David C. Cook Wholesale Website Debuts Online

Finally!    Every frustration I’ve ever had in dealing with one of Canada’s largest book suppliers vanished several weeks ago with the simple click of a computer mouse.   No more phoning for information.    It’s all there, all of it, and then some!

After several weeks of being allowed to preview and use the new Business-to-Business (B2B) website at David C. Cook Canada, the site is now open to every dealer who wishes to create a login and password.   Any dealer who hasn’t or doesn’t is missing out, big time.

Two things are striking about this site right away.   The first thing you notice is the speed of the server.   The second thing you notice is that search criteria don’t have to be qualified.   You can be looking for a title by its first word, keyword, or key phrase; or you can know the author’s name; or you can have the ISBN or CMC music product number.   Doesn’t matter.   You just start typing in a single search window and the program figures out what you’re up to.

If your search is too broad, rather than display the results, it will tell you that there are, for example, 61 products found.   In other words, do you really want to display those, or do you want to refine your search with different criteria?   It doesn’t really matter, since those 61 items will be on your screen in a split second if that’s what you opt for.   (You can also save time by leaving out words like “the,” “and” as well as worrying about whether a word is plural or singular — just type the singular.)

If your 61 choices actually yield three or four items you’d like to add to your store inventory, you simply enter the quantity, toggle the ‘check’ box next to that quantity, and then, at the bottom  of the page, indicate you want to add all your checked boxes.   (However, if you’re only given one choice, you still have to remember to do all three — quantity, check box, add request — or the item will not make it into your cart.)

This could be a challenge for some people.   You don’t see your cart each time you add items.   If you need to, you can click on ‘current cart’ to see how you’re doing.   Otherwise, you’re good to input the next item.    You can also build multiple carts.  (If you know all your stock number or ISBNs, you can also use the Express Order feature to input several diverse items at once.)

The search results show your discount.   This is an item for another discussion, but currently Cook customers get varying rates of discount on books, curriculum and music.   So the discount you see may not be the same as another dealer gets doing the same search.

Requests for your everyday Dayspring card pockets can be added in the message section at the bottom, along with requests for CMC Music demos, but be sure to hit update/refresh when you’re finished writing comments or the request or comment is lost.   The comments will appear on the printed invoices of subsequent backorder releases from that cart, but the demos and cards will only ship once.

If an item is out of stock, you’ll know because you’re shown the warehouse quantities in real time.   If it is, the system will tell you how many other units of that item are committed to other accounts, and also give you an expected arrival date.    For example if you want 5 copies of the new Robin Mark album, and the system shows there are MINUS 70 on hand, but 120 on order, you know that your copies will be shipped after the arrival date shown.   (If it shows there are MINUS 140 on hand and only 120 on order, you know this title is really taking off; maybe you should order more than the 5 you planned!  By the time it arrives, you’ll have even more pent up demand in your local area.)

Clicking on the product number of an item will yield additional information, product descriptions, page counts and product images.   There are actually sound clips for a number of music titles.

The accounting side of the site allows you to see all your past backorders, all your past orders, and see a full statement.   Every item in all three screens is a link allowing you to view and print each invoice or report; and every item on each list is also a link allowing you to view some additional product data as mentioned above.    Invoices can be sorted by invoice number, order number or your purchase order number.

You can request a minimum threshold for backorder releases, although time-sensitive new music titles are currently complicating this aspect of the system.  Not being a Cook curriculum dealer, I can’t comment on how dated, quarterly curriculum is ordered.

The system does log you out if you’re not actively working with it.   That probably helps the system run quickly and efficiently at Cook’s end; and logging back in only takes a split second.   Shopping carts last indefinitely and don’t need to be revisited to keep them current.   (Of course, instock levels are subject to change from the time you first added items to the cart.)

The system doesn’t advise you if an item backordering has previously been placed on backorder for you.   This and the aforementioned card and demo ordering are the only features available by telephone that you can’t get online; but these and other ideas are on the ‘wish list’ for 2010.   They are also working on adding ‘forms’ so that if, for example, you’re doing the Foundation 72-hour sale, you could order the Cook items at your special discount online.   The forms may end up being used for other online promotions and specials, too.    In this tight economy, those special offers can’t happen soon enough.   And of course, you will still have to go through your sales rep for prepub offers on new titles you’re buying in quantity.

Also — and this is a big plus — if there’s something in the descriptions that is not to your liking, Cook’s IT wizard, Russ Koning, will do whatever is necessary to improve how products are either listed or tagged in the system.

Comparisons to the old R. G. Mitchell site will be many, and this site matches RGM Eworks feature-for-feature as well as improving on it greatly.   If you’re already up and running with the site, feel free to add your comments here.

As a wholesale customer who has expectations that are often considered too idealistic, I find absolutely nothing here to criticize.   This website is an unexpected early Christmas gift to retailers in Canada; and unlike other Christmas gifts I’ve been given, this one fits perfectly.