Founded in 1998 as a Seattle-based garage startup, Online Metals has since become the world’s leading e-commerce metal and plastics supplier.
With over 60,000 products that can be shipped directly to any location, this once garage-based business is now a successful enterprise with seven distribution and pickup locations and over 100 employees across the United States. Online Metals offers raw materials like alloy steel, brass, copper, nickel, titanium, and zinc cut-to-size or in small and medium quantities and various shapes. Customers span the creative genius of private individuals like artists and engineers to multinational corporations and government agencies.
Online Metals is a company that is truly obsessed with customer experience. Its north star is the notion that “the last thing you do is the first thing the customer sees. So, let’s do it right!”
Powering Industry Disruption
Online Metals has already established itself as a digital powerhouse. It is now making even bigger waves by trailblazing the way it goes to market and engages with its customers. Fueled by its desire to continuously improve, Online Metals invested in SAP Commerce Cloud with marketplace solution provider Mirakl in order to deliver its most recent innovation: the first-of-its-kind metals and plastics catalog marketplace. The online catalog marketplace has opened the door for new sales channels and raw material manufacturers to sell their products directly via the Online Metals e-commerce platform.
From an industry perspective, the SAP-powered digital platform has empowered Online Metals to expand into disruptive new models within the metals industry. More specifically, it has enabled the team to sell products that have been traditionally non-transparent with pricing and also difficult to order in small quantities. As a result, the team can now support a growing number of micro-manufacturers throughout the U.S. that rely on a just-in-time, small-quantity metal supplier.
“The SAP-licensed version of Mirakl we used allows us to quickly onboard new sellers who want to reach the millions of metal buyers Online Metals reaches. We take care to only bring on the best sellers who provide the products our metal buyers want,” said Gregory Raece, president of Online Metals. “In fact, so great was the demand to sell on Online Metals that Mirakl even awarded us a ‘Fast Start’ award at their Mirakl B2B Summit in Chicago this April.”
The addition of the metal catalog marketplace has enabled the Online Metals team to better serve its customers. Sellers like TCI Precision Metals have already seen the benefits of using the new sales channels.
“The Mirakl team is beyond excited to be at the heart of this first-of-its-kind marketplace pioneering the digital transformation in metals and plastics supplies,” said Marc Teulières, general manager B2B, Mirakl. “By pairing the Mirakl suite of solutions with a remarkable vision for digital transformation, Online Metals has created a win-win-win: buyers can find the precise products they need, suppliers are uncovering new sales opportunities, and the business is on a path to streamlined growth.”
Driving Continuous Innovation
Every expanding business encounters obstacles in its growth journey. But with SAP technology, Online Metals has been able to support its unique business models, developing an excellent technical footprint that empowers its customers, enables flexibility and innovation, and showcases what truly matters: its distinctive and quality customer service and products.
Hear more customer stories at the SAP Customer Experience LIVE virtual experience.
For more information on how SAP Commerce Cloud can transform the way your business engages with its customers, visit the E-Commerce area of sap.com.
Geert Leeman is chief revenue officer for SAP Customer Experience.
