Don't Just Sell Online, Serve Online

When most dealers hear "ecommerce," they immediately picture an online storefront filled with product listings and an “Add to Cart” button. But for LBM dealers, especially those serving B2B customers, the true value of ecommerce goes far beyond the shopping cart. 

You can realize a measurable return on your LBM ecommerce investment without listing a single product online. 

What ecommerce really means for LBM 

Ecommerce is not just about selling. It’s about enabling digital customer service and self-serve account access for your commercial customers. The right tools transform your website into a self-service portal, reducing overhead and helping customers help themselves. 

Think about all the times your AR or sales team is pulled off task to answer questions like: 

• “Can you send me a copy of my statement?”
• “How much do I owe on this invoice?”
• “Did I already pay that?”
• “Can I get a list of my orders last quarter?” 

These aren’t high-value conversations. They're distractions. 

The power of a customer portal  

Establishing an online customer portal—without publishing your entire inventory—immediately reduces call volume and accelerates payment cycles. With a secure login, customers can: 

• Pay open-item invoices
• Make balance-forward payments on statements
• View order and quote history
• Download past invoices
• Track deliveries 

A recent Webb Analytics CS150 2024 report highlights this shift: 

“68% of CS150 members already offer customer access to purchase history online, and 61% have implemented online bill pay—another 26% plan to do so soon.” 

This trend isn’t just about modernizing, reducing costs, improving cash flow, and strengthening customer relationships. 

Start small, see results fast 

You're not alone if you’re hesitant to dive into full ecommerce with live product catalogs. The good news is: you don’t have to. Many successful dealers start with just the portal. 

• Phase one: Enable account login for statement viewing and online payments.
• Phase two: Add features like quote access or historical order review.
• Phase three (optional): Introduce product catalogs with pricing, without checkout. Customers can generate quotes and request follow-ups, but final orders still go through your sales team. 

Each step brings incremental ROI, starting with reduced AR workloads and faster collections. 

Proven ROI without "add to cart" 

Here's what dealers report after rolling out online account portals: 

• Faster payments via ACH or card
• More payment options (and fewer excuses)
• Improved cash flow with prompt pay discounts
• Less time spent answering phones
• Happier customers who can access their own data anytime 

Bottom line 

You don’t need to upload 10,000 SKUs to start realizing the benefits of ecommerce. You just need to help your customers help themselves. 

Start with account access. Let your customers pay online, view their history, and save your team hours each week. That’s ecommerce too, and it pays off.