From the Other Side: The Distributor’s Perspective
Have you ever wondered what distributors see when they search for a product within SAGE? Or maybe what your ads look like when they’re live? In this guide, you’ll get a peek behind the curtain to see what distributors see when they search, create presentations, and ultimately, choose your products. Let’s go!
Next, they can also see their alertsthis can be anything from whether their client viewed a presentation, or whether a supplier they requested alerts for has posted a special, had any product or pricing changes, order tracking status changes, or more. Below that, they can pick up where they left off with their most recent searches, or view the most popular products, fresh ideas, and timely ideas product carousels. Steven reponsed Let’s start on the homepage of SAGE’s Windows application. On the left, distributors have a variety of tools they can use to sell to end-users and to manage those projects. They can search for products, search for suppliers and decorators, make virtual samples or catalogs, and keep track of orders and clients. Steve responsed... Ashley viewed presentation Joe posted a special Matt profile information... Order tracking status changed... Harry updated product pricing John added new product Lisa viewed presentation Homepage Features
Advertising With SAGE As you can see on the homepage, there are a lot of advertising opportunities for distributors to see your products right when they log in, from the Front Page Banner Ads to Front Page Supplier Spotlights and Front Page Featured Products. If you’d like to learn more about the advertising opportunities throughout SAGE Workplace or on distributor’s websites, check out our Supplier Media Kit here. Here, they can see what’s new in SAGE, industry news, and view any upcoming trade shows.
The Search This is how distributors can find your products for their clients. There are 65+ criteria in the product search area distributors can use to search. They can search by category, item number, and item name. They can also look for a product with a certain theme, color, or dimensions. ESG & Social Good Filters Another way distributors can filter their product search is through the ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) and Social Good filters. The ESG drop-down option allows them to search only for products from a supplier that has noted whether they are classified as one of the ESG categories, such as B Corp Certified or Veteran Owned, in their profile through the SAGE Supplier Center. Additionally, the Social Good drop-down option allows distributors to filter their search for products that participate in social good programs that give back to causes they or their clients would want to support, such as environmental or humanitarian causes.
Keywords Now that we know what the product search area looks like, let’s talk about best practices when it comes to making sure distributors can find your products. And a big part of that is through your keywords. While the Keywords search will search all product data, the keywords you use to categorize your products is an integral part of how distributors will find those products. Pro Tips: • Always choose relevant keywords, and don’t keyword “stuff”. Be wary of adding in unnecessary keywords. It’s super tempting to tag your scarf as a beanie, but it will just end up annoying distributors looking for specific products. • Think like a distributor. Pretend you’re shopping for your product on a major retailer’s website. What keywords would you use to find those products?
Pricing Now, let’s look at a search filtered by price. Imagine you’re a distributor whose customer has requested an employee gift, and they’re looking at a specific price range. So, in the Category field, they would type in the category of the item they are looking for, such as a backpack. Next, they would enter their preferred price range and quantity needed. They can also include other filters. Here you can see just one place where your Brand Power Ad will display, right on the search screen.
This is what the results page for that search would look like. By default, the search results display as Best Match. The Best Match algorithm uses the search criteria as well as other factors, such as whether a product is verified by its supplier. Not only are there tons of options, but there are even more ways to filter from within the initial search results. On the left, you can see the option to narrow the results further by additional features, colors, or other price ranges. You can also see the highlighted Search Results Featured Products and where the backpack Category Ads and Keyword Ads display.
Product Details Once a distributor has selected your item from their search results, they will see your product’s detail page. This is where all the product’s detailed information is displayed. At the top, the distributor will see your item number, your SAGE number, your website and contact information, and you can even add a direct link to that product on your website. This is how your quantity price breakdown is displayed. This is where distributors can view the minimum quantity offered and the net cost associated with each quantity, as well as the potential profit for that item based on the price code you have suggested. Did you notice the Verified logo and the Valid Thru date next to and below the pricing grid? When you verify your products, this is the verification logo that will appear along with the Valid Thru date that tells distributors the last time you updated and verified that product’s information, from pricing, to colors, or even the description.
Here you can see the product description. It’s important to note that this product description not only shows to distributors searching for your products, but it also shows to end-buyers searching on distributor’s websites. Your description should be clear, concise, and end-user friendly. Here you can see additional tabs where the distributor can view your specials, your individual supplier ratings, artwork requirements, and more. They’ll want to know: As the distributor scrolls, they can also see your item’s inventory if you are integrating your back end with SAGE Connect. They will also see the rest of your product’s specs such as the color options available, the themes your product fits in, the decoration availability and any additional charges for that product, product compliances, shipping location, and more. When you’re thinking about your product images, they should be high resolution and clear. It can come across as unprofessional if your images are small and pixelated, especially if a distributor is going to use your product in a catalog, email campaign, or mockup a sample with SAGE’s virtual samples tool. It is also a good practice to include photos of your products’ different color options as well as including blank images and images with sample artwork. This gives the distributor the ability to show their customers exactly what colors you offer and get a better idea of the imprint area to better pitch your products.
The Perfect Description Why is the perfect description important? The product description is your selling tool. Not only are distributors reading your descriptions when searching for your products, but so are their customers. How? As mentioned previously, distributors can allow their customers to search for products on their website. That means that your product descriptions are visible to their customers. This is why it’s important that your descriptions are end-user friendly, but also detailed, clear, and concise. Additionally, distributors are using your products in their presentations, email campaigns, and catalogs. Pro Tips When writing your product descriptions, look to see what other retailers are doing and how they are writing their descriptions. You should be answering any potential questions the end buyer might have that is not answered by the other product detail fields as well as using the space provided to help the reader better envision your product. This can include the types of materials, detailing the products’ features, and even giving suggestions for use. Plus, you can use the built-in AI feature to expand on your idea, enhance your text, and more.
How does SAGE Connect Benefit Your Customers? Updates your product information automatically in SAGE. Gives distributors an accurate count of your products with real-time inventory levels. When you update your products in your own system, like pricing or colors, it will automatically be updated in the SAGE database giving distributors the most up to date information in real-time and helping you with product visibility and best matches. Distributors feel more confident placing an order with you knowing the product they are ordering is in stock. By connecting, you have the ability to let distributors know whether a product is available or on backorder and that they should expect delays. You can let distributors know where their orders are every step of the way, so they don’t have to call to inquire about the status of their orders. Distributors can view their order status information whether or not they are using SAGE Workplace for their order management. Provides distributors with real-time order status information. Did you know? SAGE Connect also adheres to the Promo Data eXchange (PDX) industry standards. What is SAGE Connect? SAGE Connect is a full-featured API that enables you to sync your back-end systems with the SAGE database.
For more information on SAGE Connect or for more of an in-depth look, contact Supplier Support. suppliersupport@sageworld.com • 800.925.7243 For advertising information, please contact your Account Advisor.
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