How Ballard Industrial Revamped B2B Ecommerce and Boosted Engagement by 83%

Introduction

Ballard Industrial has been a trusted name in industrial supplies since 1952. Based in Seattle, the company grew from a small storefront into a sprawling 45,000-square-foot warehouse, delivering marine, manufacturing, and industrial solutions across the United States. Despite a rich history, their online presence lagged behind modern expectations. While customers could browse a digital catalog, they couldn’t place orders or see prices, forcing tedious phone calls and manual processing. To meet evolving buyer demands for a B2C-like ecommerce experience, Ballard partnered with Groove Commerce and BigCommerce B2B Edition to build a fully transactional, scalable storefront that serves both business and direct-to-consumer audiences.

The Challenge

Before the overhaul, Ballard Industrial’s website functioned purely as a static catalog. Prospective customers viewed inventory but never saw pricing, and a human representative dialed each order through the phone. This manual approach created delays, frustrated buyers, and strained internal resources. Moreover, B2B buyers expected streamlined online ordering and tiered pricing structures, but Ballard lacked a platform capable of handling customer-specific rates or quantity breaks. The leadership team knew that to capture market share and improve operational efficiency, they needed a robust ecommerce solution—one that could automate complex pricing rules and centralize content management.

Solution: BigCommerce B2B Edition

Groove Commerce recommended BigCommerce B2B Edition for its out-of-the-box support of customer roles, custom price lists, and quick-order forms. With native B2B features, Ballard could assign membership tiers and quantity-based pricing to each account. The platform’s modular architecture offered a solid core without large maintenance fees. Additionally, the BigCommerce Page Builder eliminated the need for a separate CMS; Ballard’s team could now swap homepage widgets and highlight product lines such as high-pressure hydraulics, safety equipment, and gas detection with ease. This self-service approach reduced developer dependence and empowered marketing to run dynamic promotions in real time.

Real-Time Pricing Integration

Industrial raw material costs fluctuate daily, so Ballard required live price updates to protect margins. Groove Commerce implemented BisTrack middleware to connect into the company’s ERP. Each time a customer adds items to their cart, BisTrack verifies current material rates and dynamically calculates the final price. Whether prices tick up a penny or down ten cents, the website reflects accurate costs at checkout. This real-time synchronization eliminated discrepancies and boosted customer trust, while saving countless hours previously spent on manual price adjustments.

Results

Since launching on BigCommerce, Ballard Industrial’s site has become a new growth engine. Comparing March 2021 to March 2020, user traffic surged by 83%, sessions rose 79%, and page views increased 45%. The platform’s uptime and performance exceeded expectations, and the robust core design meant the team didn’t need external support for basic updates. Sales and marketing teams benefit from a single source of product information, while customers enjoy streamlined online ordering. “Our account customers use the website to order, saving our sales team significant time,” said Chris Gubbels, Web Producer at Ballard Industrial.

Looking Ahead

With a solid ecommerce foundation in place, Ballard Industrial plans to drive further growth by optimizing SEO, refining ERP API integrations, and leveraging new B2B Edition capabilities. Groove Commerce will continue to provide managed services and technical support as the platform evolves. Their team are excited about future enhancements that will further streamline the buying experience and unlock new revenue channels.