Why B2Bs Make B2B eCommerce a Priority

A survey of B2Bs around the world confirms what we’ve been seeing and saying for a while. Evidently, B2B customers are just like the rest of us when we’re shopping for ourselves. These purchasers want ease, and if they know what they want, they just want to place an order, not go through a lengthy sales process. Consequently, they’re looking for options, and pushing B2Bs to make eCommerce a priority.

The B2B eCommerce Priority Creates Advantage

Existing wholesalers and B2Cs adding B2B channels will only see an advantage making B2B eCommerce a priority. According to the research, 75% of B2Bs report their customers want the option to buy online. Furthermore, nearly the same percentage of B2Bs see eCommerce as a crucial factor in their digital strategy.

It Improves Sales Across All Channels

Any business that makes B2B eCommerce a priority can reap the benefits of increased sales and improved customer loyalty. For example, one multinational supplier that started life decades before eCommerce underwent a transformation last year. Making B2B eCommerce a priority included making it easier for customers to find detailed product information online. Consequently, the business saw a 22% year-on-year increase in online sales. Then the company was able to redeploy its sales team to focus on more complicated product sales. Thus, a top eCommerce strategy improved both online and offline channels.

It’s Integral to Modern Business

While B2Bs see great online customer experience as a competitive advantage, it’s only part of the story. First, many businesses see eCommerce integration as even more fundamental. In other words, they need eCommerce to integrate with back-end management software to increase visibility and efficiency for managing multiple channels. If B2Bs can process orders, control stock levels, and manage contacts across eCommerce and all other channels in a single solution, they will increase customer satisfaction and reduce management costs. This ability suits the modern business which increasingly sees B2Cs going wholesale, B2Bs selling direct to customers and all companies selling in multiple ways.

It’s One More Way to Sell the Way You Want

A B2B, like a B2C, can sell in multiple ways. In addition to B2B eCommerce, they can sell to big retailers, find retailer through B2B online marketplaces, and even sell direct to consumer through multiple channels. In the past, B2Bs would have to manage stock and processes separately for every channel they wanted to sell through. However, today, with the right mechanism in place, a B2B can manage all these channels, including B2B eCommerce and big retailers using EDI under a single cloud-based inventory management solution.