Posted on August 23, 2018
B2B eCommerce is big and growing, what you need to know about mobile and the customer experience to succeed
If you’re trying to maximize revenue in the world of B2B eCommerce – an industry Forrester predicts will top $1.2 trillion in the United States by 2021 – it’s important to stay on top of some key trends having significant impact on the industry. From understanding the significance of mobile eCommerce, to fostering easy navigation, to delivering top-notch customer service, there are a number of strategies that can help your company thrive in this competitive marketplace.
Mobile Commerce
When you consider that mobile eCommerce accounts for an average of more than 40% of revenue in top B2B organizations, it’s obvious your company needs progressive applications that lead to a quick and seamless mobile shopping experience. Moving forward, mobile eCommerce will likely outpace desktop eCommerce by 20% over the next two years, so it is crucial that you optimize your website for mobile search results and make it as user friendly as possible. You should also consider a dedicated mobile app to provide an even smoother, faster, and always on experience without users needing to actually visit your website.
Consumer Style Experience
It’s important to keep in mind that the B2C shopping experience is smoother than ever, and B2B customers expect the same efficiency from business transactions. They want to deal with B2B eCommerce sites that are rich with visuals, easy to navigate, informative, and that support all devices. It’s also important to simplify your solutions and integrate new functionalities into your company’s ERP and CRM so customers can view past activity and you can see real-time inventory levels to maximize sales.
Sales Team Involvement
And while you might think the sales team has become somewhat obsolete in the new world of B2B eCommerce, the reality is sales reps can increase conversion rates by focusing on key benefits for each customer. According to Forrester analysts, customers are both “accelerating their shift to self-serve and demanding higher-quality interactions with sales pros,” and the most successful reps will be those who can access online data – including order history and the latest product details – while helping customers make purchases.
Platforms of Choice
Shopify, Magento, and WooCommerce are three eCommerce solutions that will get your company on the right track in the world of B2B eCommerce. Shopify’s eCommerce solution enables organizations to create online stores and e-shops while offering administrators a flexible, feature-rich eCommerce platform that addresses a wide range of needs with mobile device support. Magento offers a cloud eCommerce solution with enterprise power, unlimited scalability, and open-source flexibility that allows the user to create unique, full-lifecycle customer experiences to generate more sales. WooCommerce is another proven player built on the ubiquitous WordPress platform that combines the benefits of the most widely used CMS in the world with powerful eCommerce features that can support large online market places — complete with plugins and integrations for analytics, marketing automation, and other important tools.
At Korcomptenz, we can help you maximize the effectiveness of your B2B eCommerce strategy as you strive to make your offerings more accessible and efficient for your business customers. We can show you how to update your site to take advantage of the shift toward mobile shopping, while also helping you create B2B eCommerce destinations that are easy to navigate and support all devices, engaging customers at many touch points through multi-channel marketing.
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