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!
Distributors can view alerts like when a client views a presentation, or a supplier posts a special, updates product or pricing information, and changes the order-tracking status. Below the alerts, they can continue their recent searches or browse carousels featuring popular products, fresh ideas, and timely suggestions. Steven reponsed Let’s start on the homepage of SAGE’s Windows application. On the left, distributors have a variety of tools for marketing to customers and for project management. They can search for products, suppliers, and decorators, create virtual samples or catalogs, and track 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 The homepage offers several ways for distributors to notice your products as soon as they log in, including Front Page Banner Ads, Supplier Spotlights, and Featured Products. To learn more about advertising options in SAGE Workplace or on distributor websites, take a look at our Supplier Advertising Guide. This section also highlights what’s new in SAGE, shares industry news, and lists upcoming trade shows.
The Search This is how distributors find your products for their clients. There are over 65 criteria in the product search area. They can search by category, item number, or item name. They can also look for products by 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 suppliers that have noted whether they are classified under 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 product searches to products that participate in social good programs that support causes they or their clients want to support, such as environmental or humanitarian causes.
Keywords Now that we know what the product search area looks like, let’s discuss best practices to help distributors 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 are an integral part of how distributors will find those products. Pro Tips: • Always choose relevant keywords, and don’t keyword “stuff”. Avoid adding unnecessary keywords. It’s tempting to tag your scarf as a beanie, but this will annoy 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 is looking within a specific price range. In the Category field, they enter the item’s category, such as backpack. Next, they enter their preferred price range and quantity. They can also apply 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 looks like. By default, results display as Best Match. The Best Match algorithm uses search criteria and factors like whether a product is verified by its supplier. There are many options and more ways to filter within the results. On the left, you can narrow results by features, colors, or price ranges. You can also see highlighted Search Results Featured Products and where backpack Category Ads and Keyword Ads appear.
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 sees your item number, SAGE number, website, and contact information. You can also add a direct link to the product on your website. This shows your quantity price breakdown. Distributors can view the minimum quantity, net cost per quantity, and potential profit for each item based on your suggested price code. Notice the Verified logo and Valid Thru date near the pricing grid? When you verify your products, this logo appears with the Valid Thru date showing when you last updated and verified the product’s information, including pricing, colors, and description.
Here is the product description. It appears not only to distributors searching for your products but also to end buyers on distributors’ 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 see your item’s inventory if integrated with SAGE Connect. They also see product specs like color options, themes, decoration availability, additional charges, compliances, shipping location, and more. Your product images should be high resolution and clear. Small, pixelated images can seem unprofessional, especially if a distributor uses your product in a catalog, email campaign, or with SAGE’s virtual samples tool. Include photos of your products’ color options, blank images, and images with sample artwork. This lets distributors show customers your color choices and better understand the imprint area to pitch your products effectively.
The Perfect Description Why is the perfect description important? The product description is your selling tool. Distributors and their customers read your descriptions when searching for products. How? Distributors let their customers search for products on their websites, so your product descriptions are visible to them. This makes it important that your descriptions are end-userfriendly, detailed, clear, and concise. Distributors also use your products in presentations, email campaigns, and catalogs. Pro Tips When writing product descriptions, look at how other retailers write theirs. Address any questions the end buyer might have that other product fields don’t answer. Use the space to help readers better envision your product. Include materials, product features, and usage suggestions. You can also use the built-in AI feature to expand ideas and enhance your text.
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 products in your system, like pricing or colors, they automatically update in the SAGE database. This gives distributors real-time, upto-date information and helps with product visibility and best matches. Distributors feel more confident ordering when they know the product is in stock. By connecting, you can inform them if a product is available or on backorder and if delays are expected. You can let distributors know where their orders are every step of the way so they don’t have to call to check the status. Distributors can view order status information whether or not they use SAGE Workplace for 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. 06/06/2026
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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