ERP systems & e-commerce

Implementation is craft. What matters is what happens before.

I took a B2B brand into direct sales, connected marketplaces, ERP and WMS, and built EDI interfaces to Edeka, Aldi, Obi, dm and Rossmann.

6 Theses

Theses

Do you see it the same way? Rate the theses. At the end you'll see how well we match. Theses you rate here count towards your result on the home page.

An ERP project is won or lost in the process analysis.

The most common mistake: too little time for a clear process analysis at the start. Then you may pick the wrong software, overlook what matters, miss deadlines or live with severe limitations. Once you truly understand the processes and goals, implementation is craft.

Standard software for standard business.

If your business model is standard and established software covers it almost completely, go standard. The same applies if you lack the skills or budget to build and maintain your own. Where you differ, custom pays off.

When you start selling yourself, you need your partners more than ever.

When I took a B2B brand into direct sales, large resellers made up 100% of revenue at first. Suddenly you become their competitor, and the one with the best purchasing terms. What carried us was open communication, clear agreements on sales channels and reliable pricing. Trust, as always in business.

There is a standard. And still every connection is unique.

EDIFACT is the standard, yet no two EDI connections are alike. A wholesaler in the plant business considered anything under a year unrealistic. Usually it goes much faster. It gets really complex with association structures, as in fashion, and with consignment business.

The customer decides on the channel, not the retailer.

The key question for any marketplace: is it a blessing for the end customer? Amazon is a strong start. With a strong brand, Amazon becomes unimportant later on. The brand is what matters.

E-commerce is easier than you think. But not more comfortable.

The recipe is known: be visible, convert, exceed customer expectations. Add the classics like SEO, good copy, the right channels, measuring and learning, and today social selling too. It doesn't take a genius. It takes consistency, every day.

From practice

EDI connections to Edeka, Aldi, Obi, dm and Rossmann
Took a B2B brand into B2C: marketplaces, ERP, WMS, ticketing, SEO, PIM
Technical ERP consultant for interfaces and EDI

My toolbox

JTL-Wawi
JTL-WMS
JTL-Shop
Xentral
Xentral Connect
WooCommerce
WordPress
Amazon Seller Central
Otto Market
Kaufland Marketplace
Channable
eDesk
Lime
Transus
Pranke
Make
Zapier
Trustpilot

Ask via AI

Keep asking, via AI.

This website is an MCP server. Add it to Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor and ask questions like these:

›Why do ERP rollouts fail, according to Pascal?
›When does he recommend standard software, and when custom development?
›What experience does he have with EDI?

$ claude mcp add --transport http pascal-baumann https://www.pascal-baumann.com/api/mcp