Glossary

What is punchout?

Punchout lets a business customer shop your catalogue from inside their own procurement system, such as SAP Ariba, Coupa or Proactis, then send the basket back to that system for approval and a purchase order.

In plain English.

Large organisations buy through procurement systems that control who can spend what, with whom. Punchout connects your online catalogue to those systems, so their buyers can shop with you without leaving the tools they're required to use.

How it works

  1. The buyer opens your catalogue from inside their procurement system.
  2. They "punch out" to your store, already signed in, and see their own prices and agreed products.
  3. They fill a basket as they would on any website.
  4. The basket goes back to their procurement system, in a standard format such as cXML or SAP's OCI.
  5. Their approvals run as normal.
  6. You receive the purchase order, ideally straight into your own systems.

Why suppliers offer it

For the customer, it keeps every purchase inside their own approvals and budgets, at agreed prices. For you, it makes you easy to buy from, keeps your rich catalogue in front of buyers rather than a flat price list, and brings in orders that are already approved and ready to process.

Punchout, portals and EDI

A trade portal is your own website for trade customers to log in to. Punchout brings your catalogue into theirs. EDI exchanges orders and invoices between systems, with no shopping involved. Many suppliers use all three for different customers. More on cXML, OCI and EDI in the B2B ecommerce glossary.

Related

Related terms and services.

  • B2B ecommerce glossary

    cXML, OCI, EDI, customer-specific pricing and more.

  • Punchout portals

    Punchout we build, connected to your customers' procurement systems and your ERP.

  • Integration

    Joining your storefront to ERP, CRM and the systems behind them.

  • B2B ecommerce

    Ecommerce built for selling to other businesses.