This article uses demo screenshots to show how to build a member site system for manufacturers' distributors and partners with Kanal-WEB, our My Page builder service. It also covers the benefits of a partner member site and an implementation example from one of our clients.
What this article covers
- The benefits of building a member site for manufacturers' distributors and partners
- A Kanal-WEB demo
- A Kanal-WEB implementation example (a manufacturer that imports and sells building materials)
Who should read this article
- Those who find that distributors sometimes lack a sufficient understanding of new products and services, and who see a need for training and education.
- Those who share information with partners by email and struggle with fragmented information and updates that are not communicated effectively.
Benefits of Building a Member Site for Manufacturers' Distributors and Partners
Building a dedicated member site (My Page) offers many benefits for fostering effective collaboration with distributors and partners. The member site enables smooth coordination on everything from information sharing to sales support, maximizing business results for both sides. First, here are the main benefits of building a member site for manufacturers' distributors and partners.
- Information sharing: Share important product information, sales materials, and marketing assets effectively. Distributors and partners can access the latest information more easily.
- Order management: Place product orders, check inventory, and manage order history through the member site, making the sales process more efficient.
- Training and education: Provide training materials and online training on products and services, improving understanding of new products and features as they are introduced.
- Sales enablement tools: Offer sales enablement tools to partners, including price lists, quote creation tools, and promotional materials.
- Reward and commission management: Manage rewards and commissions based on each distributor's or partner's sales and performance, enabling an accurate and transparent reward structure.
- Customer support: Give distributors and partners a way to get support through inquiry forms, support chat, and more.
- Event and training announcements: Announce seminars, events, and training sessions and accept registrations online, making it easier to keep track of attendees.
- Customer data analysis: Analyze data from the member site used by distributors and partners to understand market trends and sales patterns.
These features strengthen collaboration between manufacturers and their distributors and partners, helping build an efficient and cooperative business ecosystem.
Demo of Kanal-WEB, a Member Site Builder Service
Here we present a demo of the Kanal-WEB admin screens, based on a member site for manufacturers' distributors and partners.
*In actual implementations, the fields can be adjusted to suit each client's needs.
This demo app assumes a manufacturer with multiple distributors or partners. Each distributor (partner) is treated as a member, and the app manages its company information along with information on the people who belong to it (representatives and contacts).
People registered as member site users can manage their own information on the user site and receive information from the manufacturer.
Meanwhile, on the manufacturer's admin office site, staff can manage distributor (member) information, publish announcements for distributors such as seminars, distribute sales support materials for download, and respond to inquiries from members.
Let's look at the features on the member site side and the admin site side.
Member Login
To register as a member, a distributor or other user submits a new account application and then receives a confirmation URL at the registered email address. After clicking the URL in the email and logging in with the registered email address and password, the user can access the member site.
In the demo, member information is limited to a name and email address, but registration fields can be configured to meet each client's needs.
Members can also update and add to their registered information themselves from the Member Information menu after logging in.
Main Features of the Member Site (My Page)
The member site for manufacturers' distributors and partners is organized into four sections: (1) sharing of sales, marketing, and training tools, (2) announcements, (3) member information, and (4) inquiries.
*These sections are not fixed defaults and can be adjusted to suit each client's needs.
Each section is described below.
(1) Sales and Marketing Tools
Image data: Member dealers can download assets such as product photos to use with their customers.
Seminar materials: View seminar materials and other resources for member dealers.
Product codes: Check the latest product codes for ordering.
Videos: Watch training videos and more.
Data: View data provided for member dealers.
(2) Announcements
Announcement board: Publish announcements and news to all members. The content shown can also vary by member segment, so you can display the necessary information only to the intended audience.
(3) Member Information
Registered information: Members can review their registered information and change or update it themselves.
Messages: Exchange one-to-one messages.
(4) Inquiries
Inquiries: Members can send inquiries to the admin office. After reviewing the office's reply, they can follow up on that answer with a further inquiry (a request for another response) and view the entire exchange with the office.
Chat: A chat feature can also be added as an option. Smoother communication with members increases member loyalty.
Main Features of the Admin Site
The admin site comes standard with the key features a My Page needs. Published records can also be restricted to specific users by setting view and edit permissions.
All admin site settings are handled entirely within Kanal-WEB. You can configure and manage your My Page intuitively on familiar screens, without switching between multiple admin consoles.
Activity history tracking: Track and accumulate users' activity history within My Page. You can use the history data to improve your services and increase member satisfaction.
Web form builder: Create a wide range of forms for inquiries, surveys, seminar registrations, and more. Each form can be switched between public and members-only.
Members-only CMS: Deliver content exclusively to logged-in members. You can also publish content or distribute training materials based on membership status and other criteria.
Email delivery: Send emails directly from the admin screen without launching separate software. You can also sort recipients by activity history and other data before sending.
LINE integration: The ideal way to communicate with smartphone users. Send messages directly from the admin screen.
Member support: Real-time chat for supporting members
Information reflected on the member site, such as announcements, seminars, and inquiries, can also be managed centrally on the admin office site.
Kanal-WEB Case Study: Miratap Inc. (formerly Sanwa Company)
[Client] Miratap Inc. (formerly Sanwa Company)
[Project] Building a member site that provides sales promotion tools to B2B partners (member home builders)
[Challenge] In addition to running design training and seminars for its partners (member home builders), the company provides sales promotion tools such as construction case studies, image assets, and video assets that can also be used on social media. This information was shared via Dropbox and communication was handled by email, which was time-consuming, and there was no easy way for partners to access the latest information.
In addition, many of the company's customers and partners place great value on design, and the company felt there was a mismatch between its brand image and the design of the tools it was using.
[Solution] Introducing a member site built with Kanal-WEB dramatically reduced the time the operations team spent contacting customers.
Partners (member home builders) can now instantly access well-organized information from a variety of devices, not just PCs, without the frustration of searching, so they can use the information they receive more effectively.
The company was also able to build a stylish member site whose look matches its design-focused brand image.
▼ For more details on this case study, please read the following article.
Now Accepting Demo Requests for Kanal-WEB, a My Page Builder System
Kanal-WEB is a product for building member sites with kintone, developed in-house by our company. Its strength is the ability to launch well-designed, highly flexible portal sites at relatively low cost and in a short time.
Kanal-WEB was born from the need to "easily build a member site using kintone." Going forward, we intend to keep using this platform to focus on creating systems that are easy to use and offer a high degree of design freedom.
If you would like a demo, please feel free to contact us.
