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In a digital environment characterised by constant change, developing a cohesive, long-term b2b ecommerce strategy is a big challenge for any organisation. So to help with your planning, we thought it would be useful to highlight some of the key trends you can expect to see during 2016.
With Frost & Sullivan forecasting an 8+% compound annual growth rate for b2b ecommerce to 2020, business customers are placing increasing pressure on manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors to move their sales operations online. But while the potential for ecommerce growth is substantial, business-to-business sellers face some unique challenges compared to their b2c peers.
I’ve just finished reading an article about B2C ecommerce, not only did it remind me of how good we’ve got it in B2B, it’s also a useful indicator of how we can support our B2C customers, retailers and distributors even better.
When it comes to your B2B ecommerce marketing, content truly is king.
We all know that professional buyers’ buying patterns are being influenced ever more by their personal online shopping behaviour. They are making their research decisions online and they are parting with their cash over the internet. And so, as more and more B2C trends are translating to B2B purchasing, marketers need to get ever more savvy. Which leaves B2B companies with a dilemma. Well two actually.
Many manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors now operate an online sales channel for their business customers. Those who don’t are almost certainly losing out on revenue as well as compromising future business. But planning and implementing the best ecommerce approach for your business can be challenging, especially when companies know they have to deliver on the customer experience expectations set by their b2c counterparts. So if you’re on the journey to b2b ecommerce, here are some thoughts around best practice that might help you avoid the most common pitfalls along the way.
When a b2b company moves over to ecommerce, it fundamentally changes the nature of their business. Most notably, the focus of the sales process switches to customer self-service, away from the traditional model of representatives taking orders in the field or over the phone. It’s s significant shift that brings a number of challenges – but the rewards are there for companies whose senior executives are prepared to make the strategic choices that drive successful transformation. Here we identify some of the issues and look at why the most successful b2b ecommerce implementations are board-level strategic initiatives.
If not you’re missing out on a major opportunity.
There’s a common view amongst many b2b ecommerce companies that their b2c peers have an easier life. With fixed pricing, simple product descriptions, and a single standardised payment option, b2c retailers seemingly encounter few of the complexities that come with selling online to businesses.
It probably hasn’t escaped your attention that Sage 200 2015 is one of the most influential releases of the Sage 200 package in many years. The system now hosts a range of new modules and features. Sage has brought back features that existed in previous iterations, newly re-structured for even better performance.
From our perspective at Aspidistra, our Sage integration is as fast and smooth as ever. Our Shopfront package seamlessly pulls through all the data you want, so that your customers get an excellent B2B shopping experience regardless of the Sage platform.
Now things have settled a little, it’s easier to take a good look round at how people are using Sage 200 2015’s new features, and identify which feature or benefit has helped them the most. So, come on. Tell us what you like about the changes
B2B ecommerce – is it just for customer retention?