Glass Warehouse, a prominent seller of shower door kits through major retailers like Home Depot, Lowes, and Wayfair, has successfully launched a dedicated B2B platform, Future Glass, transforming what was once a cumbersome manual sales process into a streamlined, digital-first operation. Since its inception in 2015, Glass Warehouse focused primarily on consumers but noticed a rising demand from B2B customers in recent years. However, their existing website was ill-equipped to handle e-commerce transactions, leading to labor-intensive manual quoting processes grounded in hand-written notes and sketches.
Recognising the need for a comprehensive solution, Glass Warehouse collaborated with the technology partner Teifi, who recommended Shopify B2B as the backbone for their new digital offering. The solution extended beyond just the platform; together, they developed a custom rail configurator using Shopify’s Hydrogen framework, allowing customers to design their railings online with ease, ensuring accuracy and confidence in their orders.
Before this transformation, sales representatives were bogged down with interpreting hand-drawn diagrams, managing spreadsheets, and negotiating individual quotes by phone or email. Parker Vitek, Glass Warehouse’s content manager, recounted that operational inefficiencies were significant obstacles to growing their B2B business despite clear market demand. The manual approach impaired order accuracy, operational efficiency, and customer satisfaction, with customers frequently requesting a broader range of hardware options that the existing system could not efficiently support.
With the adoption of Shopify B2B, Future Glass was able to automate and simplify the ordering workflows. Customers now benefit from custom pricing structures based on tailored product catalogs, eliminating the need for manual invoice adjustments. This change alone has significantly enhanced operational efficiency—Vitek noted that 90% of orders are now shipped the same day they are placed, a major leap forward from previous timelines.
A standout feature is the Hydrogen-powered configurator, which addresses the complex requirements involved in selecting the right glass sizes and hardware configurations. Previously, customers grappled with the technical calculations necessary for each unique job. The configurator allows users to input dimensions and view available product options dynamically before adding everything to their cart in one streamlined process. Jordan Binotto, Teifi’s Head of Growth, emphasised Hydrogen’s flexibility and control, which empowered the team to deliver a highly customised, user-friendly design experience.
Crucially, the new system integrates seamlessly with Future Glass’s existing product information management system, Salsify. This integration ensures that inventory data and product configurations remain accurate and up to date, bridging backend operations with the customer-facing storefront. “We pull all the data from Salsify into the back end of Shopify, then render that as an incredible front-end experience,” Binotto explained.
The partnership with Teifi provided expert guidance on UI design and the intricate dimensional rules needed to support Future Glass’s complex product range. This collaboration was vital in translating unique business processes into a robust digital platform that balances complexity with usability.
Since launching in 2024, Future Glass has achieved remarkable results, including a 340% growth in B2B sales and an 83% increase in conversion rates compared to the previous year. Customer feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with many expressing surprise and appreciation that such a sophisticated tool is offered free of charge. The configurator has also dramatically reduced the time needed for quoting railing jobs by 75-85%, which benefits both customers and Future Glass’s internal sales team.
Beyond improving customer experience, the solution has streamlined internal operations, allowing Future Glass to implement self-serve pricing for different customer segments, thereby reducing manual errors and administrative overhead. Vitek described the impact on internal workflows as “massive improvements,” noting the transformative effect on sales efficiency.
Looking ahead, Future Glass plans to extend the success of its Shopify platform by migrating the Glass Warehouse direct-to-consumer side to Shopify as well, signalling a move towards a fully unified commerce ecosystem. Industry data underscores the importance of such scalable, integrated platforms; Shopify’s robust infrastructure is designed to handle growing product catalogs, customer bases, and traffic spikes without compromising performance. Features like self-serve purchasing, contextual pricing, and integrations with other enterprise tools like ERP and OMS systems make it a comprehensive solution for B2B companies seeking growth.
In summary, Future Glass’s digital transformation showcases how leveraging advanced e-commerce technologies and expert partnerships can convert complex, manual sales processes into powerful growth engines. Their story highlights the value of customisation, seamless integration, and customer-centric design in the evolving landscape of B2B commerce.
Source: Noah Wire Services
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