Merchant Pulse

About us

The branch, the website and the people in it, fixed together.

Merchant Pulse is the Branch of the Future programme for builders' merchants. It shows a merchant which parts of the business to fix first, lets them see each fix working, and puts a team behind it that can deliver it.

Why we built it

Merchants are told to go digital by a different supplier for every part of the business. We built one programme instead.

One supplier for the website, another for signage, another for loyalty. Each sees only their piece, and the merchant is left to join it up.

Merchant Pulse starts from the merchant's own numbers instead. The scorecard finds the two areas that matter most, a working app shows what the fix looks like, and the group behind the programme delivers it, starting with a trial in one branch.

A navy and orange branch at dusk with a covered loading bay

Already being built · Jewson, May 2024

First Branch of the Future, Bridgwater

Range up from 3,000 to 4,500 lines, grouped so a whole job is easy to source. The trade counter sits centrally with a view of the shop floor, tool hire has its own counter, and covered drive-through bays open from 6:30am.

4,500lines at Jewson Bridgwater, up from 3,000 and grouped by job

Source: Professional Builders Merchant(opens in a new tab)See all 33 examples

The group

Who is behind Merchant Pulse

Venture StreamDigital commerce

Venture Stream

Ecommerce and digital: storefront builds, ERP and WhatsApp integration, AI, product data, search and marketing automation.

What they bring

  • Ecommerce builds and replatforming for trade and retail
  • Integration with ERP, PIM, CRM and messaging systems
  • Product data, search and SEO
  • Email, text and marketing automation, measured

Leads in Merchant Pulse

Trade storefront, Photo to basket, Loyalty pack, Supplier content engine

AlphaGraphicsBranch, print and marketing

AlphaGraphics

Print, signage and marketing: branch signage and wayfinding, in-branch promotions, direct mail, printed packs and fulfilment to every branch.

What they bring

  • Branch signage, wayfinding and refits, surveyed and installed
  • In-branch promotions and point of sale, refreshed monthly
  • Direct mail, printed packs and fulfilment to every branch
  • Print management and online reordering for branch teams

Leads in Merchant Pulse

Branch refit planner

Branch staff and a tradesperson laughing over mugs of tea at the counter

Wellbeing partner · Workplace wellbeing

OptiMe

Workplace wellbeing: staff pulse, reporting and the programme behind it. In Merchant Pulse it leads the team wellbeing pulse, with AlphaGraphics printing the counter campaign.

How we work together

  1. 1One programme, one contactYou deal with one team. Digital, branch and print work are planned together, so the website, the signs and the counter tell the same story.
  2. 2Trial first, with your numbersEvery service starts in one branch with a measure agreed up front. You grow it only when the numbers say so.
  3. 3Built on what you runWe connect to your ERP, website and data rather than replacing them, and keep it all in sync after launch.
See trial, grow and scale options

Talk to us

Tell us which area the scorecard flagged, and we'll scope a trial in one of your branches.

  • [CONTACT NAME] · [PHONE]
  • [EMAIL]
Take the scorecard