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– Everything you need to know about PunchOuts

We want to give you a solid introduction to PunchOut solutions, so we've gathered eight of the most frequently asked questions and answers so that you can quickly get an overview of an integration that can bring you new large customers.

1. What is PunchOuts?

PunchOuts is a collective term for integrations directly into a customer's purchasing system. This means that the customer can get information about your products and purchase them through their own systems, instead of through the normal checkout in your webshop. 

2. How does PunchOuts work?

Typically, the customer can "punch out" to your webshop in their purchasing system. This means that the customer uses a link to jump directly to your webshop, where they can use it like any other customer, but with customised prices and products. The customer adds the items to the cart as normal, but the checkout does a "punch in" back to the customer's shopping system, where the order is then finalised and approved. PunchOuts can also work in other ways, depending on the mix of purchasing system, ERP, protocols and webshop solution. Most importantly, in the vast majority of cases, it is possible to build a PunchOut solution quickly and easily.

3. Why do customers demand PunchOuts?

PunchOuts is typically sought after by large organisations or public sector customers who have many different suppliers and purchase many different goods. Customers want to reduce complexity and consolidate all purchases into one system because it would quickly become overwhelming to buy from perhaps 50 different webshops, all with different systems. It also significantly reduces their administrative workload because it is possible to automate the processes of approving and invoicing orders.

4. What do you get out of making PunchOuts for customers?

The main benefit is that you gain access to sales to larger customers. In many cases, you will only be able to win public tenders or add large organisations as customers if you offer to create PunchOut solutions for the customer's systems. You will also have a simple collaboration with the customer once the solution is implemented. You can automate large parts of the purchase process so that the customer's negotiated prices and products are always available. It is about making it as easy for customers as possible. And this is a major factor when choosing suppliers. It also makes customer retention more reliable, as having a strong PunchOut solution makes it convenient and easy to keep using you as a supplier.

5. What should a PunchOut be able to do?

You need to be able to deliver all relevant data to your customers in real-time. This means that they should always have access to their current prices, stock status and product range. This allows the customer to easily purchase your products. At the same time, PunchOuts should allow the customer to utilise the benefits of  your customer portal when using their own interface so that they can easily make re-orders, for example.

6. What is required in order to be able to do PunchOuts?

There are two basic requirements for creating PunchOut solutions. First and foremost, you need a system architecture that supports data exchange between systems. This will typically be based on APIs. Next, you need to be in complete control of your data. Product data, pricing data, etc. must be up to date and broadcast in real time. This means you need strong systems like ERP and PIM that can exchange this data optimally.

7. Can you create one solution that works for all customers?

No, every customer will have different systems that require different types of integrations. However, some solutions are standardised and can be created with just a few hours of development. The most important thing is that your foundation is ready for a new PunchOut solution to be built. If the foundation is not clear, you can always create a module that enables you to create a PunchOut solution. It is more time-consuming, but can quickly pay off if it means you gain access to larger customers.

8. Does Bizzkit support PunchOuts?

Yes, our solution partners have created PunchOuts on a wide range of Bizzkit solutions over the years. The system is built to be easily expandable with modules that fit PunchOuts. Therefore, it is easy to build PunchOuts on top of a Bizzkit solution.