Giving Lag Time the Boot

Timberland’s B2B website has become a 24-hour lifeline for wholesale customers and an invaluable tool for increasing sales and containing costs. The e-commerce system enables Timberland’s account and customer service reps, as well as the company’s customers, to conduct business more efficiently online through a product catalog and immediate access to updated inventory, an e-mail manager and a content management system.

Launched in July 2006, the site is still being rolled out to all of Timberland’s business units, but it is being utilized by up to 500 accounts monthly. And while it has already been judged a success, there has been some customer reluctance.

“We’re talking about switching their normal behavior,” says Rebecca Conway, web release manager for Stratham, N.H.-based Timberland. “They are so used to calling in or faxing in orders that transitioning them online is going to take a while. We got all the early adopters; now we’re getting people who are not as computer-savvy to change their ordering behavior.”

Customer survey
A recent online survey of customers underscored Conway’s optimism. Among the findings:

• 92 percent of customers say the site enables them to serve their own customers better

• 91 percent can accomplish tasks faster with the site than without it

• 93 percent say the site has enhanced their impression of Timberland

• 62 percent are doing more business with Timberland because of the site

• 80 percent are more informed about Timberland products

“The interesting thing about our website is that we have a lot of information on there aside from just being able to place orders,” Conway says. “Many accounts are logging on to track shipments, pull down UPC codes and check availability of inventory.”

The system from Montreal-based iCongo has helped the footwear, apparel and accessories company significantly streamline operations. Before, website customers were restricted to placing orders and making inquiries during normal business hours Monday through Friday: Now, they can get most or all of their needs met around the clock. “And because they can now place orders in the evenings and on weekends, our inventory is turning faster than ever,” Conway says.

Another important benefit to customers has been their ability to see exactly what’s in stock. In the past, they would fax an order to the customer rep, “who would then submit the order but have it cancelled for lack of inventory,” she says. “This either resulted in a lost sale or a delay in getting a new order through.”

And order accuracy has improved, too. “Anytime you have a manual process, balls get dropped,” Conway says. “Calls and orders get lost in the system. This is a big improvement over poor-quality faxes and handwritten orders.”

Timberland also has experienced a significant reduction in the number of customer service phone calls “for needs that can be met easily — things like placing a simple order or looking up a style,” she says. “The account reps can take some of the ‘low-hanging’ stuff off [the sales reps’] plates so they can focus on selling.”

Drop-ship capability
The company also has added drop-ship capability that allows wholesalers to ship merchandise directly to consumers. “The advantage is that if someone comes into a store that doesn’t have their size in a particular item, the store can get it to them and not lose the sale,” Conway says. “Additionally, a few of our larger customers that have their own catalog and website businesses can log in and ship directly to their customers — and they don’t have to hold inventory.”

Additional functionality allows customers to download UPC codes directly to their spreadsheets. In another post-launch move, iCongo helped Timberland initiate a virtual catalog module. “We are also going to put account summaries online so customers can immediately see their statements, including open and past-due balances, and also to preview PDFs of their invoices,” Conway says.

E-mail blasts have been another useful function. Timberland uses the e-mail campaign manager tool “about once a month to communicate special website promotions, like free freight,” she says. “That’s something our marketing group will really begin to take advantage of by using it to talk about new product lines.”

Timberland will soon add online payment functionality. “Right now we don’t accept credit cards online due to the structure of our order processing and payment systems,” Conway says. “We are also looking into creating a library so customers can pull down high-resolution images for creating their own advertising, instead of the low-res ones out there now.”