With NetSuite in their corner, ISG Members keep pace with technology, increase margins, and remain competitive

Comprised of about 800 companies, the Independent Suppliers Group (ISG) is a not-for-profit, member-owned cooperative focused on the success of its independent dealer members. All ISG members are locally owned and operated and specialize in office products, technology, furniture, and other product mixes. The group has been around since 1977 and bills itself as the “most progressive office products dealer group in the world.”

By pooling their collective merchandising and marketing strengths, ISG members have been able to reach a larger audience of customers. Most of them serve a broad range of customers in the public and private sectors; maintain their own vehicle fleets for next-day deliveries to those customers; and take pride in delivering very high levels of customer service.

Unfortunately, the majority of ISG members are running aging software solutions that were on-premises architected, making it more difficult to compete with larger industry players like Staples and Amazon. Knowing this, Business Solution Partners (BSP), a 20-year NetSuite reseller and implementer, developed a software bundle that enhances NetSuite’s native functionality to meet the needs of office supplies dealers.

4 key integrations for ISG members

The ISG Edition of NetSuite includes direct integrations with key wholesalers like S.P. Richards and Essendant, plus Logicblock for eCommerce. It also provides other integrations and customizations as required by the industry and/or specific dealer. Here’s a closer look at each integration and the benefits that ISG members can expect from implementing them:  

1. Logic block. Logicblock is a leading ecommerce platform for the office supplies industry. Partnering with Logicblock made perfect sense because it incorporates robust functionality that’s already being used by scores of office supply Dealers.

“Logicblock has been enhancing its functionality for the office supplies and jan-san industries for over 10 years,” said Alex Nicolaides, CEO and Founder of Logicblock. Logicblock already handles the rich item and catalog content via integrations with Essendant and S.P. Richards. It also manages automatic wholesaler price updates, customer pricing rules, and competitive pricing intelligence. “With flexible design options, robust B2B capabilities, and the ability to configure search engine results to display the most profitable items on top,” he added, “Logicblock supports dealers’ top priorities of customer satisfaction and maximizing profitability.”

Sales orders that originate in Logicblock automatically flow into NetSuite, which handles all the back-end purchasing, fulfillment, and invoicing processes, complemented by robust reporting.

2. Wholesaler integrations. Robust integrations with Essendant and SP Richards give Dealers the flexibility they need to view current stock at wholesaler warehouses, transmit purchase orders throughout the day and manage back orders. Built-in automation assists with transmitting and receiving wrap & label orders, facilitating drop shipments, and providing the visibility required to leverage carton buy programs for increasing margins. The process flow is rounded out with invoice integrations with the wholesalers, plus ISG for carton program purchases. 

3. Elite EXTRA. The ISG Edition of NetSuite also includes integration to Elite EXTRA, a robust routing and proof-of-delivery system. As orders flow through the fulfillment and delivery steps, proof-of-delivery data flows back into NetSuite and Logicblock for customer access through their self-service “My Account” area.

4. Custom integrations for the industry. BSP continues to develop integrations and customizations as required by the industry and/or specific dealer. One example is a ‘short buy’ purchasing screen that makes it easy for Dealers to analyze carton buy opportunities and act on them quickly and efficiently. Another example is direct EDI integrations with furniture manufacturers.  

These industry-specific integrations and customizations come together to make up the ISG Edition of NetSuite and include all the critical components office supply dealers need to run their businesses on the platform. As new integrations and customizations are added to the bundle, any dealer that has purchased the ISG Edition module from BSP can begin using the latest enhancements by reinstalling the bundle.

Competing more effectively and increasing profit margins
Once up and running on the ISG Edition of NetSuite, office supply dealers can accomplish more with less in an era where labor is difficult to both find and retain. Dealers can proactively manage product cost changes, offer more competitive pricing, and effectively manage rebates. These are all key wins at a time of inflation and supply chain issues, where competition is stiff and future economic conditions are uncertain.

Summary 
When office supply dealers replace their aging, disjointed, on-premises architected technology systems with the ISG Edition of NetSuite, they leverage a platform that helps them compete more effectively while increasing profit margins. By making this shift, ISG members are investing in automation, gaining better business visibility, and future-proofing their businesses.