B2B presents a huge opportunity for companies to increase profits through optimizing their activities in the online space, but many don’t have a full understanding of how to adopt eCommerce as part of their business. And, with 48% of companies already making 50-74% of their corporate purchases online back in 2018, it will only become more important to factor eCommerce into future strategies.
With the rise of digital generations changing the audience for B2B, opportunities for upgrading online business are expanding. But, so too are the possible pitfalls; for example, more than 90% of customers will not convert to sale if they encounter problems with fulfillment, shipping, or packaging in their eCommerce experience. It’s imperative, therefore, that equal importance is attributed to every facet of an eCommerce business to maximise potential profit.
The ideal is to achieve a consistent level of quality in both B2B sales through brick and mortar outlets and eCommerce sites, creating an omnichannel experience where no sale is lost. This also needs to encompass the mobile experience, as 57% of customers won’t recommend a business with a badly designed mobile site. Consider this in the context that mobile eCommerce revenue accounted for more than half of U.S. eCommerce revenue in 2018 alone
For B2B eCommerce businesses, a high quality suite of digital tools is critical to success. To achieve the ultimate customer experience, key functionalities are required in online marketplace management systems. These include (but aren’t limited to):
Localization Capabilities
From small businesses to global enterprises, brands need to be able to scale eCommerce solutions to what’s required for multi-website capabilities. This can mean operating across various currencies, countries and tax jurisdictions. It’s very important to have the ability to adjust the user experience based on location built into the eCommerce platform.
This not only provides greater opportunity for business expansion, but also creates added value for customers.
Access to Order History and Ease of Reorder
A major area where the customer’s journey can be simplified and streamlined is through the ability to reorder quickly. Make life easier for your customers with a one-click-to-basket function of previous orders.
Product Catalogue Management
An attractive and well-functioning eCommerce platform will have a multitude of content components that need to be intuitive to edit as the business evolves.
For example, product images, descriptions and other cataloguing elements that can provide the customer with an idea of what they can expect from your product or service.
Flexible Payment Options
With the expansion of the digital world comes an increased variety of payment options – it can be the kiss of death for a sale if your platform does not support a customer’s chosen method of payment.
Even if your business primarily functions through an online portal, it can also be useful to integrate offline options (such as bank transfers) to remove delays in reconciliation.
Here are a few stats to illustrate just how important the eCommerce experience is:
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When choosing a vendor, 55% of Millenials indicated that a digital buying experience was extremely important.
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For 33%, a tailored and streamlined digital experience was essential.
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A massive 89% of B2B researchers use the internet to find potential vendors.
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40% of users will go to a competitor after a negative mobile experience.
The Aforza Solution
Aforza delivers an omni-channel self service solution for your B2B customers; allowing them to place orders online, make payments in real-time, review available products and promotions, update their account details, manage deliveries schedules and review historical invoices.
This allows you to:
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Sell more and grow faster by meeting your customer on every channel.
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Reduce admin overhead and sales time spent on low-value tasks.
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Offer penny-perfect promotions, pricing and discounts with the same engines used across every channel.