Ariba PunchOut: 20 Questions to Ask (Part 1/4)

Need an Ariba PunchOut Website, but Don’t Know What to Look For?
20 Important questions to ask an eCommerce software company before buying (Part 1/4)


Q1) Are you Ariba PunchOut compliant?
While most software companies have programmers that may be familiar with the XML language, and may be quick to say "Sure, we can do that." The truth is very, very few software companies have successfully built true Ariba cXML PunchOut capable solutions. Ask whether they have a working, turn-key Ariba PunchOut website and whether they have successfully integrated their system with other Ariba Buyers, or whether this will be their first attempt (and stay away from the latter).

Q2) Is the interface simple?
The Fortune 100 are very conscious of the cost of the purchasing process. The purpose of them spending millions of dollars on Ariba is to lower the cost of buying things. They want their employees to get in, buy, and get out. They don't care (and don’t even want) flashy frills that take away from this primary goal. True business-to-business (B2B) storefronts have a simple, clean interface where every pixel's sole purpose is to find what they need and leave. Contrary to the desire of the average casual online shopper (B2C), you don't want your Ariba PunchOut site to look like Amazon.

Q3) Can my website be customized to my company's and/or my customer's branding?
One of the advantages of going PunchOut is the ability to have more control over what the customer sees when they go to buy from you. You need to be able to have the site customized to look like they have entered YOUR site. Logos, color scheme, fonts, page banners, landing area, about us and contact us pages all need to be customizable, even if it's with help from a consultant.

Q4) Can I actually see it in action?
Ask for a live demonstration and be very skeptical if they don't agree to show you one. If they give you screenshots or a PowerPoint presentation, demand a live WebEx session or a real demo site to play with. When you do see the site, start imagining your company's logo, colors, and information as well as your products and services in the catalog to see if it's a fit for you.

Q5) Can I use the same system for all my other customers?
For most vendors, the priority is satisfying their immediate need to go PunchOut with one of their largest customers as soon as possible. However, if you're going to invest thousands of dollars in an eCommerce solution, you'll want the ability to use it with all of your other customers as well. Ask if this is possible or if it can only be used with just this one customer.