Quote-to-deal catalog with customer self-service
The challenge they faced
A specialty chemical manufacturer producing polymer science reagents for research and commercial applications was managing customer orders through an outdated process. Customers had to email the team to request quotes, and the sales team handled quote generation and order management manually. The existing web-based ordering system, built on an earlier platform, provided poor user experience and created friction in the customer journey, making it harder for clients to do business with the team.
The team recognized they needed to modernize their quote-to-cash workflow. They wanted to replace their manual email-based process with a streamlined online experience where customers could browse a product catalog, request quotes directly, and complete transactions efficiently. This required rebuilding both the customer-facing interface and the backend sales operations to support automated quote generation, deal tracking, and payment processing.
The strategy we mapped
We began by establishing the data architecture and catalog structure before any page code was written. The team mapped WooCommerce product data to a two-table HubDB schema that separates parent products from their variants, allowing the site to display logical product hierarchies while keeping SKU-level pricing and options dynamic. This structure was designed from the start to survive a future NetSuite integration: HubSpot-only fields like SEO metadata and functional categories would stay protected in HubDB even when product data was refreshed from the ERP system.
The catalog rebuild moved in parallel tracks after that foundation was locked. One track built the customer-facing pages and quote submission flow on the website; the other configured Commerce Hub, deal automation, and quote generation in HubSpot. Both had to converge cleanly: a customer adding products to a quote on the site had to trigger a deal, line items, and a draft quote in HubSpot that a sales rep could review before sending to the customer.
The solutions we executed
Product catalog database. We built a two-table HubDB structure: a parent products table holding chemical names, descriptions, images, SEO metadata, and category assignments, linked to a variants table storing SKU-level pricing, bottle sizes, and molecular weights. The design lets customers select exact variants on product pages while keeping a single source of product information for easy updates.
Product listing and detail pages. The listing page displays a filterable product grid organized by category, function, molecular weight, and bottle size. When a customer clicks a product, a detail page shows images, specs, related items, and a variant selector that updates pricing and SKU in real time as options are chosen.
Add-to-quote cart and submission. Customers select products and quantities across the catalog, storing them in a quote cart that persists through navigation. Submitting the quote sends product SKUs, quantities, and customer contact details to HubSpot, triggering automatic deal creation, line-item population, and a draft quote ready for sales rep review.
Commerce Hub payments and quote workflow. Payment methods include credit card checkout through Commerce Hub and a purchase order option for larger orders. Once a quote is submitted, HubSpot automatically creates a deal, generates line items, and produces a branded quote template that reps can review, adjust, and send back to the customer or request follow-up information before proceeding to payment or PO processing.
What changed after the engagement.
The client now has a modern quote-to-cash workflow replacing manual email-based ordering. Customers browse a filterable product catalog with real-time pricing and variant selection, submit quotes through an online form, and trigger automatic deal creation, line-item population, and draft quote generation in HubSpot for sales review. Commerce Hub enables credit card checkout while supporting purchase order flows for larger orders. The catalog infrastructure–built on a two-table HubDB structure separating parent products from variants–is designed to survive future NetSuite integration without overwriting HubSpot-only fields like SEO metadata and product categorization, allowing both platforms to coexist as the team transitions from manual processes to integrated systems.
Want results like these?
Tell us where your revenue engine is stuck — we'll map the fix in one call.