Use CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) Wisely!

Merle Norman is a family owned and operated cosmetic producer founded in 1931 by Merle Nethercutt Norman. Since then, Merle Norman’s vision has expanded to over 1,000 retail locations throughout the US and Canada. Each independently owned location gives their customers a unique and leisurely experience inspiring them to be the best version of themselves, with exceptional products ranging from skincare, to cosmetics along with indulgent Studio offerings. 

As the outbreak of COVID-19 began to sweep the country, Merle Norman and their executive and family member, Travis Richards, were determined to adjust their current eCommerce strategy to fit an imminent need, hand sanitizer. In order to get this solution off the ground, there were a few barriers that needed to be overcome, including; the solution itself, a revised technology landscape to fit their new offering, product packaging, branding and finally FDA approval. In addition, it was critical that Merle Norman consider the well-being of their loyal employees throughout the entirety of this process. This included following CDC guidelines and taking all necessary precautions outlined by the US Government. It’s important to note, this wasn’t Merle Norman’s first time assisting in a national crisis. In WWII, the brand manufactured machine gun oil and camouflage sticks for the US Government – being called to duty and helping is in their heritage.

After careful consideration, Merle Norman’s team of chemists determined an ideal solution to fit the needs and requirements of their clientele. The final product, which is distributed in a sprayable container is a 75% isopropyl alcohol and 80% ethanol alcohol-based fragrance-free lightweight liquid and is approved by the World Health Organization. The product is available in a convenient 6 oz and 3.4 oz size. 

As long-term partners of BORN Group and Salesforce Commerce Cloud (SFCC), the brand worked closely with the agency to revise their digital landscape to meet this new initiative, under a tight timeline. It was critical that their digital solution not only be scalable to accommodate the amount of intended traffic but flexible enough to make minor adjustments to their product inventory and shipping restrictions, all on the fly. ‘[We] were very impressed with BORN’s integration and our ability to work together seamlessly, the results truly speak for themselves,’ adds Jose Escobar, eCommerce Lead at Merle Norman. The teams worked closely and were ultimately able to create a stack that fit their business needs. 

The ‘Helping Hands’ initiative was launched by Merle Norman just 3 weeks after inception. With minimum branding and PR associated with the rollout, Merle Norman hosted a banner across their homepage along with a post to social media. Almost immediately, the brand saw a surge in orders of their new product attracting first-time visitors and loyal fans alike. With this success the brand had to create a limitation of purchases per one single user to prevent hoarding and overselling of the merchandise. All in all, the launch of hand sanitizer for the Merle Norman brand was not only beneficial to their business but to the thousands of franchisees who have been forced to close their doors during this time. With the production and distribution of hand sanitizer, Merle Norman was able to not only share their protective solution with individuals across the country during this high-risk time, but simultaneously protect their family-owned business and the thousands of franchisees and employees who rely on their business. 

Since the launch of Merle Norman’s hand sanitizer, the product has found a new niche in commercial accounts. Merle Norman’s product provides clients with a consistent superior formula in branded packaging all manufactured locally in Merle Normans location in California. Richards adds, ‘These past few weeks have been crazy for us all, the reception of the hand sanitizer, especially in the sprayable format has been epic. Doctors especially are fawning over this product because of its performance and other applications. The spray is more potent than all the others and doesn’t leave snail trails all over everything and it’s used on surfaces where regular mass gels would never be used- it’s exciting, I’ll never go back to a gel personally!’

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, our world has been faced with a revised reality that will affect each of us moving forward. B2C and B2B retailers alike, have seen changes in every aspect of how their businesses operate and in turn, have altered their digital presence to keep up with demand. This time of distress and disruption is not the time to halt your digital presence or growth, but instead, work to ensure that your solution is flexible and robust enough to withstand current circumstances and any future changes. 

How has COVID-19 impacted the way we do business?

‘COVID-19 has become both an agent of change and an accelerator for pre-existing trends,’ says Keith Pires, SVP, Enterprise at BORN. 

• The COVID pandemic has forced the closure of most brick-and-mortar entities disrupting the way traditional retailers conduct business.
• Businesses have to work even harder to stave off competition and fight the ease of buying off Amazon.com, deemed an essential business and growing stronger at this time. 
• Growing consumer demands are coupled with a shortened supply chain. To remain innovative and accessible across multiple touch points, businesses are recreating a seamless digital customer experience. BORN is seeing an increased customer need for quick migrations to an online platform that is more robust.
• The ability to work remotely is an imperative. To lower costs and reduce complexity, many corporations are also now moving from an on-premise data storage to a cloud data storage. 

Is moving to Cloud Storage Necessary?

BORN is consistently asked when and how to make the move.  Cloud storage allows corporations to easily connect with customers, clients, and other businesses, all at a reduced cost. There is a reduction in deployment time, which is especially significant given the recent economic circumstances. However, corporations placing a heavy emphasis on security and control would probably find more comfort with on-premise data storages and must factor in that this will still require on-site support.

How do B2C eCommerce solutions help brands adapt to these circumstances?

For a business to remain successful, it must cater to the customer’s unique buying proposition by offering personalization, convenience, and transparency. ‘The paradigm of a unique selling proposition has been overtaken by a unique buying proposition,” stated Keith Pires, SVP, Enterprise at BORN. 

To meet the customer’s unique buying proposition businesses must first gather the necessary information on clients in a different stage of its buying journey.  Following its acquisition of Qualtrics, SAP has seamlessly developed a solution that provides a holistic view of customer experience utilizing both experiential and operational data to deliver solutions following every step of the customer journey. Creating a unified customer experience while technically delivering it successfully oftentimes poses a challenge.

How do you implement an eCommerce solution quickly?

BORN developed an accelerator that allows B2B, B2C, and B2C2B commerce enterprises to reduce implementation costs by up to 40% and time-to-market by up to half, all without sacrificing quality.  ‘Even before the pandemic, customers were asking for the full power of SAP Commerce Cloud but in an accelerator approach,’ said Alex Stickelberger, Principal at BORN. ‘We built BORN EAGLE with a robust set of design, UX & UI features and pre-built integrations we developed. In addition, it is the first-ever certified SAP pre-packaged commerce solution.’

What recent innovations in SAP Commerce Cloud support a quicker implementation?

SAP Commerce Cloud helps create digital transformation for businesses by enabling omni-channels strategies, contextual customer experiences, and unifying customer processes.

With a newly-developed storefront called Spartacus, SAP Commerce Cloud Clients can utilize an angular based framer through JavaScript. This removes the need for complex frameworks and allows customers to deploy with little to no downtime.

What should retailers consider as restrictions ease?

It’s important to plan for the gradual re-opening. ‘One critical factor is logistics,’ says Keith Pires. ‘Is a business providing convenience and visibility to the customer?’

By offering a transformative experience in the digital front, businesses can provide customers with a one-to-one experience which can be developed into brand loyalty and trust. Consumers are forever-changed in how they shop and interact with their favorite brands.  It’s time for businesses to rise to meet their new expectations.  

When juxtaposed with a vicious pandemic and turbulent economy, these recent events may feel exceptionally overwhelming and deeply uncomfortable to confront as a society. However, BORN’s identity rests on being bold and authentic – it is essential for us to stand by our convictions and be resolute in times of adversity and need.

The aftermath of George Floyd’s death has sent shockwaves throughout not just the United States, but the world, calling into question the mandate of law enforcement as well as reopening necessary dialogues on race. When juxtaposed with a vicious pandemic and turbulent economy, these recent events may feel exceptionally overwhelming and deeply uncomfortable to confront as a society. However, BORN’s identity rests on being bold and authentic – it is essential for us to stand by our convictions and be resolute in times of adversity and need. 

As a forward thinking agency that is rooted in helping brands find and strengthen their digital identity, we also want to maintain a commitment to support communities in their struggle to defend their own personal identities. We affirm fully with the fight against systemic racism throughout the world and acknowledge that there must be an active, persistent effort to end the marginalization of Black lives.

We employ a very diverse and global community, many segments of whom are a direct product of the triumphs and victories of past civil rights movements and struggles for social justice. Without the contributions of the Black communities’ fight for equal treatment under the United States law during the 1960s, there would be no Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 – a hallmark piece of legislation that repealed the harsh anti-Asian and anti-Latino immigration quotas inflicted in the Immigration Act of 1924. As an agency and institution strengthened by those many immigrant diasporas that are the legacy of that legislation, we understand and acknowledge that we would not enjoy the success that we do today without the tireless work of Black activists in the 1960s. It is only right for us to show solidarity and support in turn for the crises that still continue to impact them to this day. 

These movements feel painful as a society to bear and may inspire nostalgia to a time before these grievances were made so publicly known. But to those grieving and many otherwise, these struggles are not a ‘new normal’ but an everyday reality. We take some solace in knowing that the history of the United States is filled with many moments like this – it is a maverick nation rife with protest and civil disobedience that, when at its best, is fearless in challenging a privileged class or institution to better the human condition. We can only look to the national myths around eighteenth century patriots dumping tea into the Boston Harbor, nineteenth century patriots demanding an end to the institution of slavery, or the great marches of twentieth century patriots against segregation and war, to see where this energy for civil disobedience stems from. While we do not condone theft, violence, or the destruction of personal property in protest, we also would be remiss to claim those incidents as isolated only to the struggles of the George Floyd protests, and instead note that they come from an impassioned zeal to end a state-sanctioned brutality that has been unaddressed for decades, if not centuries. 

Yet, one of the great successes in the American experiment rests in the consecrated belief in a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness – something which racism and prejudice inherently challenges by denying or marginalizing the condition of one’s humanity and place in society. The United States Constitution has seen those sentiments enshrined over time by slowly enfranchising more and more of its peoples to have a chance at the American dream via amendments such as the fifteenth and nineteenth, which saw race, religion, and gender dismantled as qualifiers of civic participation. There is some relief in knowing that change has been historically possible and is part of the American system – but that change never came by keeping idle against racism and prejudice.

Fundamentally, prejudice of all forms is a great dampener in the will of a society and it is why, on a utilitarian level, societies tend to move away from it with time. Reinforcing, defending, or failing to challenge the belief that one race or community is less than another ensures that the spirit of an underprivileged group will inherently be deflated and unmotivated to rise to the challenges that society faces, and enables abuses and injustices against those underprivileged groups to fester unaddressed.

However, few prejudices enable such unaddressed violence and death as often as those against Black lives – and for that reason, BORN is making commitments towards a Equal Rights Fund made up of the Equal Justice Initiative, Black Lives Matter, the NAACP, and the Lower East Side Girls’ Club to contribute financially to the causes against police brutality and systemic racism. We invite our team to reflect today on Juneteenth, which commemorates the full abolition of slavery in the United States, and we commit towards providing new content that sheds further light to our principles in equity and justice. Together, we can bring awareness and make change in the fight against racism and strengthen the equality of all before society and the law.