Loeb Enhances Website with Enhanced Content and Functionality

About a year ago I received a call from the Director of Marketing for Loeb Electric and we had a nice chat regarding the market, CRM and websites. We mutually shared information, discussed how Channel Marketing Group could be of assistance and I shared some eCommerce insights.

One of the areas where there was an “opportunity” was in helping on their eCommerce infrastructure. The “opportunity”, however, was fleeting as CMG is not an eCommerce / IT integrator. I was honest, not a “sweet spot”. But we talked about eCommerce providers (and especially those that other electrical distributors were using), data content providers and what they needed “today”. The other part was, realistically, how much needed to invest. We discussed “pros and cons.” And yes, this was all gratis.

Almost a year later, and presumably after implementing their CRM tool, they have now relaunched their website.

Loeb Electric Launches Enhanced Website

According to a recent press release:

“Loeb Electric, an independent electrical distributor and service provider, is proud to announce the release of their new eCommerce site. This new experience not only has a modern look, but it features several updates, including enhanced product data, improved search, optimized mobile viewing, and expanded ‘My Account’ capabilities.

“From the start, our focus has been on the customer and their experience, whether they are here to purchase or are simply looking for further product information,” says Doug Beh, Executive VP of Sales and Marketing at Loeb Electric. “And that experience starts with ensuring our product data is correct and thorough.” Through Loeb Electric’s partnership with a product content solution provider, they were able to clean up and automate updates for thousands of products across dozens of manufacturers—information their customers expect to have at their fingertips.

In addition, with more than half of Loeb’s customers engaging with their content on a mobile device, there was a concentration on a fully responsive design, allowing for a seamless mobile experience. “Buying habits and expectations are changing rapidly, and Loeb is poised to take on a larger role within the eCommerce commercial construction industry,” says Beh.

To see the site, visit Shop.LoebElectric.com.

Loeb Electric (loebelectric.com) is the innovative electrical distributor of quality materials and an expert service provider, committed to be the partner you can trust. You can connect with them on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube

Additional Insights

• For perspective, according to Electrical Wholesaling’s Top 150, based upon an estimate of Loeb’s sales, Loeb was ranked the 45^th largest electrical distributor in the US with revenues about $250 million. The company’s customer base skews to electrical contractors with some national account and other specialty market business.
• At the time of my conversation with Loeb they were using Second Phase. The site had not been updated for “awhile”. Part of the conversation was “is there a need to change suppliers?” Whether they considered others, I do not know, however, they stayed with essentially the Second Phase platform, which, presumably, has been upgraded with various investments since it was acquired by Billtrust. As many Eclipse users know, Billtrust (Second Phase) seamlessly integrates with Eclipse.
• Content was an issue at the time of my conversation. We talked through the various industry options, again “pros and cons”. Loeb is also a member of IMARK.  Loeb decided to utilize Distributor Data Solutions, a preferred IMARK service provider, as its sole / primary content source.
• A contractor-friendly feature of Loeb’s site is its panelboard configurator. According to Loeb, “The Loeb Electric Panelboard Configurator was built internally. This has been on our site for a few years but was recently refreshed with a new look and updated products to match our expanded stock. This resource allows our customers to build panelboard configurations based on their unique needs and submit orders for pick up–usually the same day!”
• Punchouts are an area that is increasingly important to distributors, especially if they serve industrial and institutional accounts. Loeb does have eProcurement functionality that it uses with selected customers (and if distributors desire a recommendation for a cost-effective punchout supplier, email me.)

eCommerce is top of mind for many manufacturers as a number of “larger” companies appear to have internal goals to drive eCommerce sales (defined as online ordering.) Seemingly this is an executive management mandate. The challenge is that this frequently conflicts with an electrical contractor buying journey. Research CMG has done, with contractors as well as engineers, is that the primary purpose of a site is facilitating the buying process, not consummating it. I asked Loeb what their expectations of the site were from a contractor utilization viewpoint. Their answer – “We want to assist all customers with product research and provide a seamless platform for purchases.”

Congratulations to Loeb on updating their site to a tool for their contractors to use … and accomplishing the goal on a timely, and cost-effective, basis.

Channel Marketing Group eCommerce Support

While being an eCommerce integrator isn’t our forte, CMG can:

• Provide insights regarding platforms familiar in the industry as well as functionality to consider that is appropriate to the size of the distributor and the potential investment level.
• Solicit input from your customers about the functionality they want on a site and/or, if you already have a site, their satisfaction with your current site.
• Discuss observations regarding content providers, based upon what we’ve heard from other distributors.
• Share thoughts, and develop strategies, to assist with site launch and site utilization … essentially “site marketing.”

And if all you want is a conversation, that’s okay too.

And if you’d like a copy of research, we conducted earlier this year for LayerOne Media (an eCommerce VAR) on what engineers (and hence specifiers) are looking for from manufacturer websites, contact me. Interpreting the feedback also generates some ideas for distributors on what their site should contain. Why? It’s a battle for eyeballs / pageviews.