Innovative B2B online marketplace for construction materials

Many businesses, suppliers and manufacturers in the construction industry still conduct their business by phone, on paper and decentrally. Gathering quotes from different providers can often be cumbersome and the entire process can involve a lot of administrative effort.

As in other industries, there is also a growing demand in construction for digital solutions that can make processes more efficient. Construction material supplier HG COMMERCIALE (HGC) has been operating its own e-commerce channel for some time now. In order to digitalise direct business between construction material manufacturers and building contractors, HGC founded cubotoo AG.

The aim of the subsidiary was to develop an innovative B2B marketplace that brings building contractors together with the relevant providers for sourcing construction materials. Specifically, buyers should be able to submit their purchase requisition and the providers should then be able to respond with their quote

Contemporary user experience

bbv was involved at an early stage in the development of cubotoo. Thanks to its comprehensive expertise in the retail and e-commerce area, the bbv team was able to provide active support and implement the solution together with the customer using an agile approach.

As a result, our team in Thessaloniki (GR) was able to develop a full-stack application in no time and roll it out on an ongoing basis. The application was developed using the latest, highly scalable cloud technologies. Particular attention was paid to the user experience.

Not only should it be very easy for users to find their way around the products, they should also be able to communicate quickly and easily with providers via the platform and complete the purchasing process up to the conclusion of the contract without any media discontinuity.

Simplified processes thanks to an innovative solution

The resulting B2B purchasing platform for construction materials is more than an online marketplace.

Not only can building contractors find suitable non-binding quotes from various providers simultaneously, they can also use the integrated chat function to negotiate conditions or terms of delivery, select options and submit an order confirmation – without a phone call, e-mail or any paperwork.

An intelligent shopping cart is available to ensure that quotes are up to date at all times. The cart not only saves selected products, it also automatically adjusts the provider’s entries. Availability, delivery options and prices are therefore up to date at all times. Even archiving is taken care of: All project-related documents are stored in the cloud.

The progressive solution has provided a consistently digitalised marketplace for both retailers and buyers. cubotoo has been online since October 2023 and now has over 50 building contractors as registered customers, with more than 13,000 products from 27 providers to choose from – and the figures continue to rise. The product range on the scalable platform is to be continually expanded and new features added.

“The expert support from the highly dedicated colleagues at bbv contributed enormously to the successful rollout of our project.”

Gregor Jann, CEO cubotoo

Project insights 

• Consulting and implementation: The goal was to develop a marketplace platform with unique functions. bbv advised the customer on the feasibility of its innovative ideas and implemented the backend and frontend.

• Distinguished: The B2B platform also impressed the jury at the Best of Swiss Web Awards 2024, where it was awarded 3rd place.

• Shoring: The project involved a team of five bbv software developers in Thessaloniki, Greece. They developed the solution within a period of nine months.

Our services in the project