Activating a B2B distributor's e-commerce site
"In three months, the campaign triggered an e-commerce habit, with over 1,500 clients activated online in the first month. It exceeded our expectations."
Prolians, the construction supply brand of the Descours & Cabaud group, had a significant number of professional clients who still purchased exclusively in-store. The challenge was to shift this base to the online channel without disrupting existing business relationships.
OBJECTIVE
Prolians wanted to drive e-commerce adoption among a professional client base that was still largely accustomed to in-store shopping. The goal went beyond generating a first online order: it was about establishing a genuine digital habit and maintaining it over time, while increasing purchase frequency and average order value on this channel.
The solution put in place
- A "3 Months to Win" campaign: reach €150 in online purchases per month for three consecutive months to unlock a personalized reward, limited to the first 150 participants.
- Creation and customization of a Prolians platform
- Selection of experiences tailored to the target audience
- Design of communication and promotional materials for the campaign
The mechanics directly address the initial challenge: converting a client used to the service counter requires giving them a concrete and progressive reason to order online. By tying the reward to a monthly spending target maintained over three months, the campaign does more than just generate a first order—it builds a habit.
The results
A campaign that exceeded the initial conversion targets.
- 1,500+ clients activated online in the first month
- Average order value up to 2.5 times higher than other clients during the period
- Estimated business impact of several hundred thousand euros
These challenge participants saw their average order value increase month over month:
- M1 to M2: +18.7%
- M2 to M3: +10.9%
Beyond the activation volume, the mechanism achieved its second objective: keeping these customers active throughout the campaign and increasing the average basket size on the online channel.
"A large portion of our professional customers were still buying exclusively in-store. In three months, the campaign triggered an e-commerce habit, with over 1,500 customers activated online in the first month alone. It exceeded our expectations: we didn't think we would convert so many customers so quickly on our e-commerce site. The mechanism kept these customers active over the 3 months while increasing the average basket size. And beyond the results, everything went smoothly, from design to execution."
Julien Furbacher, Webmarketing Manager, Prolians
"In three months, the campaign triggered an e-commerce habit, with over 1,500 clients activated online in the first month. It exceeded our expectations."
