Simplify and automate B2B e-commerce with DJUST

SPHERE Distribution is a French family-owned group founded in 1976 and the European leader in household packaging. It stands out for its commitment to producing bio-based and compostable resins, which are used to design more sustainable packaging solutions.

As part of its development and digital and commercial transformation, the SPHERE Distribution Group is diversifying its distribution channels dedicated to the professional market and has launched the Publi-Embal e-commerce platform. This platform, which will eventually be rolled out across all of the group's professional entities, is the result of close collaboration between teams, particularly the IT and Digital Departments at SPHERE Distribution. The platform gives their professional customers access to their entire range of products, as well as their customized products, allowing them to place orders 24/7 and take advantage of numerous features, completely independently.

This new step is a significant challenge in terms of providing even more services to the group's customers and developing new growth drivers.

The challenges encountered

1. Simplify current processes by automating them

One of the key challenges for SHERE Distribution was to optimize operational work, especially in customer service:

• Offload manual tasks: manually re-entering orders, sending quotes to customers.
• Keep the catalog up to date (physical catalog only)
• Offering a catalog tailored to each customer
• Offering products at the right price with a wide range of offers

Process automation became essential to improve operational efficiency and allow sales teams to focus on higher value-added tasks.

2. Provide a flexible platform to meet the needs of each Business Unit (BU)

Manual operation was no longer viable in the long term. With order volumes increasing, managing the data chain (catalogues, customers) was becoming increasingly complex.

SPHERE Distribution needed to digitize its processes in order to transform this management into a lever for growth, particularly through cross-selling and up-selling opportunities.

3. Prepare a scalable platform for EMEA deployment

Beyond the initial project, SPHERE Distribution's ambition was clear: to have a solution capable of supporting the Group's European deployment in Belgium, England, Italy, Spain, Germany, and the Netherlands in the professional market. The company was looking for a scalable and modular infrastructure to quickly integrate new business units, such as Point E, and prepare for expansion across EMEA.

"Our work focused on two main areas: first, integrating SDI pricing and defining the scope of work so that price information could be given only to those concerned. The second part involved order taking, which consists of integrating orders into JDE so that they can be processed by Sales Administration (ADV). Collaboration with the Point E and SDI teams was crucial and went very smoothly,"

Yann Buffetaud, JDE project manager.

Solutions provided by DJUST

DJUST offers a flexible and scalable B2B e-commerce platform that enables SPHERE to automate its processes, simplify catalog and pricing management, and prepare for the onboarding of new BUs and international deployment.

Key features

Front-end / Customer experience

• Advanced search bar allowing customers to quickly find and order products.
• Ordering via Excel file import, for bulk orders in just a few clicks.
• Product variant tables: number of units in a package, pallets, price per package, etc., to facilitate purchase planning.
• Complete product sheets, high-resolution images, and downloadable files.
• Clear labeling of certifications on product sheets to reassure customers and assist in selection.

‍Export & order analysis

Export orders directly from the platform for easy tracking and monitoring of key KPIs.

• In-depth data analysis: identify recurring orders, detect top customer accounts, and the most purchased products.
• Possibility to implement targeted marketing actions: reactivate an inactive customer account after an initial order, tailor offers and promotions based on purchasing behavior.

Pricing & segmentation

• Management of customized and complex pricing based on customer type (group, business account, public)

Process scalability & automation

• Automation of catalog management and ERP → platform data transfers.
• Simplified sales administration processes (ADV) to limit manual intervention. (automatic import of orders into the ERP, automatic reporting of order logistics status)
• Infrastructure designed to accommodate other BUs and support geographical expansion (EMEA).

"The project faced numerous challenges in order to offer users features that meet their everyday needs, such as quick order entry via xls file import, the creation of a favorites list, access to photos and product data sheets, and a quote request feature that is fully integrated into the tool (from the request to the order if the quote is approved by the customer). ... All these features ensure an excellent user experience. We paid particular attention to the ergonomics and the site's business-specific tree structure, which is the result of close collaboration and high-quality exchanges between the technical, sales, and marketing teams. In the future, we will develop this platform for all of the group's professional entities."

Olivier Guy, Sales and Marketing Director, SDI

Results & impacts

Thanks to DJUST, SPHERE Distribution has achieved concrete gains in several areas:

"The professional market has specific characteristics and presents major challenges for an e-commerce platform, particularly in terms of pricing. Each customer has their own pricing structure, but did not necessarily have access to the entire product range. The platform also provided an opportunity to give all customers access to the range, with an associated price. Integrating this pricing structure required significant collaboration between the digital, sales, and JDE teams in order to create a functional platform."

‍Martin Gauriau, Digital Project Manager

Conclusion

With the help of DJUST, Sphère has successfully digitized its sales and laid the foundations for a robust, flexible, and scalable B2B e-commerce model. Process automation saves teams considerable time while improving customer satisfaction.

• Sphère is now able to quickly deploy the platform to future BUs (Point E and others) without having to start from scratch for each entity.
• Control over product data (labels, variants, descriptions) has been improved, which enhances credibility with customers who are sensitive to environmental responsibility.
• The platform is becoming a competitive advantage in B2B relationships: increased responsiveness, professionalism, and the ability to respond to complex requests.
• Greater visibility into product/BU performance, which will facilitate strategic decision-making (pricing, assortment, sourcing).
• Sphère is thus confirming its position as a committed and innovative player, capable of combining growth and sustainability.

Discover how DJUST can transform your B2B e-commerce business.