Access and Security: Accessing and entering customer information securely and quickly was crucial for the sales team to perform their tasks efficiently.

Solution

We approached the project with a focus on three main objectives: enhancing the user experience, integrating Salesforce for data management, and implementing custom workflows that catered to the specific needs of the client’s sales team.

1. Custom E-Commerce Platform on Miva

To address the client’s needs, we built a completely custom website on Miva, a scalable e-commerce platform known for its flexibility in developing tailored solutions. While the platform is typically used for consumer-facing websites, we leveraged Miva’s extensibility to create an internal sales portal designed specifically for order management and customer relationship management (CRM).

The platform’s flexibility allowed us to deliver a highly customized solution, enabling the client’s sales team to process orders efficiently and accurately, all while maintaining a seamless and intuitive user interface.

2. Intelligent Drop-Down Selection Process

A key feature of the custom solution was the development of an intelligent drop-down system that dynamically updates options based on previous selections. This feature was designed to enhance the order creation process by simplifying the user's decision-making experience.

For example, if a sales representative selects a product category (Option A), the subsequent drop-down menus will automatically populate with only the relevant sub-options or variants associated with that category. This intelligent filtering ensures that sales reps only see choices that are applicable to the customer's needs, reducing the risk of errors and improving efficiency.

3. Salesforce Integration

To streamline customer management and enhance data security, we integrated the website with Salesforce—the client’s existing customer relationship management (CRM) platform. This integration allows sales representatives to:

• Look up customer profiles directly from the site.
• Insert customer information into the order process with just a few clicks, reducing the need for manual entry.
• Ensure secure data handling by syncing customer details with Salesforce’s robust data management system.

This integration created a seamless workflow, allowing sales reps to access up-to-date customer information and avoid redundant data entry, while also ensuring compliance with security protocols.

4. Zero-Dollar Item Handling

One of the unique requirements was the management of zero-dollar items—products such as samples or promotional items that the client offers at no cost. These items cannot be treated as typical products, as they need to be displayed and processed differently within the system.

We designed a custom solution that not only supports zero-dollar items but also modifies the user experience accordingly. When a zero-dollar item is added to the cart, the platform:

• Displays the item with a clear “no cost” indication, ensuring transparency.
• Prevents errors during checkout by handling these items separately from standard purchases.
• Customizes the order review process, ensuring that sales reps can easily distinguish between paid and non-paid items, without confusing the customer or leading to any billing discrepancies.

5. User Experience Optimization

Throughout the design and development phases, we prioritized the end-user experience for the sales team. The interface was designed to be intuitive, reducing the learning curve and ensuring that team members could start using the system with minimal training. Features like autocomplete for customer searches and real-time inventory updates further streamlined the sales process, making it easier and faster for reps to create orders.

Results

The custom Miva-based solution successfully addressed the challenges faced by the client and provided significant improvements in the sales team’s day-to-day operations:

• Increased Efficiency: Sales reps can now create and manage orders in a fraction of the time it previously took, thanks to the intuitive design and intelligent drop-down features.
• Improved Accuracy: The Salesforce integration and intelligent filtering process reduce manual data entry errors, ensuring that orders are processed correctly and customer information is up-to-date.
• Enhanced Customer Experience: By seamlessly handling zero-dollar items and providing sales reps with the tools to manage complex product orders, the solution improved the overall customer experience.
• Stronger Data Security: With secure access to customer data via Salesforce integration, the client ensured compliance with privacy standards while making customer information readily available to the sales team.

Conclusion

This custom e-commerce platform built on Miva transformed the client's internal order management system. By tailoring the platform to meet the specific needs of their sales team, integrating Salesforce for CRM functionality, and introducing intelligent features like dynamic drop-down menus and zero-dollar item handling, we delivered a solution that significantly improved operational efficiency and user experience. The client now has a powerful tool that empowers their sales team, streamlines their workflow, and ensures a smoother, more secure process for managing customer orders.

If you'd like to discuss how we can help optimize your internal sales processes with a custom e-commerce solution, get in touch with us today.

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