Although a standard procurement process, Level 1 Punchout is not the best way to communicate with large customers. When a big customer is connected to multiple suppliers, PunchOut functionality can actually make it difficult to search for the right product.
In Ariba Level 2 Punchout Catalog, a procurement application’s product search functionality can be used for searching supplier’s PunchOut catalog. This product search feature does not work in Level 1 PunchOut catalog. However, Level 2 PunchOut offers advanced search capabilities in which the customer can search for products in PunchOut catalog even before starting the PunchOut session.
Level 2 Ariba PunchOut solution offers item level search directly from within the procurement application. The desired product is visible in the search results page of the procurement system. A link is also visible next to the product. Upon clicking the link, the customer is redirected to that particular product page of that specific PunchOut catalog. The customer has direct access to product details page of the PunchOut Catalog.
In a Level 1 Ariba PunchOut, the customer has to first establish a connection by clicking the PunchOut link located in the procurement application. This allows the customer to access the supplier’s PunchOut site where he can search and find the product. However, with Level 2 PunchOut, you skip this process entirely as you find the product even before you initiate PunchOut request.
With Level 2 PunchOut, the product link displayed in the procurement application’s product search can redirect the customer to PunchOut site’s homepage or to the category of the product or directly to that product. In short, it makes the product easily searchable and accessible for the buyers. This functionality is particularly useful when buyers are connected to more than one PunchOut catalog. You can know in which PunchOut catalog the product is located using procurement application’s search engine.
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