Punchout2Go vs PunchoutCX

So you’re looking for a punchout catalog. There are many solutions available, but which one fits your needs? Today, we’re going to look at two of the most popular options in the market: Punchout2Go and PunchoutCX.

What's a Punchout Catalog?

At the base level, a punchout catalog is a web-based product catalog integrated with your customers’ eProcurement system. Punchout catalogs allow buyers in an organization to quickly and easily locate your products and add them to requisitions.

Want to learn more about punchout catalog basics? Download our free punchout catalog guide.

Punchout Plugin vs. Platform

Both Punchout2Go and PunchoutCX offer the ability to integrate your product catalog into your customers’ eProcurement systems. However, the key difference is that Punchout2Go is only offered as an ecommerce plugin, whereas PunchoutCX is a fully-featured standalone platform.

Punchout2Go may be faster & easier to set up in some cases, but consider some potential long-term limitations.

As a plugin, Punchout2Go builds on top of your existing eCommerce solution – in cases where you use one of the dozen or so eCommerce platforms Punchout2Go natively supports, this may mean a faster initial setup time. Additionally, the fact that Punchout2Go plugs into your existing eCommerce systems can mean an easier learning curve for staff already familiar with your current platform.

However, the plugin nature of Punchout2Go can also be a disadvantage. eCommerce systems typically aren’t designed to handle punchout catalog use cases, such as quote-to cart, extrapolated SKU options, purchase order interrupts, and custom requests. Depending on your particular needs, this may mean expensive and complex customization of your Punchout2Go plugin implementation, or the inability to meet certain punchout integration use cases, especially as you grow and add new customers.

Troubleshooting issues over the lifetime of your punchout catalog can also be difficult with Punchout2Go, since there are multiple vendors involved – plugin developer, eCommerce provider, API provider, etc. Coordinating diagnosis, triage, and resolution between the different vendors can lead to increased downtime and expense, depending on your particular configuration and SLAs with each party.

PunchoutCX is built from ground up to handle all your punchout catalog needs.

As a B2B eCommerece platform, PunchoutCX offers you an all-in-one solution to your eCommerce and punchout catalog needs. No need to buy separate products from different vendors and try to tie them together using APIs and plugins – with PunchoutCX’s turnkey service, you get eCommerce sites, hosting, eProcurement integration, and end-to-end setup support. This simplifies the implementation and long-term maintenance process for your team – no need to coordinate between multiple different software providers, and each component of your B2B ecomm pipeline is guaranteed to work with the others.

In addition to being a fully comprehensive platform, PunchoutCX has over two decades of experience as a leading eCommerce provider for businesses. PunchoutCX offers a depth of expertise and customization for not just your punchout catalog execution, but also your larger eCommerce strategy.