GOb2b Blogs

Part two of our guide to jargon busting in B2B ecommerce

Sometimes it’s useful to communicate in jargon – it certainly keeps things shorter. And when you work in the same industry or environment as someone, it can be a clear and concise way of being understood. But what about those times when you really cannot recall what on earth the jargon means? Here’s our handy jargon-buster

B2B Online… why would you even consider it?

The side effects of excellence in B2B ecommerce.

Adopting best practice in a continually evolving b2b ecommerce landscape is vital to meeting the expectations of your customers and ensuring your business is fit for the future. Here are some areas to consider that might help you refine your approach…

The exponential growth in b2b ecommerce means that a rapidly increasing number of manufacturers and distributors are now seeing significant returns on their investment in online channels through more sales, lower costs, improved productivity and increased margins. This growth is being supported by a generation of business buyers in their 30s who, mirroring their personal purchasing habits, have a preference for researching and buying products online.

When considering the B2B ecommerce boom, we are often pointed in the direction of Alibaba. This B2B internet giant, larger even than Amazon and eBay combined, with gross merchandise value of $27.28 billion currently, is expected to grow by 11% by 2020. Big numbers. And we can assume that Alibaba is enjoying the best systems that money can buy. Integrated, customer-focused ecommerce that allows them to dominate. They have millions of customers to keep sweet with better deals, better service. But most B2B companies aren’t in this range. Paul Dorey, MD of Aspidistra Ltd, the developers of the leading Sage-integrated ecommerce platform said: “Obviously most B2B companies aren’t in the league of Alibaba, they run on a tight budget and are strapped for man-hours. The savings they can make are certainly welcome on the bottom line, but it is in the enhanced customer experience that B2B comes into its own.

Most companies know their customers well. It’s the first premise of business. After all you have negotiated a deal with them, and you probably speak with them on a fairly regular basis. Many companies will run customer surveys, send feedback forms, or just take informal feedback via their sales people.
However, all this feedback and intel can only ever be historic. It’s based on your last interactions with them, or their last purchases. And if, like most companies, you are more interested in what they are going to buy, their future purchases… you’ll be interested in knowing just how dramatically the future is changing for the average B2B Buyer

Wherever you look, from research organisations like, Forresters, Frost & Sullivan, business news like Forbes, or sector media like, Internet Magazine, Branding, Consultancy… the B2B ecommerce market is set to explode!

As new technology and continuous innovation drive new ways of buying and new levels of customer empowerment, what can online B2B sellers do to ensure they are able to service the ever-increasing expectations of their customers?