2008-05-05 - HSM makes the Commerce Connector available in the Benelux countries

HSM, the manufacturer of office technology from Salem, continues to expand its internet and online activities. Since mid-2006, German consumers and business consumers have been able to use the “Commerce Connector” online tool to order HSM products directly from the HSM homepage, while the turnover is credited to those HSM business partners taking part. “Deep Links” guide visitors from the HSM website directly to the online shop of the specialist dealer, where they are then able to place their order.  

This online sales tool is now also available in Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. Dealers integrated into the system include, among others, members of the Dutch purchasing association Quantore, and mail order companies such as Inmac.

For the first time, Benelux visitors of the HSM homepage can buy directly from connected dealer shops. Previously, end customers could “only” use the internet to get information or make enquiries, while the purchasing process was more laborious.  “Now, it takes the customer only a few mouse clicks to reach an HSM dealer,” explained Wilbert Hofmeester, Quantore's marketing manager.

Demand for HSM products by end customers has been increasing strongly, as born out by the access statistics for the HSM homepage. As many customers were making direct purchase enquiries, HSM decided to integrate a system allowing these visitors to order directly. Once a visitor has made a decision to purchase, HSM accompanies that customer all the way to the virtual shelf containing the HSM product. The introduction of the Commerce Connector is a continuation of HSM's e-commerce offensive in the Benelux countries. In mid-2007, HSM became one of the first suppliers to provide its entire range of products to the Netherlands on the electronic ordering platform PBSeasy.  

“The Commerce Connector solution is an ideal way to take advantage of the obvious turnover potential, together with specialist dealers. This is why we will introduce the Commerce Connector in other European countries by the end of this year”, said Jürgen Walker, HSM's sales manager for office technology in Central Europe.

David Vitrano is responsible for e-commerce marketing at HSM, and is highly satisfied with the progress of the project so far: “Loyalty to specialist dealers and e-commerce are not mutually exclusive, but instead are uniquely interconnected and complement one another.”