DataSpeed: a B2B e-commerce platform integrated with Embyon without altering the back-office system

Project currently under development; not yet online.

DataSpeed is a distributor of office and IT supplies with a customer base consisting almost entirely of retailers and businesses on deferred payment terms. Embyon, their management system, controls everything: master data, price lists, stock levels, orders, credit limits and shipments. When they contacted us, the problem was simple to describe but complicated to solve: the B2B e-commerce site needed to replicate Embyon’s logic in real time, without anyone having to rewrite it from scratch.

Integration of Embyon price lists with prices by brand and category

DataSpeed works with multiple price lists assigned per customer in Embyon. Each price list covers all brands and all categories. If a customer has the lowest price list, they see low prices on everything, even on brands where the margin does not allow it. For products not on the price list, the price is calculated using a percentage mark-up on the purchase cost, which varies by customer type.

The request was: to be able to assign different price lists by brand or product category to the same customer. One price list for one brand, another for a different brand. Cuborio’s pricing engine has been designed to work with cascading rules: first it checks whether a specific price exists for a customer-brand-category combination, then it falls back to the generic price list, then to the purchase mark-up. Embyon continues to export price lists as usual. Cuborio handles the final logic.

Real-time multi-warehouse stock synchronisation

DataSpeed operates across multiple geographically distributed warehouses. The main warehouse manages purchases and shipments. A second warehouse in another region receives only internal transfers. There is also a ‘hidden’ warehouse, used to load large orders, physically verify them, and only then make them visible in the catalogue.

Customers can only view stock levels for the warehouses to which they are assigned. Those linked to the secondary warehouse can also see the availability of the main warehouse and can reserve goods in transit. The reverse is not true: customers of the main warehouse cannot see the secondary one.

Stock synchronisation with Embyon occurs with a latency of just a few minutes. For DataSpeed, this is a non-negotiable requirement. They operate with low stock levels, and if two customers order the same toner within a minute of each other, the system must correctly allocate stock in chronological order. It does so. When the customer finalises their basket, the portal generates a pre-order that immediately reserves stock on Embyon; the operator then manually converts this into an actual order after checking credit limits and any blocking notes.

Selective catalogue visibility and reverse charge management

Some products are reserved for specific customer categories. DataSpeed wanted more flexibility than Embyon, which only allows action at the individual product code level. Cuborio adds visibility rules by brand, category and customer, so that an entire brand or family of items can be excluded for a specific customer profile.

For items subject to reverse charge, Embyon passes the tax flag. The customer chooses before checkout whether to apply the reverse charge mechanism, and the order arrives at Embyon already with the correct VAT code. Additional taxes by product type (such as the SIAE levy on storage media) work in the same way: Embyon indicates the amount, and Cuborio displays it separately from the net price.

Automatic calculation of delivery charges and free delivery

Most customers qualify for ‘free delivery’ above a certain spend threshold. The thresholds and charge brackets vary by customer and are configured in Embyon via a dedicated table. Embyon automatically calculates delivery charges on sales documents, and Cuborio replicates the same logic on the e-commerce side: the customer can see in real time whether they have reached the free delivery threshold or how much they are short.

Multi-site management with destinations different from Embyon

Some DataSpeed customers have a registered office and several retail outlets, each registered in Embyon as a different destination. Each retail outlet has its own account on the portal, linked to the same master record. The original problem: if the retail outlet did not select its destination before finalising the basket, the goods were dispatched to the registered office. This happened on several occasions.

Cuborio links each account to its default destination, eliminating the manual step. Furthermore, it separates document visibility: each retail outlet sees only its own orders and delivery notes, whilst the head office sees everything, broken down by shop. Summary invoices remain visible only to the head office.

Centralised shipment tracking in the customer portal

Embyon is integrated with various couriers, some entirely via web services, others via electronic waybills. Cuborio centralises tracking information in the customer area regardless of the courier used, and allows notifications to be sent to email addresses other than the main one in the customer database. With the old system, this was not possible: the tracking email was the same as the order confirmation email, with no alternatives.

Project status

The project is currently under development. Once it goes live, DataSpeed will have a B2B portal integrated with Embyon without any changes to Embyon itself. Stock levels are updated within minutes, price lists are broken down by brand, and retail outlets can only view their own orders. It is simply a website that does what the management system already does, and presents it to the right customer in the right way.