11 Features B2B eCommerce Store Should Have
B2B Ecommerce is on its upheaval. And Forrester supports this fact with its prediction that by the year 2023 B2B sales in the US would be as high as $1.8 trillion. An impressive 17% rise. Expect to learn the fundamental features of a successful B2B shop, how not to be fooled by the common myths of B2B Ecommerce, how to outline and deal with the challenges B2B marketers are facing and more.
What is B2B Ecommerce
Nowadays you gonna find dozens of ways to formulate what is B2B Ecommerce and how it differs from B2C sales. We’ve worked with the niche quite for a while to give you the one combining the ultimate B2B Ecommerce definition.
B2B Ecommerce is a complex long-term business to business personalized trading based on a rational rather than impulsive purchase behaviour.
Moreover, B2B relationships cover high-volume ordering. That is why it is crucial to have a sync with all layers of the working process and employees’ role divisions of both B2B parties.
If this doesn’t highlight the importance of integrating a well-designed B2B Ecommerce platform, what does?
Myths about B2B Ecommerce
B2B is not an online battlefield.
Many still think B2B is about face-to-face interaction. In fact, it is. But to say it is solely a physical business is to miss the chance to thrive in a digital world. Operating on just one level you risk failing to meet the personalization needs of your customers.
User-friendly B2B webstore is not worth the investments.
Wrong. Read the challenges and expectations of an average B2B customer and you’ll look at the B2B portal aka. store as a real B2B Ecommerce solution.
What are the expectations of an average B2B customer
B2B customer experience essentials:
- long-term business relationship.
- self-service options at every purchasing phase.
- customized role-based access for its employees.
- scheduled in-time delivery.
- reporting and analytics tools.
Generally, a B2B customer expects a personalized flexible experience.
What are the challenges of a B2B supplier/seller
B2B customer journey comprises of many challenges. Let’s go through the major ones.
- Optimize costs on the development, support, and hosting of multiple webshops.
- Implement new features faster.
- Handle more than one customized B2B online shop.
- Manage the complex relations with each customer individually.
- Sync with the existing systems (ERP, CRM, WMS, RMA, communication and payment platforms, etc.).
- Automate B2B processes.
With that said, let’s proceed with an in-depth analysis of the B2B Ecommerce website features necessary to cover both seller and customer’s challenges & expectations.
11 Key Features Every B2B Ecommerce Webstore Should Have
To power your Ecommerce B2B business, it is essential to choose the most appropriate platform that’s constantly updating with the emergence of new B2B ecommerce trends. Make sure your webstore has these features.
User and Roles Management
Provide role-based access control to certain functions, kinds of information, content, etc. for each unique customer.
Product Catalog
Create detailed product descriptions and a comprehensive product catalog, or otherwise connect to a content provider.
Integration with content providers
Sometimes it is better to invest in quality and be sure you’ll be doing great. Thus, the webstore should be able to integrate with various content providers, ex., Icecat, GFK, XPlace, etc.).
Pricing optimization
Webshop should be ready to provide a tech possibility to accustom prices depending on a user logging in. What’s more — think of bundle and product combinations special pricings.
Easy check out process
Give as much necessary functionality as possible: establish a direct connection between your customer and a delivery company – all through a single B2B webstore.
Integration with product management systems
Connect to ERP, CRM, WMS, RMA, and various communication systems, etc. You want to grant a sync smooth experience.
Payment systems integration
Provide a choice. Connect various payment methods suitable to every diverse customer.
Orders and Quotations
Include operations as bulk ordering, reordering, tracking, an ability to retrieve latest orders information and manage a personalized quotation-discounts.
Mobile experience
Set an autocomplete function and a vivid CTA. People start search with a smartphone. And a B2B is not an exception here.
Intuitive easy search
Don’t make your customers click a hundred times to find a specific thing. Ease the process with a search tool. And, btw, it would benefit your website’s SEO.
24/7
Provide customer support team guidance.
Make sure to invest in an efficient and intuitive webshop
All in all, it is in your favour to fuel the B2B customers with a smooth buying experience.
Now, have you heard of a multitenant approach? Taking the fact that you most probably have more than 3 B2B customers — you want to learn about this solution.
Multitenancy is an approach for an efficient B2B Ecommerce Platform. It has two levels of data. The main core — which is common to every customer, and a set of functions & configurations that can both be shared and personalized.
Bottom line
B2B is a fast-growing and complex area of business, giving you the chance to perform high-volume operations, think big and do big to make a way to B2B top brands. 2020 keeps knocking and reminding it is an era of digitalization. So, please, make sure you provide customers with an impeccable experience. Besides, keep in mind the fact that mostly there are multiple B2B customers — each demanding a customized buying process. Look for the ways to use all the perks and features of B2B Ecommerce Webshops.
B2B Ecommerce website development takes effort. To get a customized B2B Ecommerce solution say “hello” to Gepard Team professionals. And, of course, keep defining challenges and keep looking for the best solutions.
