CASE STUDY · ULE GROUP
Industrial supply built to scale
Enterprise Distributor Storefront with 250,000+ SKUs
Updated
The Problem
ULE Group, which describes itself as "a national leader in electrical, lighting, and power distribution solutions," offers a vast catalog of specialized construction products to meet the diverse needs of businesses across multiple sectors. With an extensive product lineup and a commitment to innovation, ULE Group aimed to streamline its digital experience, enhance product discoverability, and offer tailored solutions for its customers via a modern ecommerce platform.
Managing an expansive inventory and the unique needs of B2B customers was a challenge. ULE Group needed an ecommerce solution that could handle a large catalog, enable sophisticated search and filtering, and offer flexible, business-focused features like customized payment terms, all with integration to its Epicor ERP.
Expansive catalog
A vast, multi-sector catalog of specialized construction products needed sophisticated search and filtering to stay discoverable.
B2B complexity
Business buyers required flexible, account-based features like customized payment terms that the legacy platform could not support.
Disconnected ERP
Without a live Epicor integration, product availability and pricing risked drifting out of date and slowing operations.
The Solution
Uncap delivered a streamlined, high-performance Shopify B2B platform tailored to ULE Group’s requirements. A Product Information Management system keeps the extensive catalog accurate and centralized, Shopify’s B2B capabilities support business clients, and an Epicor integration keeps product and inventory data live from browsing to checkout, positioning the business for continued growth.
PIM-managed catalog
A Product Information Management system centralizes the catalog so data stays accurate and consistent at scale.
Shopify B2B
Payment terms, flexible catalog options, and advanced checkout customizations tailored to business clients.
Real-time Epicor sync
ERP integration keeps product and inventory data live from browsing to checkout.
High-performance UX
An optimized, user-friendly storefront built for discovery and continued growth.
What was built
Shopify's case study on ULE Group, which it describes as "a national leader in electrical, lighting, and power-distribution solutions," covers the build in detail. Here is what Uncap delivered.
- A B2B storefront for a very large catalog: over 250,000 SKUs, with product data managed in a PIM so the catalog stays accurate and centralized.
- Contract pricing on Shopify B2B: customized catalogs and account-based payment terms, supporting what Shopify calls "multiple differentiated contract price lists."
- Search for a large catalog: Algolia search with more than 100 filters.
- Quoting at the cart: a cart-level convert-to-quote feature for high-value purchases.
- Out-of-stock alternatives: custom functionality that suggests alternative products when items are out of stock.
- Epicor ERP integration: real-time product, inventory and pricing updates from Epicor.
- Shipping and marketing: ShipperHQ for advanced shipping options and Klaviyo for personalized marketing.
- B2B and B2C together: in Shopify's case study, Uncap's CEO describes the result as built "natively on Shopify, with true B2B and B2C unified commerce."
The Results
Shopify has published its own account of this project: Shopify's case study on ULE Group.
Best fit when this applies
This build fits distributors whose catalog and pricing have outgrown a standard storefront. It applies when:
- Your catalog runs to hundreds of thousands of SKUs, and buyers need filters to find the right one.
- Business buyers such as contractors, developers and facilities managers buy on contract prices and payment terms.
- Your ERP, such as Epicor, has to stay the source of inventory and pricing.
- Larger orders start as a quote rather than a checkout.
- You want business and consumer buyers served from one Shopify store.
The Stack
Answers, before you ask.
What did Uncap build for ULE Group?
Uncap delivered a high-performance Shopify B2B platform with a Product Information Management (PIM) system for the extensive catalog, Shopify B2B features such as payment terms and flexible catalogs, advanced checkout customizations, and real-time integration with the Epicor ERP.
How large is the ULE Group catalog?
The catalog has more than 250,000 SKUs, with Algolia search and over 100 filters for tailored product exploration.
What systems were integrated?
The build integrates the Epicor ERP for real-time product, inventory, and pricing updates, plus ShipperHQ for advanced shipping options and Klaviyo for personalized marketing.
What B2B features does the store include?
Business clients get flexible payment terms, customized catalogs, a cart-level convert-to-quote feature for high-value purchases, and custom functionality that suggests alternative products when items are out of stock.
In the client's words.
Uncap not only knows B2B and Shopify Plus well, but they outlined the project and did not "nickle and dime" us on anything that came up along the way. They found unique solutions to our challenging needs. There was never talk about things being out of scope like other agencies will do and didn't put a cutoff on feedback or UAT issues discovered. We had a great Project Manager, Adam and Denis, the Founder & Pricipal, was always available for a call or email.
Across the platform
Distribution
Million-SKU catalogs, PIM, tier pricing, bulk ordering, and real-time ERP sync.
Epicor to Shopify Integration
An Epicor Shopify integration keeps orders, inventory, customers and pricing in sync between your Epicor ERP and your Shopify store. Epicor sells its own Epicor Storefront Connector, which Epicor says supports inventory, order, and shipment data flows between ERP systems and online channels like Shopify. For the B2B data a wholesale storefront also runs on, such as account pricing, payment terms, and credit limits, check what any connector or middleware carries, how often it syncs, and who maintains it when either platform updates. Uncap builds direct, real-time integrations between Epicor and Shopify Plus for manufacturers and distributors. Prophet 21, Kinetic, Eclipse, BisTrack, Eagle, LumberTrack and Vision all supported. B2B wholesale, DTC retail, and POS all run from one Shopify Plus instance connected to your Epicor backend. One integration.
