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Today’s b2b buyers expect to be able to make their business purchases online. They want the ability to self-serve, when they choose, without being tied to placing all their orders through sales reps or customer services teams. Analysts report that in excess of 70% of buyers are now making their business purchases online, and the number is increasing all the time.
With b2b eCommerce continuing to gain traction, manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors that are already seeing the benefits of an online sale channel now face the challenge of offering a similar quality of buying experience across all customer touch points. Today’s business buyers interact with sellers in many different ways and want the same streamlined engagement across all channels.
Business-to-business eCommerce is growing rapidly and those companies that have already adopted it are seeing a wealth of benefits. So if you haven’t already made the move, here are some of the reasons why investing in a b2b eCommerce platform could be the most rewarding thing you do in 2019.
In our experience, b2b companies thinking about moving to eCommerce generally fall into two categories. The first group are probably in the process of scaling their business and recognise that manual sales order processes are holding them back. They know that customer self-service and automation will almost certainly reduce cost and create opportunities to increase margin. The second group are under pressure from their customers and competitors to modernise their sales approach. They know they have to move to eCommerce to retain business and maintain competitive advantage.
Traditionally, sales reps have been at the heart of almost every b2b company. Many of these businesses are reluctant to implement eCommerce for fear of alienating and compromising the work of sales people, whose performance is recognised as key to success.
When it comes to the commercial buyer – what differentiates one product from another? In other words, what is going to sway the commercial buyer to BUY FROM YOU, not the competition?
Today’s b2b eCommerce buyers expect a customer experience that matches the top b2c sites they visit for their personal shopping. With Forrester research saying that more than 70% of midmarket sellers now earn at least 25% of their revenue from online channels, these sellers must optimise their digital operations and sales platforms if they are to benefit from greater customer loyalty, increased revenues and higher margins.
As well as increasing turnover, b2b eCommerce can also help manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors capitalise on many other opportunities to drive business performance. For example, providing customers with self-service options simplifies the purchasing procedure and improves your company’s operational efficiency by automating tasks that staff would have previously undertaken.
What do the best performing b2b eCommerce websites have in common? Here are some of the key factors that can give you a competitive edge.
Digitalisation is rapidly changing the face of consumer retailing. It’s a transformation that’s also taking place across the business-to-business sector, as the customer experience expectations of a new kind of buyer and a smarter way of doing business continue to shape the online trading landscape for manufacturers and distributors.