- Customer Story -

OfficeMax


With OfficeMax Mexico already operating a successful B2C distribution site, the company wanted a way of replicating that success into a more complex B2B site.

www.officemax.com.mx-2

 

icon-who Who?


Originally founded in 1988, OfficeMax was a leading retailer in office supplies before being absorbed into the Office Depot company in 2013. Together, the two operate around 1,100 stores and an online website under their B2B distribution model, offering the tools and support that a business needs to get started and grow.

OfficeMax is still an independent company in the Mexico market, having opened in 1996 and now operating 93 stores with a distribution center, a customer service center, and around 80 field sales representatives and agents across the Mexican Republic. The vision behind OfficeMax Mexico is much the same as that held by Office Depot and the original OfficeMax brand, offering customers support and advice in building a productive workspace.

icon-business The business in numbers

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Brand within a global enterprise

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Stores under the Office Depot name

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Stores owned by OfficeMax Mexico

icon-project The Project


The digitalization of the OfficeMax business was first implemented in 2015 with the launch of a B2C Digital Commerce site. This was designed to provide customers at home with a means of ordering supplies online for the office or for the home.

However, while a B2C Commerce model is fairly simple to build, a B2B solution is far more complex - with business regulations meaning that OfficeMax needed the support of an experienced digital commerce partner to transfer the success of their B2C platform to a business market.

AAXIS Digital was engaged by OfficeMax to select the right platform for the B2B site, including a redesign of the original B2C site for the business market and allowing for the integration of custom solutions.

icon-approach Our Approach


The first stage of the project involved assessing and selecting the right platform through which to manage OfficeMax’s B2B site. We decided on the VTEX platform which offers a complete digital experience for those looking to build a scalable and versatile enterprise commerce site.

We were then tasked with developing the site, using the original design of the B2C site but adapting it for a business market - integrating more intuitive navigation for users, enhancing the product search capabilities, and improving both the webpage designs and the checkout process. We also developed in-house architecture for the backend of the site, which would enable B2B clients to access all the information they needed regarding their orders and would allow the IT team at OfficeMax to update and upload new product information seamlessly.

The final stage of the project required the provision of custom solutions, designed to bring the B2B capabilities of the platform to life for OfficeMax. This meant building in user hierarchies, automated order approval workflows, an extensive user permissions configuration, address book, credit line, and cost center customizations to enable certain payment methods and regulations for specific users.

The primary intention behind the project was to create a B2B site which could replicate the success of OfficeMax’s B2C solution and streamline the user experience further through a different development platform.

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icon-project The Results


The results of the B2B site build speak for themselves. OfficeMax found that the increase in self-service orders for B2B customers significantly reduced the resources required to complete sales, thus reducing the cost of each sale and the need for customer service calls.

The new selling channel allowed for an increase in the average number of orders received by the business per month, with the purchase approval workflow giving backend approvers real time information and full control over the orders being placed. This meant that orders coming in could be tracked and used to update stock levels, resulting in improved customer satisfaction.

Finally, the B2B site provided OfficeMax with a boost in conversion rates, due to the easier checkout and the simplified navigation, including the tailor-made experience for top buying clients. This focus on user experience in building the B2B site enabled us to work OfficeMax’s commitment to customers into the online journey, supporting customers and guiding them towards the products they need without draining the business resources.

AAXIS Digital is committed to delivering enterprise digital solutions that deliver the results you need.  Get in touch for more information on how we can support your business and help your online presence thrive.