Archived DemandBridge News
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October 21, 2019
In today's Feature Flash, we highlight the DB Sourcing NEW client user experience and the NEW check format in EQ Distributor that allows users to print all data on a check including the MICR line.
DB Sourcing – New Client User Experience
Available as of October 2, 2019
DB Sourcing has been in use for many years by distributors and suppliers to facilitate quoting, proposals, and orders on behalf of the brands they service today. Customer service representatives and sales executives have used DB Sourcing to create jobs, input item specifications based on their clients’ needs, and request bids from their vendor partners in hopes that those RFQs will be converted into orders. While DB Sourcing brings efficiency and automation to the buying process, CSRs can still spend a lot of time qualifying opportunities only for them to never come to fruition. In an attempt to further improve bottom lines, we’ve introduced a new “client” user type that allows those end-customers to initiate a request through their distributor partner’s branded instance of DB Sourcing, tell their account representative about their product needs (including detailed specifications), and upload supporting files.
Administrators can identify which of their clients it makes sense to allow to access DB Sourcing and create requests in this manner. When establishing a client user account, administrators can associate that user to one or more “customers” from their back-office system for which they may initiate requests, in addition to one account representative who will serve as the client’s point of contact and recipient of request notifications.
By giving clients access to technology they can use to initiate their own requests, distributors no longer have to rely on external communication such as phone calls or emails to capture important job information, only to spend time entering this data into a RFQ on a client’s behalf to be sent to suppliers. With these time savings, account representatives can refocus their attention from administrative activities to servicing and collaborating with their customers.
Once a client submits a request, a notification is sent to the account representative, and the RFQ will show on the distributor’s job status dashboard. From here, a CSR can review the client’s input, make any necessary modifications, and proceed to solicit vendors for quotes, prepare a proposal, and eventually a purchase order.
Meanwhile, the client user can monitor the status of jobs created by themselves and others within their organization from their own dashboard display, offering transparency into the life cycle of their requests, and the ability to measure compliance to service level agreements. Not to mention, distributors gain further efficiencies by reducing the need for project status updates!
NEW check format in EQ Distributor (e-Quantum) that allows users to print all data on a check including the MICR line
Available as of September 11, 2019
A NEW check format is available in EQ Distributor that allows users to print all data on a check including the MICR line. You will need to download a MICR font, purchase MICR toner and blank check stock. The check format is 8-1/2 x 11 middle (Blank).
- Setup is done in General Ledger, bank account setup.
- The Bank name and address is setup on the address tab.
- The account number is entered on the setup tab.
- A NEW checks tab was added that has the next check number, format and routing setup. You can choose to print void after or exclude and select the number of days to print. There is now an option to print the bank name and one can select the number of signatures required.
The MICR encoding has instructions to help with setup.
DemandBridge in the Spotlight
September 20, 2019
In an interview with PS Magazine, John Smilko, VP Dist. Mgmt. Solutions, talks about DemandBridge's priorities and goals. See the full article at https://news.content.smithbucklin.com/psda/pdfs/2019_09_Bursts_of_Innovation.pdf
Quarterly Technology Release - Q2 & Q3 2019
September 11, 2019
DemandBridge is excited to report some of the many developments we have been working on in second and third quarters of 2019, related to product enhancements and new integrations. We strive to provide constant improvements to products, services, and customer support.
In this quarterly review, we'll highlight the following:
- The new DB Sourcing Integration is now available for customers using EQ Distributor as their back-office system so that they can track orders with the Job-Status dashboard and search, request, and compare quotes, send branded proposals to customers, and convert opportunities into purchase orders through an interactive supplier user interface.
- The DB Commerce Promo Workflow integration automatically configures many Item Codes for each possible combination of variants, and creates corresponding records in EQ Distributor dynamically for each unique variation.
- The DB Commerce to KS Distributor integration features automated order flow, impressive data transfer, hourly synced inventory values, and quick site implementations.
- DB Commerce coupons can now be created each with a valid date range, coupon type (flat dollar amount, percent off, or free shipping.), minimum purchase requirement, user access, and item eligibility requirements.
- New highly efficient DB Commerce admin interface includes basic company details, user management, catalog maintenance, vendor overview, item list, item groups, and promo item maintenance with more coming soon.
DB Sourcing Integration to EQ Distributor
Our teams in Hunt Valley and Reno have been working hard to make our web-based procurement solution, DB Sourcing, available to our customers using EQ Distributor as their back-office system, and we’re happy to say that this integration is complete and ready for use!
DB Sourcing helps distributors take control of the most significant functions affecting their profitability. With features aimed at finding efficiencies, standardization of buying processes, streamlining communication, and providing transparency in purchasing, users can instantly measure cost savings on the activities that impact their bottom line.
Key features include:
- Job-status dashboard to facilitate end-to-end project management and collaboration across your organization.
- Ability to request and compare quotes from suppliers, send those bids to customers in a branded proposal, award items, and convert opportunities into purchase orders all from one portal.
- Interactive supplier user interface where vendors can maintain their company profile, respond to RFQs and revise bids, send and retrieve comments/attachments, and acknowledge orders they’ve won.
- Sophisticated search functions to help CSRs find the best supplier for a job.
- Robust approval rules, reports, and supplier maintenance tools that offer administrators insights and control over how to direct their spend.
- Integration into the DemandBridge back-office systems to minimize redundant data entry through seamless order transmission, dynamic item creation, and data replication.
DBC Promo Workflow & EQ Distributor Integration
In our Q1 Technology Release, we announced the integration of DB Commerce into EQ Distributor, as well as the launch of our “New Promo Workflow”. Since then, we’ve seen several distributors using e-Quantum as their back-office system begin taking advantage of the new features available to them as a result of this integration, from modernized branded storefronts, to advanced editor capabilities and digital output options, and more. Meanwhile, many other distributors have started utilizing our DB Commerce Promo Workflow to create and showcase items with many possible variant combinations on their customers’ sites. Since the initial launch, we’ve gathered lots of positive feedback that we’ve used to improve the software and tighten the current integration with DB Distributor, and to expand this feature set to additional customers.
A key benefit of this workflow is the ability to automatically configure many Item Codes representing each possible combination of variants, and to have corresponding purchase orders created in one’s back-office system, thus reducing initial setup time and effort. We’re now pleased to be able to offer this dynamic item creation capability to our customers using EQ Distributor, and are actively working towards making the full suite of “Promo” features available to our KS Distributor customers in the near future!
DB Commerce to KS Distributor back-office
In Q1, we brought you the integration between DB Commerce and EQ Distributor. In continuing our efforts on the integration front, we are excited to announce connectivity of DB Commerce to KS Distributor. The DB Commerce platform offers quick site implementations through availability of data, ensuring current information for items, inventory, and pricing. Equally important are a modern look and feel and feature-rich solutions for customization of marketing materials and options for digital delivery.
Integration benefits include automated order flow from DB Commerce to KS Manager, impressive data transfer (i.e. customers, items, ship-to, ship-via and tax), and synced inventory values on an hourly basis. This resulting in a transparent and seamless integration.
We look forward to providing you with the efficiencies needed to turn your customer ordering experiences into best in-class solutions.
Coupons Coming to DB Commerce
DB Commerce offers a variety of payment methods from corporate cost centers to credit cards, and even spending accounts with preset amounts and business rules. A long-standing customer request has come to fruition as we prepare to release coupon codes in Q3.
The site administrator can now create one or more codes to be used to discount the order. A step-by-step process allows the code to be specified, date range to be indicated, and coupon type (flat dollar amount, percent off or free shipping). Next, minimum purchase requirement, user access, and item eligibility are considered before activating the coupon for use.
The checkout workflow is blissfully simple; when a coupon code is enabled, the entry box appears. The user enters their code, validation occurs, and the discount appears. The system supports one coupon per order, and each code is a single use per user. The final step is near completion as the teams work to transmit the order discount to the respective back office system.
We can’t wait to share this long-anticipated feature with our users!
DB Commerce Administrative Overhaul
Our site administrators are our unsung heroes of the DB Commerce world. These users plan and construct beautiful customer sites through details of catalog setup, item maintenance, and site configuration. The administrative tools are plentiful, and we’ve made efforts over the years to create efficiencies, but the interface overall has taken a back seat to the end user experience.
The new promotional products workflow required a completely new administrator component and was the perfect precursor to a whole new administrative experience. Our product management and user experience teams have worked together to carefully select core areas of the system to begin with. The result is a beautiful and highly efficient new distributor admin interface. We started with the most frequently used areas, and those that would be necessary first for promo, and next for other key functions, and the team is continuing to build out additional components.
Customers with access to the latest version of DB Commerce will see this interface and can toggle back to the “legacy” view for features not yet converted. Users will rejoice at the simple efficiency gains from saved active company and auto-save fields. They will save time with hover over details and edit in place.
The current iteration includes basic company details, user management, catalog maintenance, vendor overview, and item list, item groups, and promo item maintenance. The list of features is growing with each release. We've had rave reviews since released and we cannot wait to see more administrators take advantage of this.
Did you know?
As part of the DemandBridge Learning Center, we offer monthly webinars designed to educate users of the software on best practices, platform navigation, workflow efficiency, setup, configurations, new releases, and much more! Each session is recorded and can be found at https://dblc.dbenterprise.com. You may login with an existing account or you may create a new account using the self setup link at the bottom of the login page with password = dblc.
August 9, 2019
DemandBridge Clients are Top Distributors
The June/July 2019 issue of Print Solutions magazine features PSDA's annual article showcasing PSDA member companies with the highest 2018 fiscal year sales. DemandBridge is proud to note that an impressive 78% of the top 45 highest performing distributors are members of our wonderful DemandBridge client family. We are extremely proud of their accomplishments, and proud of our opportunity to play a role, however small, in their outstanding success. They exemplify Industry leadership at its finest.
July 1, 2019
In today's Feature Flash, we highlight DB Commerce spending account usability improvements, Q-Design’s new web-ready version of print orders, and the new layout for revision notes accessible in e-Quantum.
DB Commerce Spending Account Usability Improvements
Available as of June 5, 2019
DB Commerce supports “Spending Accounts” as a method of payment intended for use as corporate cash, for promotions, etc. These accounts are created/maintained by admin users and granted to the end users during specified time frames, based on user/group, and for use on certain items/catalogs. The setup is quite flexible and supports automatic reload rules, shared accounts, and spending limits. Whatever the settings, any spending accounts that apply to the current order are present in the listing of available payment methods.
The system supports a variety of payment methods, which is both a good thing and a bad thing. For a user with a wide variety of cost centers, credit card options, and spending accounts, it may have been easy to overlook a spending account. Who wouldn’t want to take advantage of promotional dollars?! Our product team wanted to make this beneficial feature easier to use. As of June 5th, sites using the spending account feature will notice the following improvements:
- The Billing section at checkout features a call out stating: “You are eligible to use your spending account(s) below”.
- The first available spending account is now auto-selected.
- If “split billing” is enabled (to permit selection of multiple payment methods), then instructions guide the user: “If you would like to split billing, select your first payment method below and click apply. You can add additional payment methods thereafter.”
- When selecting the spending account for use, the "Amount to be applied to this payment method" value will calculate/pre-populate the lesser of the spending account balance and the remaining order total to be allocated.
The spending account capability remains otherwise unchanged and continues to offer the same flexibility and visibility that it always has. Please contact us for more information on this feature, and to learn how you can take advantage of this for your DB Commerce users.
Q-Design Now Includes a Web-Ready Version of Print Orders
Available as of June 5, 2019
Q-Design, our variable template builder, now features the ability for end users to receive a “web-ready” version of their variable print order. In Q-Design, an additional checkbox has been added to the template setup: "Include PNG Link on Confirmation". The previous option "Include Art Link on Confirmation" has been changed to "Include PDF Link on Confirmation". By selecting one or a combination of these two options, the distributor can choose which types of files their ordering user will receive on the order confirmation. The web-ready PNG file will be generated at the same resolution and size as the Preview thumbnail in Q-Design, which is selected by the distributor.
Revision Notes Have a Brand New Layout
Available now
Revision notes are published whenever Quantum Net or e-Quantum is updated, and these pages have recently been updated with a brand-new layout. Revisions are grouped by release date, and each section may be expanded or collapsed individually, or collectively with the Show All and Hide All buttons. When the page is opened, the most recent release is expanded by default, so that any user can quickly view the latest updates.
Revision notes are accessed through e-Quantum in the Help menu > Revision Notes.
Quarterly Technology Release - Q1 2019
May 1, 2019
DemandBridge is excited to report some of the many developments we have been working on in first quarter 2019, related to product enhancements and new integrations. We strive to provide constant improvements to products, services, and customer support.
In this quarterly review, we'll highlight the following:
- The NEW DB Commerce promotional products workflow will let you easily create promotional items that look great and perform even better. Your clients will love the new design!
- Integrations between the existing e-Quantum back-office and DB Commerce will open up a whole new spectrum of options for many Distributor clients and their end users.
- Microsoft's Power BI will allow you to get the metrics you want, customized to the way YOU do business.
New Promo Workflow
More Variety, More Features, More Performance, More Design, More Administration
Key Benefits:
- Consolidated Item Detail View
- Flexible Variant Configuration
- Efficient Batch Ordering
- Intelligent Volume Pricing Across Cart Contents
- Robust Media Library and Tagging System
- Detailed Shopping Cart Summary
- Modernized Site/Item Administration
Modernized Site/Item Administration:
- Updated Distributor Admin interface.
- Items can be configured, assigned to catalogs, and dynamically created in your back-office system right from DB Commerce, bringing essential functions under one roof.
- Promo Item setup “wizard” guides administrators through each phase of setup, offering previews of end user experience along the way.
- Intelligent item creation streamlines effort to setup individual products for each possible variant configuration.
Product Integration:
DB Commerce to e-Quantum back-office
Connectivity has been a long-time advantage of DB Commerce, facilitating quick site implementations through availability of data, and ensuring current information for items, inventory, and pricing. Our teams have worked diligently to bring that integration to fruition between DB Commerce and e-Quantum, from site creation, all the way to order placement. Equally important are a modern look and feel and feature-rich solutions for customization of marketing materials and options for digital delivery. We look forward to providing you with the efficiencies needed to turn your customer ordering experiences into best in-class solutions.
DB Reporting - Microsoft Power BI
We are pleased to announce use of Microsoft's Power BI reporting within live DB Commerce sites. We've had incremental progress toward our goal of bringing true on-demand reporting to our clients. We first announced an integration to embed Microsoft's Power BI into our DB Commerce offering. Next, we worked with clients to get their data in Microsoft Azure and replicate our system data as well to facilitate reports on consumption and usage through the platform. We partnered with a firm to construct a useful, insightful, and interactive report to showcase key points of content consumption, user adoption, and inventory status. Since then our teams have worked with beta clients to populate these reports with the necessary data and review them online from the end user perspective. We have a team poised and ready to on-board our excited customers!
A Growing Partnership
CHILI publish set to double in size
Mar 27, 2019
The existing integration between CHILI and DB Commerce has already generated much excitement among customers in offering advanced editor capabilities with built-in controls to maintain brand compliance. CHILI publisher frees up time in packaging and marketing artwork creation and enables a more streamlined deployment of creative and budget resources. "Our solution is going from niche to mass thanks to all the applications our customers and partners are creating and the results they are achieving." says Kevin Goeminne, CEO of CHILI publish.
With demand growing, so is CHILI. Goeminne elaborates: “Our customer base, partner range, and market scope are continuously expanding – we are currently recruiting 35 people in Aalst and 10 in Chicago. Brands and partners everywhere need us, so we’re staffing up to meet that need. With the right additional people on board, I’m confident we can further expand our technology, conquer new markets and achieve our company mission of shaping tomorrow’s graphics.”
DemandBridge congratulates CHILI's success and is happy to be a part of its continued growth.
Introducing the DemandBridge Learning Center & Webinar Series
Your home for learning and resources
February 20, 2019
We are excited to launch the DemandBridge Learning Center, bringing learning online without leaving your office! As part of the learning center, we have developed several knowledge building webinars designed to educate users of the software on best practices, platform navigation, workflow efficiency, setup, configurations, new releases and much more!
A monthly webinar schedule will be sent in advance so that you may register.
- WHO MAY JOIN Any interested individual and user of the software is invited to participate.
- REGISTRATION Webinars require pre-registration and are complimentary, unless noted otherwise.
- LENGTH OF WEBINAR Each presentation will be 45 minutes in length and allow for 5-10 minutes of question and answer at the end, moderated by DemandBridge staff.
- HOW TO SIGN UP Instructions for connecting to the webinars will be included in the confirmation email upon registration.
Webinars will be archived. A link to the recording of each webinar will be available to all participants in the post-webinar follow-up email. Course materials may accompany if applicable.
Please mark your calendars and register today!
This month’s lineup includes
Site Administration: Company Settings
Product: DB Commerce
February 21, 2019
11am PST, 1pm CT, 2pm EST
This session will focus on the distributor administrator role within the "Work with Companies" area. We will provide an overview of the myriad of options, and then focus in on those most frequently used. Topics will include (but are not limited to): site theme, splash page, password settings, credit card options, order transmission settings, freight, ship-tos and cost centers, & checkout screen configuration.
Site Administration: Items & Vendors
Product: DB Commerce
February 25, 2019
10am PST, 12pm CT, 1pm EST
This session will focus on the distributor administrator role within the "Work with Items" area and compare that to the subset of options that can be maintained from the customer admin role. We will cover descriptions, images, keywords, customization settings, price options, item specs, catalog assignment, and vendor assignment. We will also visit the "Work with Vendors" area to configure transmission for fulfillment by a supplier.
Q-Design: Creating Linked Variables
Product: Q-Design
February 28, 2019
11am PST, 1pm CT, 2pm EST
Add a drop-down option to a completed template to auto populate addresses.
Making Alliances
2019 PSDA CEO Summit Sponsor
February 7, 2019
DemandBridge is excited to sponsor the 2019 PSDA CEO Summit, March 11-13 in Fort Lauderdale where PSDA executive members have the opportunity to connect with the best in the industry, discuss high-level trends, and share ideas and challenges. Last year, more than 80 percent of attendees said they met someone new or renewed a relationship that they expected to lead to new business.
We look forward to seeing you and are eager to discuss our new industry-leading promotional products workflow.
Key Benefits
- Consolidated Item Detail View
- Flexible Variant Configuration
- Efficient Batch Ordering
- Intelligent Volume Pricing Across Cart Contents
- Robust Media Library and Tagging System
- Detailed Shopping Cart Summary
- Modernized Site/Item Administration
We will see you soon! Look for the cool gadgets that DemandBridge has waiting for you in your event registration packet.
Top 50 Distributors
December 17, 2018
The November 2018 issue of Print + Promo Magazine features their annual Top 50 Distributors analysis.
DemandBridge is proud to note that 64% of the top 50 highest performing distributors are members of our wonderful DemandBridge client family.
We are extremely proud of their accomplishments, and proud of our opportunity to play a role, however small, in their outstanding success. They exemplify Industry leadership at its finest.
DemandBridge Announces Strategic Alliance
Norcross, Georgia
October 25, 2018
DemandBridge, a dominant Marketing Automation Platform provider to approximately 600 Marketing/Print Services firms, announced today that they have signed a letter-of-intent with The Ampersand Group, agreeing in principle to forge a strategic alliance to provide an array of business services associated with on-boarding, implementation and operating the DemandBridge suite of products. The Ampersand Group, located in Akron, Ohio, has a national network of entrepreneurial business owners who use Ampersand’s back office services and sales support to increase sales, reduce costs, increase profits and thus expand their businesses. By offering technology implementation services, finance/accounting services, eCommerce template building, strategic buying services and sales enablement, The Ampersand Group will help their member companies spend more time on revenue generating opportunities.
As part of this new alliance, The Ampersand Group will be implementing the full DemandBridge platform to include the industry leading DB Commerce storefront solution, DB Sourcing and DB Reporting, all powered by Microsoft’s Azure Cloud solution and PowerBI (dashboard) tools. This, in addition to the currently provided e-Quantum solution for storefronts and back office support. By also acting as an aggregator of spend for Print, Office products and Promotional goods and fully utilizing DemandBridge’s software platforms, The Ampersand Group will help their customers transition to a fully digital organization with a direct connect to the best suppliers in the trade.
“This partnership is to help all of our customers continue to grow and expand their opportunities. The Ampersand Group has been a terrific customer and now will be a key partner helping our 600 customers take advantage of the complete suite of solutions we have to offer,” states Anthony Abunassar, Chief Product Officer for DemandBridge. David Rich, the ex-Accenture CEO of DemandBridge, added that “we welcome The Ampersand Group into the family as we expand our ecosystem of alliance partners.” Todd Mellon, CEO/President of The Ampersand Group, said “we are very excited to forge this strategic alliance with DemandBridge, offering an expanded array of business services fully enabled by the complete suite of DemandBridge products.”
DemandBridge is headquartered outside of Atlanta, Georgia with offices in Baltimore, Reno and Dallas. They acquired e-Quantum in October of 2017, Kramer-Smilko in January, announced the creation of a Public/Private Sourcing Exchange in March and recently completed the associated post-merger integration activities.
How Single-Source Software Solutions Can Up Your Marketing Game
Part One
October 25, 2018
DemandBridge CEO, David Rich sat down with Print+Promo to talk about how single-source software solutions can up your marketing game. Check out part one of this two-part series, and check back on 10/30 for the conclusion!
“When seeking a software solution, don’t just think of what your best clients need; think of what your next clients need,” said DemandBridge Chairman and CEO David Rich. And he should know. With more than 1.2 million registered users and over 3,000 brands across the retail, health care, franchising, financial, energy and nonprofit verticals, his company’s successful platform allows distributors to service customers on many aspects of their marketing and sales efforts—from hard goods to full digital distribution of their content. Thanks to single-source software solutions offered by providers like DemandBridge, distributors can take cumbersome marketing efforts and enable those tasks through a user-friendly interface branded to their customers’ standards, thereby building true partnerships with end-users.
By adding that personal touch to the customer experience, print and promotional product specialists have been able to outwit the best attempts of major directs. But as Rich also pointed out, this isn’t the same business landscape as before. The conversations between distributors and marketing managers have evolved from low price to what he referred to as “Big Marketing.”
To better understand this concept, we started our own dialogue with the DemandBridge executive. In part one of this two-part series, Rich detailed the needs of marketing teams and how industry software solutions fit in.
... Now It Gets Interesting
2018 PSDA P2P Technology + Innovation Summit Sponsors
October 4, 2018
Exciting things are happening at DemandBridge since expanding our capabilities with the addition of both e-Quantum and Kramer-Smilko. Our team is looking forward to attending and sponsoring the 2018 PSDA P2P Technology + Innovation Summit where we will demonstrate new product integrations, the new DB Commerce white label demo site, new industry-leading promotional products workflow development, and the new quote uploader feature in DB Sourcing. Plus, learn about how to join our exclusive Sourcing Exchange with more than 100 distributors and suppliers (limited space available)!
- DB Commerce Connectivity has been a long-time advantage of DB Commerce, facilitating quick site implementations through availability of data, and ensuring current information for items, inventory, and pricing. Our teams have worked diligently this year to bring that integration to fruition between DB Commerce and e-Quantum, from site creation, all the way to order placement. Equally important are a modern look and feel and feature-rich solutions for customization of marketing materials and options for digital delivery. We look forward to sharing our new demo site with you and providing the efficiencies needed to turn your customer ordering experiences into best in class solutions.
- DB Sourcing With our new quote uploader, responding to requests for quotes has never been easier. Suppliers can more efficiently serve their distributor partners by exporting output generated from their estimating systems and uploading that output directly into DB Sourcing. Those enrolling in a public exchange can also map their own unique format to the required fields by DB Alliance. Many configuration options are available that provide an opportunity for integration with a wide range of systems. In other news, on the heels of a successful integration between e-Quantum and DB Commerce, our development teams are actively working on making our sourcing solution available to e-Quantum users in Q4.
- DB Reporting Our best in breed reporting offering helps you and your clients manage their marketing spend across all aspects of a corporate storefront with access to insights in real-time across their entire global spend. No-longer are the times where a client needs to see canned reports or the customer service team creates spreadsheets at month end. Give your clients 24/7 control and transparency to view/create custom dynamic reports when they need them. Our business analytics tools deliver a 360-degree view across your entire business to help you make decisions now to enable the ability to change outcomes. Give your clients and your business what it needs - real-time action.
More Exciting News...
At DemandBridge, we believe in providing our customers with the highest level of customer service and amongst our priority is increased responsiveness. We are happy to announce that we are deploying the DemandBridge Support Portal, powered by Jira Service Desk, a true ticket and issue tracking platform, across all offices and products. It provides greater efficiencies and consistent customer support. We are also implementing "ONE DEMANDBRIDGE" based on top in class agile development techniques, as our product planning and engineering platform.
Attending the 2018 PSDA Summit?
Please stop by our booth (#137) to learn more! Ask us about the new DB Commerce demo site and get a sneak peek at our promotional products workflow. Unable to attend the 2018 PSDA P2P Summit? Contact us for more information by emailing info@demandbridge.com.
Announcement of Office Relocation for Kramer-Smilko, Inc.
Home New Sweet Home
August 14, 2018
We are proud to announce that effective August 31, 2018, our Kramer-Smilko office in Bel Air, MD will be relocating and combining with our DemandBridge office in Hunt Valley, MD. The new address is 10830 Gilroy Road, Hunt Valley, MD 21031. Our office number will remain the same, unless otherwise notified, as 410 569 5725.
We are very excited about this move and, as always, remain committed to providing the same excellent services you have come to expect.
Same Great People, Software & Solutions in a Bright New Office!
DemandBridge is Sponsoring the 2018 PSDA P2P Technology + Innovation Summit in Indianapolis
Where print and technology come together.
June 30, 2018
P2P is the only conference that combines print and technology. Discover the technology you need to grow your product portfolio and remain competitive in our ever-evolving industry. From dedicated demos to let you see technology in action to education sessions on four dedicated tracks (Technology, Products, Sales & Marketing, and CSRs), the 2018 P2P is the perfect mix of valuable education and dedicated networking time. Join us October 17-19, 2018 in Indianapolis to learn what DemandBridge has been working on for the last several months and how these tools provide leading edge technology to help grow your business. Stop by and see us at Booth 137 and ask us about the following:
- DB Commerce DB Commerce (formerly DB Enterprise) provides a world class customer experience with real-time editing (Chili Publisher) and a full suite of digital content options to truly offer your clients the most complete marketing platform available. Users arrive at a brand-specific site where their permissions dictate what they see and how it is presented. Regulatory measures may be employed for business rules during customization, asset management, approvals, title compliance, budget, etc. Integrations simplify steps from single sign-on to data imports, or order processing from partner networks. DB Commerce now also includes a two-way integration to SalesForce CRM.
- DB Reporting Any data, any way, anywhere and in one view. Imagine your DB Commerce, DB Sourcing and DB Distributor data living together in one consolidated view. This is now possible with our move to the Azure cloud and the deployment of Power BI. In this webinar, we will demonstrate the Power of DB Reporting and the ease with which you can design your own custom reports. We will view live examples of our first set of standard dashboards that showcase visualizations of total sped, order count, items ordered and shipment summary. Whether it is delivering the information your customers need in a customized format, brand, and layout, or internal management and data analytics, DB Reporting is the solution.
- DB Sourcing + the DB Alliance Sourcing Exchange Whether your preference is for a private supplier network or a true sourcing exchange, Demand Bridge has the solution for you. DB Sourcing is an industry-specific, fully integrated tool that puts sourcing and project management at the users' fingertips; empowering them to organize, quote, and manage jobs more effectively. The DB Alliance Sourcing Exchange aggregates the collective purchasing power of distributors and brings suppliers to one marketplace benefiting distributors and suppliers alike.
Your vision. Your cloud.
Turn your ideas into solutions faster using a trusted cloud that is designed for you.
May 21, 2018
The term cloud computing is everywhere! Widespread adoption of cloud computing and the evolution of the end-user experience are dramatically changing business operations. Commonly, “the cloud” is mentioned and confusion ensues, but the reality is cloud computing provides a powerful and important force of change. There are many players in this space offering cloud services and amongst the more notable is Microsoft Azure. Here we explore the many opportunities migrating to the cloud offers as well as an introduction to Azure Cloud Collaboration Center, a first-of-its-kind facility that combines innovation and scale to address operational issues and unexpected events in order to drive new levels of customer responsiveness, security and efficiency.
Migrating your apps, data and infrastructure to Azure is easier than ever
The Azure Cloud Collaboration Center: A First-of-Its Kind Facility
DemandBridge Provides Faster Product Releases and Updates with Cloud Foundry
When you need to build and scale services more quickly than your platform allows, what’s the solution?
April 12, 2018
DemandBridge, a marketing software provider that sells brand management platforms to marketers, turned to Cloud Foundry to meet customers’ growing expectations for speed and customer experience in a cloud-based era.
DemandBridge previously operated its SaaS platform with a monolithic Java application on a large WebLogic application server. Moving to the cloud was a key element in their road map to prepare for growth, but just doing a lift-and-shift to a public cloud was not enough to meet their needs. “It was just a lot for us to keep up with, especially modifying our production application, which was getting bigger and bigger every time we did a release,” said Amer Mallah, Chief Technology Officer at DemandBridge.
e-Quantum V12 Updates + Enhancements
We're excited to announce our latest software improvements.
April 3, 2018
Our programming and quality control departments have been hard at work and we're very excited to announce some improvements we've made to Version 12 of the e-Quantum program. We've listed some high-level changes below, and we'll also be discussing them in more detail in our upcoming, complimentary webinars.
NEW SALES ORDERS
Avoid redundancy and connect related documents with Sales Orders: Enter order information once into the Sales Order and e-Quantum will do the rest, automatically creating any documents you need.
PAYPAL INTEGRATION
You can now process credit cards using PayPal. PayPal is joining Authorize.net and PayTrace in the list of credit card processors that are both PCI compliant and integrated with e-Quantum and Quantum Net.
IMPROVED INTERFACE DESIGN
- New search options in Client Maintenance
- Simple navigation from Invoice Editing to a PO or Warehouse Release
- CSR code auto-fill
- Enhanced readability of reports with the Greenbar Effect
- To-Do Lists to help you stay on track
- New navigation to access commonly used features
REGISTER FOR A WEBINAR TO LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR V12 UPDATES!
We will be hosting 3 webinars in the upcoming weeks to familiarize you with the exciting new features of e-Quantum Version 12. Three dates are offered for your convenience and all sessions will be held at 11am PDT (1pm CDT, 2pm EDT).
- Tuesday April 3, 2018
- Tuesday April 10, 2018
- Thursday April 12, 2018
Mark your calendars and contact us at 800 328 7804 to register.
DemandBridge Named Exclusive Technology/Integration Partner of New Sourcing Exchange Launched by WebbMason Marketing, SupplyLogic, and Winbrook to Facilitate and Strengthen Connections Between Distributors and Supplier Partners
Norcross, Georgia
March 6, 2018
DemandBridge, an integrated business platform delivering seamless marketing solutions in the cloud, has been selected as the exclusive technology/integration partner of a new sourcing exchange. WebbMason Marketing, SupplyLogic, and Winbrook announced today they will be the initial founders/board members of this sourcing exchange that aggregates their collective spend and suppliers in one marketplace. One that they hope other distributors and suppliers will join as charter members/participants. They also announced selecting DemandBridge, an integrated business platform delivering seamless marketing solutions in the cloud, as the exclusive technology/integration partner. DemandBridge, who recently acquired e-Quantum and Kramer- Smilko, provides mission-critical ERP and eCommerce solutions to approximately 600 distributors. Their flagship sourcing platform (DB Alliance) will facilitate the virtual marketplace. In addition to DB Alliance, DemandBridge announced plans to continue investing in its next generation eCommerce, ERP and reporting/analytics platforms by integrating them with the e-Quantum and Kramer-Smilko product lines. Together, these Microsoft (Azure) cloud-hosted tools will cost effectively empower distributors and their supplier partners to improve efficiency, win business, and increase their revenues/profits.
Warner Mason, CEO of WebbMason Marketing, said...“We have seen dramatically improved results using the DemandBridge tools in our private marketplace. To the tune of several points of gross margin with room for more.” He also added, “We are excited to have the other founders join us in the launch, along with the charter members soon to follow with their spends and preferred suppliers. This will only serve to improve the collective results while continuously improving our processes/tools.” Kevin Sherlock, CEO of SupplyLogic agrees... “As others join us and this marketplace grows, this will give us the same collective purchasing power of our larger competitors along with improved customer experience.” He also added, “This allows us to pursue (and win) much larger contracts.”
At its heart, DB Alliance is an industry-specific, fully integrated tool that puts sourcing and project management at the users’ fingertips; empowering them to organize, quote, and manage jobs more effectively. As more distributors and suppliers have joined the DB Alliance network, it has evolved into a true sourcing exchange aimed at helping those companies in their journeys to become fully digital organizations, thus, improving speed to market and growing their bottom lines. David Rich, CEO of DemandBridge, and the one leading the technology consolidation in the industry, commented... “The goal of our recent consolidation efforts is to better provide the industry with the technology platforms and services they need to successfully compete and to run their businesses. To the extent our 600 customers can standardize on the same tools, offering industry-shared services like Sourcing, Finance and Accounting, Back Office IT/Integration and end Client on-boarding services (e.g. eCommerce site/template building) becomes more achievable.
“Better to have their Back Office taken care of by someone solely focused on those activities. This sourcing exchange is a good example,” Rich said. Once created it will be powerful value-add from DemandBridge and its alliance partners. By outsourcing these activities, distributors can focus on what they do best, which is selling and delivering high quality print solutions and promotional goods...while exploring new types of marketing services they can provide to the loyal customers and brands they serve.
Creating Symbiotic Relationships: We’re Strongest Together
Customers and brands count on distributors to help them achieve the best possible pricing for their print, promotional goods and marketing services needs. Distributors rely on technology partners to provide robust solutions to help them enable these services so they can win and keep accounts. At the end of the chain, suppliers crave access and opportunity...and help the distributors meet end customer needs.
- Distributors can leverage their combined spend along with their peers in the industry to lower costs and increase margins
- Customers receive market-competitive pricing as jobs are sourced to industry-vetted suppliers
- Suppliers receive quote requests and job specifications from their various distributor partners in a
- Robust supplier profile features help differentiate manufacturers from their competitors,
- Everyone benefits from increased efficiency in quoting and order entry processes, less offline
“DB Alliance puts the data your users need to move projects forward front and center, and provides a single forum for job-related activities,” says Tony Abunasser, CSO of DemandBridge, who will be the General Manager of the exchange...“It moves the process from days to hours, and from loose notes to one tool.”
Organized & Easy: Distributors Gain Control, Deliver Value
“Distributors who want to grow their businesses need more than they have received over the past few years. They crave technology that’s innovative and customizable,” says Scott Lattanzio, President/Managing Partner of Winbrook. “That is where DemandBridge comes in.”
- Smart buying: With DB Alliance, business owners can create approval rules to gain more insight into their users’ buying processes. Rules — and exemptions — are easy to create and can include multiple parameters (number of suppliers solicited, item cost, product type, etc.) to ensure that employees follow smart buying practices.
- Clear reports and insights: Real-time job tracking and dashboard-style reports — ideal for companies that must comply with contract/guaranteed pricing — allow users to analyze cost savings and buying patterns, and track metrics their clients care about.
- A single platform: DB Alliance interfaces directly with our proprietary accounting and inventory management solution, DB Distributor, so key information regarding customers, items, suppliers, and orders syncs seamlessly between the two products — eliminating redundancies across systems, and negating the need for third party systems of record and costly integrations.
“DB Alliance arms Distributors with much-needed insight into their supplier base, and arms suppliers with much-needed access into new opportunities,” Abunassar says. “The power of their alliance is that connection, and our technology makes this happen quickly and easily.”
DemandBridge is Featured as a SPICY star in the CHILI Publish "SPICY talks 2018"
Self-service tech your business. Make the difference.
March 6, 2018
Amer Mallah, our Chief Technology Officer, and Michelle Bengermino, VP of Product Management, are both key speakers at SPICY talks 2018. This CHILI Publish conference is March 7-9 in Amsterdam, and we'll be speaking about the integration of CHILI Publish into our eCommerce product, DB Enterprise.
Whether you’re a commercial, packaging or label printer, a creative professional at an agency, or Head of Digital at (insert brand owner name), self-service your business with the technology you need to make the difference.
Create, connect and generate your type of assets. Beat the market shift - lift your offering to the next level.
Find out how at #SPICYtalks18.
DemandBridge is Sponsoring the 2018 PSDA CEO Summit in Scottsdale, Arizona
CEO Summit: Where the Industry’s Top Influencers Gather
February 23, 2018
Our industry is constantly changing and evolving. How can you find out where it will lead? Start in Scottsdale.
Once every year, PSDA gives their executive members the opportunity to connect with the best in the industry, discuss high-level trends, and share ideas and challenges. Make sure you are part of the conversation. Join us March 5-7, 2018 in Scottsdale to discover the strategies to give your company an edge in 2018 and to learn more about how DemandBridge can assist in that growth. Last year was a monumental year as we "REIMAGINED" our company, and this year is shaping up to be even better. Come see us to learn about some of our strategic plans for 2018.
- Launch of the DB Alliance sourcing exchange
- Acquisition of Kramer-Smilko, Inc.
- Improved Business Intelligence/Reporting
- Azure migration for newly integrated product lines
DemandBridge Announces Acquisition of Kramer-Smilko, Inc. Taking Another Step in Strategic Consolidation to Become a Leader in the Marketing Automation Software Industry
Norcross, Georgia
January 29, 2018
DemandBridge, an integrated business platform delivering seamless marketing solutions in the cloud, today announced the acquisition of Kramer-Smilko, Inc. The acquisition furthers DemandBridge’s commitment to empower Distributors/Agencies with total quality control over their business, and the ability to maximize efficiency utilizing market-leading software and products. It also demonstrates the value of strategic partnerships and the commitment to providing the tools and expertise to enable their customers to grow. The new company will retain the DemandBridge name.
DemandBridge and Kramer-Smilko, Inc. have been providing premier Distributor Management software for more than 30 years. With the recent union of e-Quantum, Inc., together, the three companies bring more than 90 years of experience and growth within and beyond the Independent Print Services Industry. The Independent Print Services Industry is undergoing a period of intense change that is rejuvenating the competitive landscape in an attempt to embrace and empower technology innovations. The new, independent company will be led by current DemandBridge CEO David Rich, who himself brings more than 35 years of Enterprise IT experience. John Smilko will remain with DemandBridge in his current capacity. DemandBridge will combine the vision, talent, technology prowess and investments of all strategic acquisitions in order to remain vital and competitive in the marketing automation software industry. Together, the new company will evolve and transition its products to leverage DemandBridge’s presence on the Microsoft Azure Cloud and to integrate technologies in the pipeline—from Microsoft PowerBI and Cloud Foundry, to other digital marketing technologies planned for 2018 and beyond. The combination and strategic focus will offer the scale, strength and flexibility to help customers and partners succeed with minimal disruption and the same/improved level of customer service.
ABOUT DEMANDBRIDGE
For years, the industry has known DemandBridge for its complete set of end-to-end tools—that is, technology that connects a company’s accounting, operations and inventory systems, as well as an e-Commerce portal and sourcing tool for on-demand marketing, promotion and print services. That technology is used by some of the industry’s largest Distributors/Agencies, over 3,000 loyal brands and 1.2 million registered users. The collective spend under management makes it one of the biggest Marketing Execution Platforms available in the market.
"We continue to uncover opportunities to help our clients succeed in new ways," said CEO David Rich. "End user demands are changing, the brands themselves are changing, and the goals of our forward-thinking Distributor/Agency/Corporate customers are evolving accordingly," Rich continued. "Simply put, Marketing Service Providers who want to grow their businesses beyond traditional services (i.e. Print/Promotional goods)...will need more enabling technology than the previous generations. By consolidating the talents of DemandBridge, e-Quantum and Kramer- Smilko...and together with customers who have expressed willingness to co-develop with us...we will take a major step forward to providing the resources and technology platforms this industry needs to confidently approach business in the 2020's."
ABOUT KRAMER-SMILKO, INC.
Kramer-Smilko, Inc. has served the print sourcing and distribution market for 38 years. The software platform they have built, sold and supported now processes half a billion dollars in annual sales for its customer base. Kramer-Smilko has a strong presence in health care, banking, finance, and insurance, providing very sophisticated e-Commerce based supply chain management services. In addition to classic print management and distribution, they have integrated office supplies, print on-demand, digital content management, one-to-one marketing, promotional products, 3rd party fulfillment, and MRO inventory capabilities into its offerings.
“This combination expands DemandBridge’s industry footprint, furthering DemandBridge’s growth and technology consolidation strategy,” said Kramer-Smilko Owner John Smilko. “In order to leverage our capabilities and do what the industry requires with respect to platform development, we must have the strength of numbers that this partnership brings,” he continued. “Together, we will have the broadest, most integrated suite of products and services for Distributors, Agencies, and Corporations and the resources to grow along with our customers. Everybody wins!”
Company locations and corporate headquarters will remain the same.
DB Alliance Updates + Enhancements
We're excited to announce our latest software improvements.
January 10, 2018
Greetings and Happy New Year from DemandBridge! We're very excited to announce some improvements we've made to DB Alliance. We've listed some high-level changes below, and we'll also be discussing them in more detail in our upcoming, complimentary webinars.
IMPROVED INTERFACE DESIGN
As part of a larger company-wide effort to update the look and feel of our products, we've begun introducing new UI elements to both the supplier and distributor-facing areas of the application—most notably on the supplier user dashboard, supplier profile (and corresponding distributor views), and in the universal display of product specs and revisions. We engaged our UX designer to deliver a more structured and organized display of this often complex information.
SUPPLIER PROFILE + SEARCH ENHANCEMENTS
We've taken several steps to improve supplier visibility within DB Alliance and to encourage them to adopt the technology you've chosen for your business. In a relatively short timeframe, we were able to improve upon many of the supplier attributes (specialties, equipment, certifications, locations) and the UI elements used to manage them. These changes were made in tandem with other performance enhancements to the supplier search functionality, all of which were geared toward making it faster and easier to find the right supplier for the job.
Season's Greetings from DemandBridge
Wishing You Happy Holidays + A Happy New Year
December 18, 2017
To our valued Clients and Friends,
As 2017 draws to a close, I wanted to take this opportunity and thank you for your support, thoughtfulness and continued loyalty to DemandBridge and e-Quantum.
This past year has been one of immense change for all of us. Our team -- e-Quantum, the Corporate IT Department from WebbMason and DemandBridge -- merged into one independent entity this year. We are thrilled with the journey ahead for the new company, as well as the roadmap for our platforms which will be revealed in early 2018. You can trust we are diligently working to create a versatile offering to better meet your needs that brings the best of both product lines together into one scalable (and affordable) solution.
Also new this year was our move to the Microsoft Azure Cloud. After intense research into the many cloud-hosting solutions, we felt Azure was the best fit for our current and future Clients. Joining the Microsoft family allows for the opportunity to integrate into additional leading-edge Microsoft products such as Office 365, PowerBI (for Reporting/Dashboards) and (in the future) Predictive Analytics/Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning applications as well. Mastering these available tools through the Azure infrastructure will help each of us stay prominent, relevant, and profitable in 2018 and beyond. We hope to have all products migrated to the Cloud by mid-year.
Additionally, we have been working behind-the-scenes on a more robust strategic sourcing tool and marketplace. Our goal is to help you leverage the collective buying power of our install base to lower your cost of goods sold and increase your margins...while also developing an improved vendor ecosystem that will increase your responsiveness. We are in the midst of piloting it with a select group of clients in order to refine our approach. Information on this new way of doing business will be unveiled at our 2018 Client/Partner conference. We will announce the date and venue in 1st quarter 2018.
Be on the lookout for a webinar series where you will have the chance to interact directly with us as we develop the combined vision, product/service enhancements, and blueprint for the future. We encourage you to attend, participate, ask questions, and challenge our thinking about modern marketing automation, business management software and strategic sourcing technology.
Have a joyous holiday season with family and friends, and we’ll see you in 2018.
All my best,
David B. Rich
CEO, DemandBridge
Microsoft just hit its $20 billion cloud goal
... almost a year ahead of schedule.
November 30, 2017
- Microsoft's commercial cloud business just hit $20 billion in annualized revenue, a milestone CEO Satya Nadella set out for the company in 2015.
- The growth of Microsoft's cloud business has been boosted by the cloud-based version of its Office 365 productivity suite and its Azure cloud computing service.
- However, Azure still lags behind Amazon Web Services cloud in terms of revenue.
9 Things to Know (In Order) About the Big Merger
By Darin Painter, Editor-in-Chief, PS Magazine
October 27, 2017
The buzz during PSDA’s P2P Technology + Innovation Summit in New Orleans was the merger between e-Quantum Inc. and DemandBridge, the industry’s largest two software companies. The new company retains the DemandBridge name.
Since October 5, when the companies issued this joint press release, many distributors who rely on either system for client storefronts, e-commerce tools, digital asset management and back-end operations have expressed a mix of hope and concern. Their main question: What does the news mean for their company, and when will effects begin to take hold?
As an association, it’s our responsibility to report and analyze industry events with clarity that can help distributors grow — to provide the “why” behind the “what” whenever possible. In this case, it’s to push the conversation forward by providing context — to fuse together distributors’ questions and concerns with DemandBridge’s direction and plans.
With that in mind, I reached out to multiple distributors of various sizes who use e-Quantum and DemandBridge to get their take on potential short-term effects and long-term expectations. I also conducted an hour-long conference call with David Rich, CEO of Norcross, Georgia-based DemandBridge and the leader of the combined entity; Ross Barker, founder and CEO of Reno, Nevada-based e- Quantum; and others from both companies. I also received emailed questions and insight from several industry professionals.
Microsoft Rolls Out LinkedIn Integrations in Outlook.com
The integration with Outlook.com begins starting now, and will reach all customers by the end of November.
October 26, 2017
Microsoft’s $26.2 billion acquisition of business networking site LinkedIn is starting to pay off – at least in terms of product integrations that make sense. The company today announced that LinkedIn integration within Outlook.com is now going live, allowing email users to view insights, profile pictures, work history and more from within their inbox.
The addition of LinkedIn to Outlook was previously detailed in September at Microsoft Ignite. There, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella previewed how commercial Office 365 subscribers with LinkedIn profiles would soon be able to view LinkedIn information within Microsoft’s apps and services.
DemandBridge and e-Quantum, Inc. to Combine to Create a Leader in the Marketing Automation Software Industry
Norcross, Georgia
October 5, 2017
DemandBridge and e-Quantum, Inc. have been providing premier Distributor Management software for more than 30 years. Together, the two companies bring more than 60 years of experience and growth within and beyond the Independent Print Services Industry. The new, independent company will be led by current DemandBridge CEO David Rich, who himself brings more than 35 years of Enterprise IT experience. He will combine the vision, talent, technology prowess and investments of both organizations in order to remain vital and competitive in the marketing automation software industry. Together, the new company will evolve and transition its products to leverage DemandBridge’s presence on the Microsoft Azure Cloud and to integrate technologies in the pipeline—from Microsoft PowerBI and Cloud Foundry, to other digital marketing technologies planned for 2018. The combination and strategic focus will offer the scale, strength and flexibility to help customers and partners succeed with minimal disruption and the same/improved level of customer service.
ABOUT DEMANDBRIDGE
For years, the industry has known DemandBridge for its complete set of end-to-end tools—that is, technology that connects a distributor’s accounting, operations and inventory systems, as well as an e-Commerce portal and sourcing tool for on-demand marketing, promotion and print services. That technology is used by some of the industry’s largest Distributors/Agencies, over 3,000 loyal brands and 1.2 million registered users. The collective spend under management makes it one of the biggest Marketing Execution Platforms available in the market.
"We sensed an opportunity to help our clients succeed in new ways," said CEO David Rich. "End user demands are changing, the brands themselves are changing, and the goals of our forward-thinking Distributor/Agency customers are evolving accordingly," Rich continued. "Simply put, Marketing Service Providers who want to grow their businesses beyond traditional services (i.e. Print/Promotional goods)...will need more enabling technology than the previous generations. By consolidating the talents of both DemandBridge and e-Quantum...and together with customers who have expressed willingness to co-develop with us...we will take a major step forward to providing the resources and technology platforms this industry needs to confidently approach business in the 2020's."
ABOUT E-QUANTUM, INC.
e-Quantum’s Distributor Management System is also a single-source software solution for print distributorships which is especially popular among small-to-midsize Distributors. In addition, Quantum Net e-Commerce provides leading edge capabilities needed to support the evolving range of services provided by their install base.
Specifically, e-Quantum takes pride in offering high quality/integrated accounting, order entry, inventory and e-Commerce solutions, all of which are necessary to effectively manage a modern Distributor's business.
e-Quantum’s more than 500 distributor client base in the United States, Canada and Australia is the largest among the specialized software providers in our Industry.
“This merger represents an enormous benefit to our customers and partners. These include distributors, independent printers, manufacturers, agencies and enterprises,” said e-Quantum CEO Ross Barker. “Our combined companies possess the technological talent necessary to create the marketing execution solutions of the future. It is a team that will provide the requisite investment in talent, technology, products and services that is unrivaled,” he continued. “After spending 52 years in this industry, both as a Print Distributor and a Software/IT Services Provider, I can now pass the baton knowing the combined entity will carry the industry forward to the next generation. It’s a win for our customers...a win for their customers...and a win for our people.”
Company locations and corporate headquarters will remain the same, establishing a coast-to-coast presence.
DemandBridge is proud to be a Platinum Sponsor of the PSDA's Technology + Innovation Summit.
Your Business is Evolving and So is P2P
September 1, 2017
This event will be everything you love about P2P, with a focus on the technology you need to grow your business. The Opening and Closing Keynotes will inspire and motivate you. Peer Groups are back with even more sessions to choose from, and we've added Speed Networking to make valuable connections. With three new education tracks, you can pick and choose the topics most relevant to you. Plus, the Exhibit Hall features 90 of the best suppliers in the industry and the latest products and services your customers are asking for.
For the latest technology tools, products, information and ideas, the P2P Technology + Innovation Summit is the place. And did we mention we’re headed to the Big Easy?
Join us for what will surely be an event like no other in a place like no other.
Customizable Emails – Now with Lockdown!
DB Enterprise Email Templates Gain Tighter Brand Control
August 8, 2017
DemandBridge was excited to offer digital outputs through DB Enterprise in early 2016, including customizable templates for PDF, JPG, or PNG output, flipbooks, and even HTML email delivery. We selected BEE as the “Best Email Editor” to embed the into our application, and for over a year have taken advantage of a simple drag + drop interface with in-place edit and real-time preview for desktop and mobile. The simplistic user experience continues beyond customization for contact selection, email delivery, and regularly updated email statistics.
The administrator creates the email template by dragging elements to construct the layout, uploading images, and setting default verbiage. The template is assigned to an item, and the users are ready to customize and send with great flexibility. A newly released feature will better enforce brand control within marketing guidelines through the use of lockdowns. Any element of the template such as a logo or disclaimer can be locked, making it visible but un-editable, while leaving remaining areas of the template open for full manipulation. Now the marketer can have full confidence that the end user can change only what he intended, and the result is a beautiful, responsive email.
CONTACT US to see this in action and to find out how you can offer this to your customers.
Enhanced Reporting on the Horizon
We’ve successfully integrated Power BI into DB Enterprise.
July 21, 2017
On-demand reporting has been a long time need of our clients. Users want current data at their fingertips at all times. The trend has been to deliver that in convenient dashboards that provide key figures to share with stakeholders with drill down for further details as needed. At our Partner Conference in April, we shared our plans to enhance our reporting offering through Microsoft Azure and Power BI. As of our July 12th release, we're excited to announce that our first integrated dashboard is accessible directly within DB Enterprise!
This was made possible beginning with our move to Azure. A version of DB Enterprise data is now replicated to a database in the Azure cloud which is accessible to Power BI. Other independent data will eventually be able to live alongside this DB/e data for dashboards that provide insight across systems for a single consolidated view. We've begun with a group of pilot customers who will review the first set of usage reports that have been constructed in Power BI, using a dashboard that showcases visualizations for total spend, order count, items ordered, and shipment summary. Each element offers the option to drill down into one or more detailed views for further analysis. Our goal is to work with the pilot group to refine this dashboard and then make this functionality available to more DB/e customers. We look forward to the continued development of this feature and the library of reports that are sure to come from it!
Stay tuned for updates as the pilot phase continues.
DemandBridge is Officially in the Cloud
We’ve successfully migrated DB Enterprise, DB Alliance, and DB Response Platform to Microsoft Azure!
June 3, 2017
During our partner conference, we announced that we would be migrating our SaaS product suite to a modern, cloud infrastructure. We have been hard at work since the beginning of this year preparing to move our data and applications into the Microsoft Azure Cloud. We're excited to announce that we have officially completed the transition and our apps are up and running in the new environment.
Now that we are on the Microsoft Azure cloud, we are looking forward to some short term and long term benefits:
- A cloud environment is much more flexible and resilient, and provides access to more security than what we can offer out of our own data center. We can take advantage of simpler server upgrades and other security/reliability services which normally take weeks to plan. We expect significant improvements in stability and availability.
- Over the past 5 months, we have also been working to deploy the Cloud Foundry platform into Azure to support our next-generation microservices and API-based platform. This will enable us to build features faster, more reliably and provide a level of extensibility through exposure of our internal APIs to customers that can take advantage of them. More on this later!
- Microsoft Azure has many platform services that we plan to integrate directly into our offerings, starting with Microsoft PowerBI. We plan to expand our reporting offering to incorporate PowerBI which is a powerful reporting environment that is a core piece of the Microsoft Cortana Intelligence suite.
We are very excited about our cloud migration and what it means for the future of the DemandBridge product suite!
Cloud Computing Wins Preakness
Congratulations to our favorite horse on this weekend's Preakness win!
May 21, 2017
Cloud Computing skipped the Kentucky Derby, while eventual winner Always Dreaming and Classic Empire mixed it up in the mud at Churchill Downs. Two weeks later, Cloud Computing pounced on those two horses in the Preakness, pulling off an upset victory at 13-1 odds Saturday. He became the first horse to skip the Derby and win the second leg of the Triple Crown since filly Rachel Alexandra in 2009.
Always Dreaming and Classic Empire dueled throughout most of the race, before Classic Empire stuck his nose in front midway on the far turn. It looked as if Classic Empire would go on to win, but Cloud Computing ran him down on the outside.
"Some of the reason that we won today was because we were patient and didn't throw an inexperienced horse against a 20-horse field in the Derby on a very difficult track,'' winning co-owner Seth Klarman said. "We made a great call.'"
Thanks for Attending Our Big Event
2017 DemandBridge Partner Conference, April 26-28 in Atlanta
April, 2017
Thank you for attending our first ever "Partner Conference"! We hope you enjoyed the "Reimagined" format as much as we did, and that you found the content useful and relevant to your business.
In a departure from our traditional user training and classroom style conference format, our first "Partner Conference" featured content and speakers from some of our technology partners such as RedPoint Global, Microsoft, and Showpad. While we still offered the in-depth training sessions and product overviews our users have come to expect, we wanted to showcase some of the exciting changes we're working towards in an attempt to further enrich our partnerships with you—our clients, to help you do the same with yours. Highlights included an introduction to our new management team and ownership structure, including our Chairman and CEO, David Rich, insight into our platform move to Microsoft Azure cloud-based services, and future product plans.
As a valued partner, we'd love to know your thoughts on this year's conference. Please consider taking a moment to complete our brief survey to let us know how we did. Survey responses will be anonymous unless you choose to include your personal information.
If you were unable to attend the conference, contact info@demandbridge.com to find out about what you missed and to learn more about DemandBridge Reimagined.
"The New DemandBridge" Featured in PSDA Magazine
Enhanced Technology, Aligned with Your Needs
April, 2017
For years, the industry has known DemandBridge for technology that connects a distributor’s accounting, operations and inventory systems, as well as an eCommerce portal for on-demand marketing, promotion and print. That technology is used by 1.2 million people, but we sensed an opportunity to help our clients succeed in new ways.
Marketing service providers who want to grow their businesses crave technology that’s innovative and customizable, developed and updated by true software experts who can take their business to new heights. To that end, DemandBridge is changing in both the short term and the long term. We’re putting an impressive facelift on our technology, including a move to the Microsoft Azure cloud. This will give clients a subscription model and more freedom to deploy the tools, applications and integrations they need. That “lift and shift” is taking place now.
DemandBridge Software Featured in Print+Promo Magazine
A Closer Look at the Business Software That's Empowering Distributors
March, 2017 by Elise Hacking Carr
Any CEO worth his or her corner office understands the importance of the personal touch. In our industry, this is where distributors have outwitted the best attempts of major directs. But, sometimes, maintaining such a level of service can be tough thanks to complex jobs and even the day-to-day, back-office functions required of any size business. Enter single-source software solutions. Not only do they bring organization to these activities, they increase efficiency, effectiveness and, thereby, profit margins. Most importantly, they make it possible for distributors to preserve the customer-driven approaches that set them apart.