OCI
OCI (Open Catalog Interface) is common with SAP systems. The cart is returned as form fields.
Punchout middleware for suppliers
Large buyers require punchout. We sit between their ERP and your shop, so you can sell to them without rebuilding your shop.
What is punchout?
What is punchout?
Punchout is a direct connection between a supplier's catalog and a buyer's procurement system. The buyer's employee opens your catalog from inside their own system, chooses items, and the cart returns to their system for approval, so the purchase order reaches you without manual re-entry.
Supplier catalog
Punchout (OCI / cXML)
Buyer's procurement system
How it works
The buyer's procurement system (SAP, Ariba, Coupa and others) sends a punchout request to our middleware.
The middleware forwards the request to your shop together with a session ID.
The buyer's employee shops in your shop as usual and sends the basket back.
The middleware maps your basket to the buyer's format, cXML or OCI, and returns it for approval and ordering.
OCI and cXML
cXML
cXML is an XML-based standard used by platforms such as Ariba and Coupa. The cart is returned as a PunchOutOrderMessage.
Why a middleware?
Your shop stays as it is
No changes to your shop logic. It only has to accept a session and return a basket.
Mapping defined once
Fields, units, currency and tax codes are mapped per buyer in one place, not scattered through your code.
One connection, many buyers
Different buyers and ERP systems, cXML or OCI, all through the same middleware.
Coming next: PIM and shop
If you do not have a shop yet, we can add a small product information system (PIM) and a shop bound to it, with punchout already included.
Common questions
Do I need to rebuild my shop?
No. The middleware sits between the buyer's system and your shop. Your shop only has to accept a session and return a basket.
Which buyer systems can you connect to?
Systems such as SAP, SAP Ariba and Coupa, using the cXML or OCI standard that the buyer requires.
What if I do not have a shop yet?
We can add a small product information system (PIM) and a shop bound to it, with punchout already included. Tell us what you sell.
How much does it cost?
We set up the middleware for each supplier, so the price depends on your shop and the buyer. Tell us about your setup and we will reply with scope and price in writing.
Read our guides
cXML vs OCI: which punchout standard does your buyer need?
Punchout comes in two main flavours. Here is what cXML and OCI are, how they differ, and how to know which one a buyer's procurement system expects.
How a punchout session works, step by step
From the buyer's click to the approved purchase order: the five steps of a punchout session, and where a middleware fits in.
Why punchout needs a mapping layer
Every buyer wants the same basket described slightly differently. A mapping layer keeps those differences out of your shop.
Built to order
Tell us about your setup
We set up the middleware for each supplier. Tell us about your shop and the buyer you want to connect to, and we will reply with scope and price.
Our online form is coming soon. For now, please email us and we will reply.
Email us