When B2B customers are making purchases through their procurement systems, it becomes necessary to provide PunchOut-enabled sites. As a B2B supplier, if you are unable to provide Ariba PunchOut catalog, your business will definitely go down the drain.
PunchOut - Need of the Hour
In today's times, having a sophisticated ecommerce platform is not enough for any supplier to attract large customers.  Big customers are looking for solutions that will allow them to connect supplier's ecommerce platform with their procurement application. PunchOut protocol offers that solution.
Many B2B buyers use Oracle procurement system to streamline their purchasing process. In such circumstances, it is important that the suppliers implement Oracle PunchOut catalog integration to increase their customer reach.
As a supplier, you can provide customized catalogs for your B2B buyers using PunchOut protocol. The protocol provides a direct connection between the buyer's procurement and the catalog located at the supplier's site.
Whether the buyer is using Ariba, SciQuest, Coupa, JD Edwards or PeopleSoft procurement system, it can be easily integrated with any ecommerce platform using PunchOut.
Why Implement PunchOut?
The biggest advantage of Ecommerce PunchOut integration is that the buyers don't have to login twice to access their catalog. They have to just click a PunchOut link available on the procurement system screen to reach their pre-approved contract catalog.
Say you have 5 large B2B customers, each using a different procurement application. Now you can implement PunchOut for each of these customers from a single platform itself.
B2B customers using Coupa procurement catalog can power up their approval workflow using PunchOut. So once the purchases are made, the shopping cart comes back to the buyer's procurement system wherein the pre-established approval workflow is followed.
In other words, every order placed via PunchOut goes through an approval workflow setup by the management. After the order has been approved, it is electronically sent to the supplier, which helps to streamline the purchasing process.
Access Contract Catalog Only
With PunchOut integration, B2B buyers can view their pre-negotiated contract catalog only. The connection is established in such a way that it leaves no scope for buyers to access non-contract products. This means whenever a B2B buyer starts the PunchOut, he is able to view his contract products only.
Also, since PunchOut catalog supports representation of configuration, suppliers can display a wide range of product configurations and increase the chances of getting more sales.
Easy Modification
Another advantage of PunchOut from the supplier's point of view is the ability to update catalog easily. Many suppliers are frequently changing their catalog content. While some discontinue products others change product prices. In such circumstances it is necessary to display up-to-date inventory to the customer.
PunchOut allows suppliers to quickly update their catalog. Unlike CIF catalog, they don't have to waste hours in modifying the catalog.

On the whole, PunchOut is the key ingredient to grow your B2B ecommerce business. From simplifying the B2B buying process to improving customer retention, PunchOut can play a crucial role in taking your business to the next level.