Features Inventory and Prioritization

Overview

This section provides a comprehensive inventory of every feature identified through the research, followed by a structured prioritization framework. The inventory draws from all 16 research inputs: stakeholder interviews, written surveys, customer feedback, competitive analysis, behavioral data, and catalog assessments.

The section follows a deliberate arc:

1. Complete feature inventory: Everything the new platform must include now and could include in the future
2. MoSCoW selection rationale: Why certain features were selected for stakeholder prioritization
3. Prioritized feature list: Features ranked by stakeholder input, customer validation, and strategic necessity

This structure ensures nothing identified in research is lost while providing clear guidance on what to build first.

Feature Count Summary

Full Feature Inventory

The following list captures every feature identified across all research inputs. Features are organized by functional category. Each entry includes the feature name and a brief description of what it enables.

Account and Self-Service

1. Customer portal Logged-in experience enabling customers to access account-specific information and perform self-service tasks without contacting support.
2. Order history access View the complete history of past orders with details including items, quantities, pricing, and dates.
3. Order tracking Real-time shipment status visibility for orders in transit, including carrier information and delivery estimates.
4. Invoice and document access Download invoices, packing slips, and order confirmations from account dashboard.
5. Negotiated pricing display Show customer-specific contracted pricing throughout the browse and checkout experience for logged-in users.
6. Saved shipping addresses Store multiple shipping addresses and set defaults for faster checkout.
7. Saved carrier accounts Store customer UPS, FedEx, or other carrier account numbers for shipping on their accounts.
8. Saved payment methods Securely store payment information for faster repeat purchases.

Search and Discovery

1. Part number search Find products by entering exact or partial part numbers, with the searched term returning the correct product directly.
2. Keyword and description search Find products by searching product names, descriptions, materials, or specifications.
3. Application and use-case search Find products by describing the problem or application rather than knowing the product name.
4. Search autocomplete Predictive suggestions as users type, including part number completion, popular searches, and spelling corrections.
5. Search results filtering Refine search results by category, material, dimensions, brand, availability, and other attributes.
6. Zero-results handling Helpful responses when searches return no matches, including alternative suggestions, category recommendations, and support contact options.
7. Competitor part number search Find MOCAP products that are similar to competitors’ by entering the part number from a competitor product.

Navigation and Browse

1. Product category navigation Traditional hierarchical browse through product categories and subcategories with breadcrumb trails.
2. Application-based navigation Browse organized by use case or problem (masking, protection, packaging, finishing) rather than product taxonomy.
3. Industry-based navigation Browse organized by customer industry vertical (automotive, medical, electronics, HVAC, hydraulics) with relevant products surfaced.
4. Brand navigation Entry points for each brand (MOCAP, Cleartec, Beckett, X-Treme Tape) with brand-specific landing pages.
5. Visual navigation Image-forward browse for visually-oriented buyers, particularly for Cleartec packaging products.
6. “I know my part number” path Direct entry point for veteran buyers who know exactly what they need, bypassing browse entirely.
7. Cross-brand discovery Pathways helping customers discover related products across brands they may not know are connected.

Product Tables and Data Display

1. Interactive size charts Sortable, filterable product tables with column sorting, range filtering, and row selection capabilities.
2. Sticky headers Table headers that remain visible during vertical scroll, maintaining context for dimensional data.
3. Frozen first columns Part number and key identifier columns that remain visible during horizontal scroll in wide tables.
4. Row highlighting Visual highlighting of the current row on hover or selection to prevent losing place in dense tables.
5. Expandable row details Click to expand rows showing additional specifications, pricing, and add-to-cart without leaving the table view.
6. Unit system toggle Switch between imperial, metric, and fractional measurements throughout tables and specifications.
7. Column filtering Filter table columns by specific values or ranges to narrow results within a product family.
8. Mobile-responsive tables Tables that transform to stacked cards on mobile devices while preserving key information.

Product Detail and Configuration

1. Technical specifications Complete dimensional, material, and performance specifications for each product.
2. Product images High-resolution photography showing actual products, with multiple angles where applicable.
3. Configuration-specific images Images that update to reflect selected options (color, size, material) rather than showing generic defaults.
4. Product configurator Step-by-step selection tool for products with multiple variants, guiding users through required choices.
5. Visual configuration preview Real-time visual updates showing what the configured product will look like before adding to cart.
6. Application Advisor tool Question-based guided discovery helping users find products by describing their application requirements.
7. Product comparison Side-by-side specification comparison for two to four products to evaluate options.
8. Cross-sell and related products Recommendations for frequently bought together items, complementary products, and alternatives.
9. Stock and availability display In-stock, low-stock, and out-of-stock indicators with quantity available and restock timing where applicable.

Cart, Checkout, and Transactions

1. Unified shopping cart Single cart handling both products and samples, with clear item type distinction.
2. Sample requests in cart Add free samples as cart items rather than submitting separate sample request forms.
3. Guest checkout Complete purchases without creating an account, reducing friction for first-time buyers.
4. Streamlined checkout flow Minimal required fields, progress indicators, and clear error messaging throughout checkout.
5. Shipping cost estimation Calculate and display shipping costs before final checkout step, including options for different carriers and speeds.
6. Tax and duty estimation Calculate and display applicable taxes, VAT, and import duties for international orders.
7. Multiple payment methods Accept credit cards, purchase orders, and region-appropriate payment methods (Alipay, WeChat Pay for China).
8. Purchase order submission Allow B2B customers to submit orders against purchase orders with invoicing rather than immediate payment.
9. Quote request Request formal quotations for larger orders, custom products, or negotiated pricing from product or cart pages.
10. Reorder capability One-click reorder of previous orders or individual items from order history.

Bulk and Power User Features

1. Quick order pad Rapid entry interface for entering multiple part numbers and quantities without browsing product pages.
2. CSV/spreadsheet upload Upload order files in CSV or Excel format for bulk ordering with validation and error handling.
3. Order templates Save frequently ordered item combinations as named templates for quick future reordering.
4. Saved lists and favorites Save products to named lists for reference, comparison, and future purchase.

Content and Education

1. Application guides Educational content organized by use case explaining how to select and apply products for specific problems.
2. Industry landing pages Content tailored to specific industry verticals with relevant products, certifications, and resources.
3. Material information Educational content explaining material properties, temperature resistance, chemical compatibility, and selection guidance.
4. Measurement guides How-to-measure instructions explaining proper techniques for determining required dimensions.
5. Glossary and terminology Definitions and explanations of product nomenclature (open-end vs closed-end tubes, friction fit vs threaded, etc.).
6. FAQ content Answers to frequently asked questions organized by topic to reduce repetitive support inquiries.
7. Video content Product demonstrations, application tutorials, and how-to videos embedded on relevant pages.

Localization and International

1. Multi-language support Content available in English, Spanish, Italian, German, French, Polish, and Mandarin Chinese.
2. Currency display Prices shown in local currency with clear indication of currency used.
3. Regional pricing Location-appropriate pricing reflecting regional cost structures and tax jurisdictions.
4. VAT and tax clarity Clear display of VAT, GST, and applicable taxes with correct calculation by region.
5. Regional warehouse visibility Show which warehouse will fulfill orders and stock availability by region.
6. Regional shipping options Shipping carriers and methods appropriate to each region with accurate cost and timing estimates.
7. Region-appropriate checkout Checkout flows adapted to regional expectations (phone verification for China, VAT handling for EU, USMCA documentation for Mexico).
8. Trade documentation Access to certificates of origin, USMCA documentation, and compliance certificates required for cross-border commerce.

Support and Communication

1. Contact information Visible phone, email, and regional contact information accessible throughout the site.
2. Live chat Real-time chat support with availability indication and handoff to other channels when needed.
3. Contact forms Inquiry submission with routing to appropriate departments based on inquiry type.
4. Returns and RMA process Return merchandise authorization request and tracking for logged-in customers.
5. Support ticket history View history of support interactions and inquiry status for logged-in customers.

Analytics and Administration

1. E-commerce tracking Complete transaction and funnel tracking for measuring conversion, revenue, and user behavior.
2. Search behavior tracking Analytics on search queries, results, click-through, and zero-result patterns.
3. Internal traffic segregation Separate tracking and reporting for internal staff activity versus external customer behavior.
4. Content management Non-technical content updates for pages, products, promotions, and resources.
5. Regional administration Configuration and content management for region-specific overrides and settings.
6. ERP integration Bidirectional synchronization with Sage, EFACs, and KingDee for orders, inventory, pricing, and customer data.

Future Considerations

1. AI-powered product advisor Natural language interface allowing customers to describe needs and receive intelligent product recommendations.
2. CAD and 3D model downloads Downloadable CAD files and 3D models for engineers specifying products in designs.
3. Customer reviews and ratings User-generated product reviews and ratings providing social proof and real-world feedback.
4. AI tube builder Advanced configurator using AI to help design custom tube packaging with artwork visualization.
5. Loyalty or rewards program Customer retention program rewarding repeat purchases and engagement.
6. A/B testing infrastructure Framework for running controlled experiments to optimize conversion and user experience.

Why We Selected Certain Features for MoSCoW

The MoSCoW prioritization exercise asked all stakeholders to rate 33 features on personal and customer impact. This was not intended to capture every feature the platform needs. Many capabilities are obviously mandatory for any modern e-commerce platform and do not require stakeholder input to justify.

The MoSCoW exercise focused on features where:

• Strategic decisions were needed: Platform consolidation, AI investment, mobile optimization, and international capabilities all represent genuine strategic choices where stakeholder input shapes direction.

• Resource allocation trade-offs exist: Features like visual configuration preview, product comparison tools, and advanced configurators require significant development investment. Stakeholder ratings help sequence these against each other.

• Perspectives might differ by role: Search and bulk reorder affect frontline staff differently than leadership. Customer portal benefits customer service operationally while enabling sales strategy. Understanding these differences informs implementation.

• Customer impact was uncertain: Some features (like recommendations or industry landing pages) have clear benefit in theory but uncertain value for this specific customer base. Stakeholder ratings provide a signal.

Features excluded from MoSCoW were either:

• Baseline requirements: Guest checkout, contact information, basic navigation, and responsive design are non-negotiable for any e-commerce platform.

• Technical infrastructure: ERP integration, analytics implementation, and content management are required regardless of stakeholder preference.

• Direct dependencies: Order history requires a portal. Configuration-specific images require a configurator. These follow from other decisions.

The MoSCoW results below are combined with these baseline requirements to create a complete prioritization framework.

Feature Prioritization

The following prioritization combines three inputs:

1. MoSCoW stakeholder ratings: 28 stakeholders rated 33 features on personal and customer impact (1-5 scale), generating combined scores from 6.2 to 9.2.
2. Customer survey validation: 26 US/Canada customers identified feature priorities including search (73%), product images (58%), and quick-order tools (42%).
3. Mandatory baseline assessment: Features required for any functional e-commerce platform regardless of stakeholder ratings.

Must-Have: Implement in Initial Launch

These features scored 8.0 or above in MoSCoW ratings, received strong customer validation, or represent non-negotiable baseline requirements.

Highest Priority (MoSCoW 8.5+)

1. Customer portal (MoSCoW: 9.2) Self-service account access enabling order history, tracking, and account management. Cited in 8 of 12 live calls. Kate Parish processes 70 daily requests that the portal would eliminate. Shawn Halley calls it critical to 2030 growth goals.
2. Multi-mode smart search (MoSCoW: 8.8) Search that reliably finds products by part number, keywords, dimensions, and applications. Current search returns zero results for valid part numbers. 73% of customers requested better search. Ildar Khakimov estimates 20-25% sales increase from fix alone.
3. Negotiated pricing display (MoSCoW: 8.6) Show customer-specific contracted pricing when logged in. Currently customers must call for quotes on products with negotiated rates. Sales staff spend significant time on pricing inquiries that should be self-serve.

High Priority (MoSCoW 8.0-8.4)

1. Bulk reorder tools (MoSCoW: 8.4) Streamlined workflows for repeat customers ordering known SKUs. Frontline staff rate this 9.1. 42% of customers requested quick-order capability. The 1.8-point gap between frontline (9.1) and leadership (7.3) reflects hidden operational load.
2. Visual configuration preview (MoSCoW: 8.4) Images that update to show selected configuration. 58% of customers requested images matching selected color and size. Shane Flottmann notes this project has been “pending for years.”
3. Application and material guidance (MoSCoW: 8.3) Help users choose correct materials for their applications. High customer impact (4.6) across all groups. Problem Solver archetype (50% of users) depends on this guidance.
4. AI Application Advisor (MoSCoW: 8.2) Guided product discovery through questions about application requirements. Leadership sees this as strategic differentiator. Current Application Advisor tool exists but needs enhancement.
5. Samples in cart (MoSCoW: 8.2) Replace separate sample request forms with cart-integrated sampling. Current process requires one form per sample part. Frontline rates this 8.6. 70% sample-to-order conversion rate makes frictionless sampling high-value.
6. Multi-path navigation (MoSCoW: 8.1) Browse by product category, application, industry, or direct part lookup. Serves all three buyer archetypes: Veterans (speed), Problem Solvers (guidance), Researchers (education).
7. Real-time stock visibility (MoSCoW: 8.1) Live inventory levels and warehouse locations. 69% of customers prioritize shipping and stock availability. Frontline rates this 8.5. Honorata Grzebielucha reports 40-50% Poland order cancellations from wrong stock display.
8. Measurement guides (MoSCoW: 8.0) How-to-measure instructions at point of need. Reduces customer confusion and measurement errors that lead to wrong orders.
9. Industry landing pages (MoSCoW: 8.0) Tailored pages for automotive, medical, electronics, HVAC, and other verticals. Michael Wester prototyped pages during COVID but technical constraints prevented launch.
10. Downloadable specifications (MoSCoW: 8.0) Instant access to spec sheets, CAD files, and drawings without forms or gates. Engineers need documentation to specify products in designs.

Mandatory Baseline (Not in MoSCoW but Required)

1. Interactive size charts Tables with sorting, filtering, frozen headers, and row highlighting. 6 of 20 preliminary feedback mentions. Multiple stakeholders cite Caplugs and Fastenal patterns as models.
2. Guest checkout Complete purchases without account creation. Standard e-commerce expectation.
3. Streamlined checkout flow Minimal fields, progress indicators, clear error handling. 80% checkout bounce rate indicates current friction.
4. Basic product information Technical specifications, accurate images, and clear pricing for all products.
5. Contact and support access Visible contact information and support options throughout the site.
6. Mobile-responsive design Responsive layouts functional across devices. 72% desktop for MOCAP, but mobile lookup capability expected.
7. Analytics implementation Complete e-commerce and behavior tracking. “Reliable analytics from day one” cited as success criterion.
8. ERP integration Synchronization with Sage, EFACs, and KingDee for orders, inventory, and pricing.

Should-Have: Implement After Core Launch

These features scored 7.5-7.99 in MoSCoW or represent important capabilities that depend on must-have features being in place first.

1. Customer carrier account support (MoSCoW: 8.0, categorized as should-have due to dependency) Allow shipping on customer UPS or FedEx accounts. Requires saved account infrastructure from portal. Adam Cato cites customers calling in orders specifically for this capability.
2. FAQ and education hub (MoSCoW: 7.9) Comprehensive self-service content. Frontline rates this 8.6, knowing which content reduces call volume. Leadership rates 7.3.
3. Product comparison tool (MoSCoW: 7.9) Side-by-side specification comparison for 2-4 products. Serves Researcher archetype evaluating options.
4. Quantity calculator alignment (MoSCoW: 7.8) Automatically align quantity selections to packaging units. Prevents ordering errors from unit misunderstanding.
5. Product recommendations (MoSCoW: 7.7) Recently viewed, frequently bought together, similar products. High customer impact (4.4) but lower priority than core functionality.
6. Interactive product tables with cart (MoSCoW: 7.6) Filterable tables with inline add-to-cart. Caplugs model cited repeatedly as best practice.
7. Estimated delivery dates (MoSCoW: 7.6) Delivery timing shown during browse, before checkout. Reduces “when will this arrive” inquiries.
8. High-volume reorder workflows (MoSCoW: 7.6) Optimized processes for frequent large-quantity B2B buyers. Distinct from bulk reorder tools.
9. Quick-order sheet (MoSCoW: 7.5) Paste or upload SKU lists for rapid entry. 42% customer demand concentrated in procurement roles.
10. Order templates Save frequent orders as reusable templates. Depends on portal and cart infrastructure.
11. Saved lists and favorites Product collections for reference and future purchase. Depends on portal infrastructure.

Could-Have: Implement as Resources Allow

These features scored 7.0-7.49 in MoSCoW or represent enhancements beyond core functionality.

1. Complex product configurators (MoSCoW: 7.4) Guided selection for build-your-own-kit and custom options. Valuable but basic commerce must work first.
2. Cross-brand linking (MoSCoW: 7.3) Easy navigation between related products across brands. Secondary to platform consolidation decision.
3. Platform consolidation (MoSCoW: 7.3) Unified navigation, search, and cart across all brands. 73% customer support but 27% “depends on execution.” Strategic decision affects all other work.
4. Custom specification requests (MoSCoW: 7.0) Workflows for submitting custom product needs. Standard catalog ordering takes priority.
5. Regional warehouse visibility (MoSCoW: 7.0) Stock availability by customer region. At threshold. Gains importance with international growth.
6. Video content integration Product demonstrations and tutorials. Valuable for X-Treme Tape and complex applications.
7. Glossary and terminology help Nomenclature definitions for new buyers. One detailed customer complaint about tube terminology confusion.
8. Material comparison content Educational content on material properties and selection. Supports Problem Solver archetype.

Won’t-Have Now: Future Consideration

These features scored below 7.0 in MoSCoW, represent significant investment with uncertain return, or require capabilities not yet in place.

1. Un-gated documentation (MoSCoW: 6.8) Lower priority than downloadable specs feature (8.0). Gating strategy requires business decision.
2. UK/EU/US order flow support (MoSCoW: 6.7) Region-adapted checkout. International stakeholders value higher than North American leadership.
3. Region-specific pricing and VAT (MoSCoW: 6.6) Transparent pricing across currencies and tax jurisdictions. Important for international but not launch-critical.
4. Mobile B2B workflow optimization (MoSCoW: 6.6) Task-oriented mobile purchasing. 58% of customers prefer desktop. Mobile for lookup, not transactions.
5. Shipping origin context (MoSCoW: 6.3) Location impact on availability and timing. Lowest MoSCoW score. Background information rather than direct answer.
6. Separate brand websites (MoSCoW: 6.2) Maintain distinct platforms per brand. Written feedback overwhelmingly opposes. Leadership divided.
7. AI-powered product advisor Natural language product recommendations. Leadership enthusiasm but requires substantial ML investment. Basic search must work first.
8. CAD and 3D downloads Engineering file downloads. No customer demand in survey (zero selections). Niche need.
9. Customer reviews User-generated ratings. Mixed B2B adoption. Unclear value for industrial components.
10. Loyalty program Retention incentives. Currently out of scope per project brief.

Priority Summary by Implementation Phase

Critical Dependencies

Several features depend on others being in place:

• Order history, tracking, reorder → Require customer portal
• Negotiated pricing display → Requires portal authentication
• Carrier account shipping → Requires saved account infrastructure
• Visual configuration preview → Requires configurator framework
• Bulk reorder, templates → Require cart and account infrastructure
• Regional pricing, VAT → Requires multi-currency cart capability
• AI advisor enhancement → Requires working search foundation

Leadership vs Frontline Gaps

The MoSCoW exercise revealed systematic differences between leadership and frontline ratings:

Leadership systematically underestimates operational load for features that reduce manual work. Implementation should weight frontline assessment heavily for efficiency features, as staff experience consequences of dysfunction daily.

Customer Validation Summary

Customer survey data (26 US/Canada responses) validates several priorities:

Search and visual configuration have both high stakeholder scores and high customer demand. These represent the clearest implementation priorities with converging evidence from multiple sources.