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Zoro’s Journey to Streamlined E-commerce Operations with integrator.io
Technology Category
- Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Data Exchange & Integration
- Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Middleware, SDKs & Libraries
Applicable Industries
- E-Commerce
- Finance & Insurance
Applicable Functions
- Maintenance
- Procurement
Use Cases
- Leasing Finance Automation
Services
- System Integration
The Challenge
Zoro, a subsidiary of Grainger, is a supplier of industrial tools and MRO products to small businesses and individuals. As the company expanded its e-commerce business to include larger enterprise businesses, it faced new integration requirements. Zoro had acquired several large business customers with different procurement requirements from its original customer base. IT Director at Zoro, Kiko Stefanov, was tasked with integrating these customers with Zoro’s ERP. The challenge was to find an integration platform that could support varying integration needs, including full EDI support, orders via Excel or CSV files, and e-commerce platforms. The solution had to be user-friendly enough for non-technical customer service agents and junior developers to monitor, maintain, and build integrations to meet the requirements of new customers.
About The Customer
Zoro Tools, a subsidiary of Grainger, is a supplier of industrial supplies, tools, MRO products, and other items to small businesses and individuals. Launched in 2011 with 180,000 products, Zoro today offers millions of SKUs from over 7,000 brands. The company provides the option of online purchases as well as phone orders, with customer service agents taking credit card information over the telephone. As Zoro expands its e-commerce business, it is moving its focus to include larger enterprise businesses, leading to different integration requirements.
The Solution
Zoro turned to Celigo’s integrator.io platform, which had previously impressed them during a credit card payment capture project. The first task was to automate orders from customers that were sending them via Excel or CSV files. Using integrator.io, Kiko was able to set up an integration that automatically sent customer order files to the ERP without any manual intervention. This offloaded much of the manual work from customer service agents while still allowing them to review orders as they were received. Zoro is also considering using Celigo for other projects, such as integrating with a new B2B procurement marketplace, setting up EDI integrations for customers, and automating the cash application process in the Finance department.
Operational Impact
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