Why those in procurement need to treat themselves better, through a better online rope-buying experience

If you’re in charge of buying or procurement, at you business, we feel for you.

Buying items, supplies, etc, from catalogs and buying-websites can be as much fun as a watching paint dry.

Especially buying rope. Whether by the foot, or in bulk, it’s not a super-sexy task to complete.

So when you do buy your items online, why shouldn’t you at least have a positive experience?

An experience that’s “Amazon-like” in nature, with a simple checkout and product selection process. Is that too much to ask?

In light of this, here are some things to look for when you, as someone in charge of procurement, is buying online.

1. Do you have to create an account or is there guest checkout? Often times, when you’re buying online and you get to the final checkout screen, the website will ask you to either create an account or use the ‘Guest Checkout’ option. See the screen scrape below of what a guest checkout would look like. (credit: 1800flowers.com)

Most often, there’s not a guest-checkout feature on rope-buying websites. You’ll need to create an account. Which is a bit of a hassle, but if you want your amazing rope, as an example, then that’s what you’ll have to suffer through.

As a rule, Hercules doesn’t require that you create an account. Check out more here.

1. Can you see your order, as well as shipping charges, before the final screen? Most times, as procurement goes, you’ll have to wait until the last screen to be able to review the items in your shopping cart, on top of what you’ll pay for shipping and taxes.

This is super annoying. As someone who is in charge of buying, you should be able to see this info up front, while not having to worry about the particulars of your order. Not to mention you will need to know what you’re paying for taxes, shipping, and handling.

Avoid websites, like this, if you can, but understand that it’s ultimately just the way it is. As an FYI, our site allows you to see your entire order BEFORE the last screen.

1. Other procurement details and demands. When buying rope online, especially from a larger distributor, you’ll usually get access to some sort of customized site or portal. The portal will have a login and password, created specifically for your business.

And when you DO decide to order, all the items are priced at one set price ahead of time. This means you’ll never know if you’re getting the best cost or not. Be aware that just because you’re buying online, from a larger distributor website, doesn’t equal the best cost for your bulk-rope buying situation.

Treat yourself better. Demand better.

For all kinds of free knowledge, and to learn how you, as someone involved in buying rope, can get a better buying experience, visit us here.

And for more free information about how to make a great rope-buying decision, click here to get educated at our Knowledge Center.