E/D/E installs an additional online distribution-channel for specialized wholesalers. Its name: ePVH. It blends seamlessly into the existing distribution-channels. ePVH is a central market place for any kind of online-trade between E/D/E members and their customers. ePVH pursues the perfect interlocking of online-business with the strengths of regional specialized dealers and wholesalers. Thus E/D/E members can differentiate themselves from "online-only" competitors, expand their range, acquire new customer target-groups and enhance their ability to compete decisively. E/D/E transposes the existing rolemodel to its new online sales-channel. The end-customer business remains exclusively with the E/D/E specialized dealers, who also retain their directive regarding sortiments and pricing.Wuppertal - In order to access new target-groups and to secure turnover, it is necessary for mid-sized businesses in industrial wholesale distribution, to present themselves to online-customers in a centralized online-market place. With ePVH, E/D/E enables its B2B-members (and thus contract-suppliers) to do this via this sales channel - in addition to catalogues, traditional field sales-force, stationary business and decentralized webshops.
 
Target groups of ePVH are craftsmen and small to mid-sized industrial companies. The concept is the logical continuation of the existing E/D/E services on offer. "We offer our members strategic solutions fit for the future in order to strengthen their abilities to compete, regarding all distribution channels“, explains Dr. Andreas Trautwein, chairman of the E/D/E executive board.
 
The requirements for strong marketing on the internet with regard to the new platform can hardly be realized by individual members. A broadly dispersed online-marketing mix is as necessary in this context as a relevant assortment as well as speed and comfort in ordering, payment and processing of purchases. Presentation of articles, depth of information and quality of product data as well as the comfort of all processes involved match the current state of web-technology and requirements of online-buyers. Further more, ETRIS BANK as a 100 percent subsidiary of E/D/E takes over payment procedures and guarantees payments with regard to E/D/E members for all purchases enacted via ePVH. This takes administrative pressure from our B2B-partners and secures them against the risk of missing payments.
 
The individual members contribute their USP: being close to the customer, competence regarding goods, consultation and services on site as well as a fast supply with wares. The specialised dealers conduct end-customer business and retain the control of assortments and pricing. For these services of the online-market place members pay a fee for turnover generated via ePVH. "We enable our members to go multi-channel and open new turnover-sources for them. For in the combination of High-End-E-Commerce with regional strengths of specialized dealers lies the advantage of ePVH as opposed to competitors, such as pure internet-players“, says Jochen Hiemeyer, who is responsible for the project within the E/D/E management.
 
The concept of ePVH was developed in cooperation between the E/D/E partners board and selected suppliers, members and renowned E-Business-experts. "Our partners share our conviction that an industry-solution for midsized B2B has strategic advantages over sales generated via online market places of huge international corporations and players in the international financial markets“, explains Dr. Andreas Trautwein. Moreover, dealers may define their assortments and supplier-portfolio at the market place according to the demands of their customers, which clearly is an advantage compared to manufacturer-driven market place initiatives. The concept of ePVH does not mean E/D/E will turn its back on the proven role as the indispensable link in multi-level distribution, as the chairman of the E/D/E executive board likes to emphasize. "E/D/E itself won't become a specialized dealer or retailer.“
 
ePVH is drawn up as the concept of a closed market place to which members, which adhere to high competence and performance, will be invited according to set criteria. In a first phase from the first quarter of 2015 onwards, a pilot-group of traders focussing on tools and electric tools will start. In phase 1, sending out of wares will be dealt with from the central warehouse eLC in Wuppertal, which guarantees fast delivery and transparency of stocked items at any time. In the further course, logistics-processes at the individual dealer-sites will be incorporated. More assortments and dealers will be incorporated successively. E/D/E invests several million Euros in advance into the necessary conceptual measures and IT-components.
 
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