New solution provides a fast and easy path for UK builders’ merchants to improve efficiency, reach next-generation buyers and future-proof their businesses.

BigCommerce, a leading open SaaS ecommerce platform for B2B and B2C businesses, has launched a powerful ecommerce accelerator purpose-built for the UK building materials industry.

Developed in collaboration with leading digital agency Brave Bison, Product Information Management technology provider Pimberly, and construction industry consultant The Journey, the 'Branch of the Future' accelerator provides building merchants with a comprehensive toolkit to digitize operations, meet the expectations of next-generation buyers and future-proof their businesses.

To further strengthen its commitment to this sector, BigCommerce has also joined the Builders Merchants Federation, the authoritative voice for the UK’s builders’ merchants, plumbing, heating, roofing, decorative and timber merchants and their suppliers. 

The building supplies sector has long relied on offline interactions, phone calls, in-person visits and paper-based workflows, but today’s trade buyers expect more. A new generation of customers is demanding the same seamless, omnichannel experiences they encounter in other industries. Yet most builders' merchants have been underserved by generic ecommerce solutions that fail to account for the complexities of trade pricing, quoting, account relationships and real-time inventory.

“The Branch of the Future accelerator is about helping builders’ merchants unlock new growth by delivering the seamless, customer-first experiences today’s buyers expect, whether in branch or online,” said Lance Owide, General Manager of B2B at BigCommerce. “By combining proven technologies with deep industry expertise, we’re enabling builders' merchants to modernize their online experience more quickly, more affordably and with less complexity while deepening the relationships they have with their customers.”

The new accelerator combines: 

  • Business transformation consulting from The Journey, taking advantage of their 25+ years of experience in the building material supplies industry 
  • A turnkey ecommerce implementation by Brave Bison using BigCommerce B2B Edition and Catalyst, tailored for complex B2B workflows 
  • Integration with Pimberly, a leading Product Information Management platform, for robust data and content management, complete with access to over 1.5 million pre-optimized SKUs tailored specifically for builders' merchants.

Together, this composable commerce solution empowers merchants to streamline operations, differentiate customer experience and boost sales team efficiency.

“Builders’ merchants have an important opportunity to reduce operational costs by automating repetitive tasks like order tracking and invoice inquiries, freeing up teams to focus on higher-value work,” said Al Ward, Vice President of Commerce at Brave Bison. “At the same time, they can deliver a more personalized, self-serve buying experience for trade customers, complete with negotiated pricing, curated product access and seamless quote-to-order workflows.”

The accelerator leverages BigCommerce’s B2B Edition to deliver capabilities typically missing from legacy platforms, including customer-specific pricing, product visibility and quoting, all of which are available out of the box with B2B Edition.

Brave Bison, a media, marketing and technology company that specialises in both B2B and BigCommerce, brings deep implementation expertise and a strong understanding of the complex workflows that define builders' merchant operations. Its modular Branch of the Future storefront is designed for phased deployment, making it easy for merchants to get started quickly, tailor the experience to their needs and realize value faster.

Pimberly brings industry-leading product information management to the accelerator, ensuring builders' merchants have the high-quality data foundation needed for successful digital commerce. With over 1.5 million pre-optimized SKUs tailored specifically to the building materials sector, Pimberly enables merchants to centralize, enrich and distribute product information with speed and accuracy. 

“We’ve spent years helping builders’ merchants overcome the challenges of managing vast, complex product ranges,” said Craig McCalley, Managing Director at Pimberly. “In this sector reliable product data is crucial. It is the foundation of trust and operational efficiency. With Pimberly, merchants can confidently deliver the up-to-date specifications and pricing their trade customers depend on, while freeing internal teams from manual tasks so they can focus on growing the business.”

“With over 25 years of experience working alongside and at builders merchants, like Travis Perkins, we know just how much opportunity there is for digital to enhance, not replace, relationships with buyers,” said John Godwin, Director at The Journey. “We’re incredibly excited to bring that experience to the ‘Branch of the Future’ accelerator. As part of this initiative, we’ve ranked every builders’ merchant in the UK based on their online customer experience, and we’re sharing those insights directly with merchants. It’s a powerful starting point for transformation, rooted in data, tailored to the trade, and focused on helping merchants move forward with confidence.”