In a context where the performance of procurement functions is becoming a strategic lever, connecting internal systems to supplier catalogs (and vice versa) is no longer optional. The Open Catalog Interface (OCI) enables companies to digitize and automate their procurement processes while retaining control. This open standard, easy to implement, addresses the needs of CIOs and CTOs seeking fluidity, compliance, and ROI in their B2B purchasing processes. In this article, we will explore precisely what OCI is, its business, financial, and technological benefits, and how to implement it within an e-commerce or e-service ecosystem.

Understanding OCI: An Open Interface for Interconnected B2B Purchasing

Definition and General Principle

The Open Catalog Interface (OCI) is an open standard allowing enterprise purchasing systems (such as an ERP or e-procurement platform) to establish a dynamic connection with their suppliers’ online catalogs. In practical terms, this means that a user can initiate an order in their internal system, directly access an online supplier catalog, select products, and automatically import their shopping cart to complete the purchase request in the ERP—without manual data entry.

This process, known as “punch-out,” replicates the experience of using an e-commerce website while adhering to the company’s internal control measures. It eliminates data-entry errors, ensures compliance with procurement policies, and saves significant time in procurement management.

Key Benefits of OCI for Companies

For companies, OCI represents much more than a simple productivity boost: it is a strategic lever for optimizing indirect purchasing management.

With this interface, procurement teams can secure processes while expanding their access to updated, negotiated offers compliant with framework agreements. It also promotes improved spending visibility, centralized procurement flows, and enhanced capability for cost management.

On the supplier side, OCI simplifies integration within customer environments, strengthening their position in tenders due to improved technical compatibility.

Technical Operation of OCI Punch-Out

OCI (Open Catalog Interface) punch-out allows a user of a purchasing system (ERP or e-procurement platform) to directly access a supplier’s website (e-commerce or e-service) to select products or services, while maintaining integration with the company’s internal purchasing process.

When a user clicks on a supplier catalog link from their ERP, an OCI session is initiated. The user is redirected to the supplier’s website via a URL containing identification parameters (token, session ID, etc.). They can freely navigate the site—be it an e-commerce portal or online service—browse offerings, configure products, or select services.

Once their selection is complete, the contents of the shopping cart are automatically transmitted back to their purchasing system via an HTTP call (often a POST request) following the OCI protocol. This action does not finalize the order; instead, it transforms the cart into a purchase requisition, subsequently submitted to the company’s internal workflow (validation, budget approval, purchase order generation, etc.).

Evolution of OCI in the Face of Alternatives

Supported by a large community, OCI benefits from extensive documentation and a mature ecosystem, ensuring its sustainability even in advanced technological contexts. However, alternatives or complements are emerging according to specific business needs:

• cXML (PunchOut2Go, Ariba): More structured and extensible, suitable for environments requiring highly formalized data exchanges. Frequently used in large organizations with advanced procurement tools.
• EDI (Electronic Data Interchange): Older but still prevalent in industrial logistics chains. Less interactive than OCI but robust for mass automated orders.
• RESTful APIs: Increasingly used in modern architectures. They enable fine-grained, real-time integration but require specific normalization efforts, as they do not rely on a unified standard like OCI.

OCI maintains an excellent balance between simplicity, interoperability, and implementation cost, which explains its longevity. Nevertheless, for large-scale or highly customized projects, OCI may be supplemented or replaced by more specific solutions depending on business context and existing infrastructure.

Business, Financial, and Technological Benefits

Reduction of Administrative Costs

Every manual order represents a cost for the company (data entry, validation, corrections). Thanks to OCI, these costs are drastically reduced. Studies indicate that a digital procurement process costs on average 80% less than paper-based or email processes. This ensures rapid ROI, especially on frequent purchases.

Improvement of Team Productivity

Employees spend less time on low-value tasks. Direct access to a user-friendly catalog, automatic cart transfers, and reduced friction accelerate the entire process. Procurement teams can thus focus on supplier management, expense analysis, or procurement strategy.

Enhanced Quality and Reliability

Data-entry errors, incorrect units, quantities, or prices lead to disputes and losses. OCI ensures the use of accurate, up-to-date product data. This reduces return rates, credit requests, billing discrepancies, and logistical delays, thereby streamlining the entire supply chain.

Alignment with Compliance and Governance Objectives

OCI serves as a safeguard: only referenced suppliers are accessible, orderable products are pre-approved, and transactions comply with the company’s approval processes. This ensures adherence to internal policies and regulatory constraints (sustainable purchasing, sector compliance, etc.).

Increased Perceived Value and Retention on B2B E-commerce and E-service Platforms

In a B2B e-commerce or e-service context, OCI integration enables clients to access multiple supplier catalogs from a single location, directly within their usual interface. This greatly enriches the available offer without complicating the user experience. By centralizing access to a reliable and updated product ecosystem, the platform becomes increasingly essential for daily operations, strengthening professional customer satisfaction and loyalty. Retention rates rise, as do volumes of recurring purchases.

Compatibility with Modern IT Architectures

OCI can be integrated into a microservices-oriented architecture through REST APIs, middleware, or ERP connectors. It coexists seamlessly with other formats such as cXML or EDI. Its adoption does not disrupt existing technological choices and integrates easily into a scalable, modular approach.

Below, we will explore how companies can leverage these benefits through various functional use cases and how OCI can be integrated within their IT ecosystem.

Functional Use Cases and Business Challenges

There is a variety of use cases for the OCI standard. How it is implemented within processes depends on the company’s strategy, available resources, and various contextual parameters. Below is a non-exhaustive list of typical OCI use cases in Switzerland and beyond.

Case 1: Standardizing Recurring Purchases with Low Strategic Value

In many companies, indirect purchases represent a substantial share of order volume: office supplies, standardized IT equipment, consumables, tools, spare parts, etc. These categories do not justify complex tenders but require rigorous control. OCI automates and streamlines these purchases. Employees directly access an approved supplier, place orders through a user-friendly e-commerce interface, and effortlessly comply with internal procedures.

This enables the company to increase operational efficiency, reduce hidden costs associated with manual tasks, and better manage expenditures while ensuring procurement compliance.

Case 2: Ensuring Compliance and Reducing Maverick Spending

“Maverick spending,” or off-process purchasing, is a frequent problem in organizations where employees bypass official procurement channels. By connecting referenced suppliers via OCI, the company effectively channels its purchasing flows toward contracted partners. This strengthens price negotiations, improves traceability, and enables more reliable budget analysis. Meanwhile, integrated ERP approval and budget control rules continue to apply seamlessly.

Case 3: Continuous Access to Updated Catalogs

One of the major issues in traditional procurement systems is the rapid obsolescence of product data: deleted references, outdated pricing, incorrect lead times, or unreported stock-outs. This typically occurs because catalogs are often imported manually into ERP or e-procurement systems as static files (CSV, Excel, etc.). Between updates, discrepancies with reality can become significant.

With OCI, these limitations disappear. The accessed catalog is directly sourced from the supplier in real-time. Users have continuous access to an up-to-date e-commerce interface, where prices, availability, and terms are immediately reliable. This reduces errors, avoids post-order adjustments, and improves cost and time management. Real-time integration thus ensures reliability and high performance of procurement processes.

Case 4: Providing a Seamless and Consistent User Experience

Multiple suppliers can create heterogeneous processes. OCI facilitates a unified purchasing environment, where each supplier appears within a single interface. Users no longer need to memorize different processes or access separate platforms. This streamlines the adoption of e-procurement systems and ensures better adherence to internal policies.

This can also provide a competitive advantage if you operate a procurement platform, as customers gain direct access to more products and services through your system.

Concrete Example: Swiss Industrial SME

An industrial company with 250 employees in Switzerland aimed to optimize its spare parts procurement. Prior to OCI integration, employees manually entered orders into the ERP using PDF catalogs or external sites. This led to frequent reference errors, pricing discrepancies, and off-contract purchases. The process was time-consuming, preventing employees from allocating their time more effectively.

Edana developed a customized solution integrating OCI with three key suppliers. As a result: 30% time savings per order, near-total elimination of data entry errors, and a 12% reduction in procurement costs for the concerned category, thanks to improved contract compliance.

How to Integrate OCI into Your Digital Ecosystem?

Different Integration Methods

Integrating an OCI protocol can be achieved in several ways, depending on the maturity of your IT system, the diversity of partners involved, and customization objectives. Here are the main approaches available to your company:

Native ERP Modules

Major ERP platforms like SAP, Microsoft Dynamics, or Oracle often provide integrated OCI connectors. These solutions are especially effective when suppliers adhere to the classic OCI standard, significantly reducing integration time and compatibility risks. Activating a native module enables rapid implementation, with maintenance typically covered in the software vendor’s regular updates.

Middleware or Integration Hub

In heterogeneous environments, middleware (or an integration bus) serves as a central component managing various communication formats (OCI, cXML, EDI, etc.). Acting as a “universal translator,” it simplifies exchanges with multiple suppliers while reducing technical complexity on the ERP side. This approach centralizes flows, streamlines error monitoring, and offers more flexible scalability.

Custom Development and APIs

When business needs require extensive flexibility or suppliers use non-standard formats, custom development may be the most appropriate choice. A dedicated microservice orchestrating exchanges between the ERP and supplier catalogs via APIs provides a high degree of personalization. This method allows for integrating advanced business logic, adapting to specific sectoral constraints, or handling complex workflows.

Key Considerations During Integration

Secure Information Exchange

Implementing OCI involves exchanging sensitive data, including order details and shopping cart information. It’s essential to secure these connections (via HTTPS, access tokens, or session identifiers), finely control access permissions, and systematically validate exchanged content. Audit logging mechanisms and automated alerts must also be established to detect anomalies promptly and reinforce compliance.

Scalability and Maintenance

A well-designed OCI integration should stand the test of time. This involves rigorous documentation of data flows, regular testing when suppliers update their systems, and ensuring backward compatibility through validation mechanisms. By anticipating technical changes (such as alterations in supplier URLs or data structures), the system can continue operating uninterrupted. Using open-source components or widely accepted standards enhances the robustness and long-term viability of the solution.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid When Implementing OCI

Though OCI integration is relatively straightforward compared to other B2B protocols, several common errors can compromise effectiveness or robustness:

• Neglecting End-to-End Testing: Many companies test only the cart transfer without verifying the entire workflow (approval, order generation, reception, etc.).
• Underestimating Supplier Updates: If a supplier modifies its catalog, punch-out URL, or cart structure without adequate monitoring, the integration could break unexpectedly.
• Choosing an Overly Rigid Approach: A native module might initially appear simpler but could lack flexibility for specific business needs. Conversely, poorly documented custom developments can become long-term weaknesses.
• Overlooking Access Governance: Leaving tokens or credentials in plaintext or failing to revoke obsolete ones exposes systems to avoidable security risks.

Considering these points during the design phase helps reduce maintenance costs and minimizes service interruptions.

Make OCI a Strategic Lever for Your Business

OCI is not just a technical tool — it’s a performance accelerator for the enterprise. By automating purchasing, strengthening compliance, and streamlining procurement flows, it allows CIOs to directly contribute to cost control and the digital transformation of support functions.

It is also an innovation driver, enabling the experimentation of new organizational models, easier integration of emerging technologies, and greater agility for business teams. By facilitating access to supplier portals or external ordering interfaces, OCI also supports the development of new customer-oriented services and strengthens the company’s competitiveness in its market.

At Edana, we design custom digital ecosystems and have deep expertise in OCI — whether for e-commerce or e-service platforms. We implement it in a way that aligns with your IT system, business constraints, and performance goals. Our modular, open, and secure approach guarantees fast ROI and long-term scalability.

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