In today’s digital world, eCommerce has become an important channel to grow your business. However, as a B2B company, you may find managing sales, inventory, and customer service on your own eCommerce website challenging. Fortunately, many solutions can help you transform your B2B business with the right B2B eCommerce software solution. This blog post will compare some of the most popular solutions available today and explore their critical benefits for B2B companies.
Discover the best eCommerce solutions for B2B
Choosing the right eCommerce solution for your B2B business is critical. It would help if you considered what eCommerce platform would best meet your needs and help you grow, as well as how much time and money it will take to implement that platform.
These are the different types of eCommerce platforms available:
Open source – an open-source software product with its source code made publicly available, so anyone can modify it anytime. This type of software often has no cost associated with it. Still, it may require additional development resources if there are bugs or other issues with the code base (usually developed by volunteers).
Cloud-based – cloud computing refers to storing data on remote servers rather than on local computers or devices such as smartphones or tablets; this allows users access from anywhere in real-time without having their server hardware requirements at home or work locations, respectively (example).
Cloud-based solutions also enable businesses to access through smartphones/tablets since these devices have Internet connectivity wherever they go.
Contact your customers at the right time and place on their journey.
To be successful in e-commerce, you need to understand your customer’s journey. You need to know where they are in the buying process and what they need at each stage. If you can do this well, you will have a better chance of converting them into customers.
To help us understand how we can use data about our customers’ journeys and their needs at different stages of that journey, we’ll take a look at three different types of information:
- Customer data (who are they?)
- Behavioral data (what do they do?)
- Contextual information (where does it happen?)
Keep your leads engaged and build a meaningful relationship with them.
The most important thing to do is to keep in touch with your leads. Follow up with them regularly, send them emails and text messages, and ensure they know what you’re doing. You can also use social media to engage with customers personally, which is an excellent way for them to see who you are as a person and what kind of business owner you are.
It’s vital that you stay connected because this will help build trust between yourself and the customer–and it will also give them an opportunity for feedback so that if there are any problems with their order or service experience, they can let you know right away.
Create content that resonates with your audience based on insights from your data.
To get the most out of your e-commerce software, you need to know what your customers want and how they behave. This is where data comes in. Using the right tools and strategies, you can create content that resonates with them–and ultimately convert more visitors into sales.
Using insights from your data will help you create high-value content that resonates with your audience by understanding their wants and needs.
For example:
- You know what type of products they’re interested in buying (or searching for) based on keyword searches or related products
- You understand where they are in their buying journey (researching, comparing options) based on where they land on your site when visiting for the first time
- You can tell which products resonate best with each segmented group within an audience
Automate the fulfillment process to save time and money.
Automation is critical for any eCommerce business, especially if you’re a B2B company. Automated fulfillment can also help you save time and money by reducing manual work processes.
For example, suppose a customer places an order for 10 products on your website and pays for them using PayPal or a credit card. In that case, the software will automatically send you an email letting you know that there’s been an order placed so that you can ship out those products immediately instead of having to check each day for new orders manually. This means less time wasted checking emails and more time spent doing other important things like focusing on customer service or marketing campaigns.
Increase Revenue
The most obvious way to increase revenue is to increase the number of transactions. You can create a user-friendly shopping experience that’s easy for your customers to navigate and purchase. But there are other ways as well:
- Increase Average Order Value – If you have an average order value (AOV) of $100 per sale, but it could be closer to $200 if you added more products or higher-priced items, try adding those items. For example, if someone buys a shirt from you at $50 when they want shoes as well – they may return later with another order because they know how excellent your service was during their first purchase experience.
- Increase Repeat Purchases – Providing excellent customer service after each sale has been completed; will keep customers returning because they trust what brands like yours stand for (quality products plus stellar service). You might even consider offering incentives such as free shipping when customers make multiple purchases within a specific period so long as those purchases meet specific criteria like having all been made within 12 months from today’s date or something similar like that, which would encourage repeat business while still being fair towards everyone involved including yourself since shipping costs aren’t cheap at all especially if multiple packages need sending out each month which could add up quickly depending on how many orders come through every day/week.
Reduce costs
eCommerce software can help you reduce costs in several ways. Firstly, it’s much cheaper than setting up your eCommerce store or hiring a consultant. The cost of hosting your website is also reduced when you use an established platform like Shopify or BigCommerce, which offers reliable and secure hosting solutions at low prices.
Secondly, many platforms offer free apps that allow you to integrate with third-party services like social media marketing tools or payment processors (e.g., Stripe). This saves time and money because there aren’t any additional fees associated with using these integrations–and they often provide better functionality than what you would find if you were doing everything manually on your website.
Drive new business opportunities.
A robust eCommerce platform can help you drive new business opportunities by:
- Generating leads. Your website is a great place to find new customers and generates leads, especially if integrated with your CRM and marketing automation software. You can use automated lead generation tools that allow prospects to fill out a form or download an ebook in exchange for their contact information, which you can use as part of your sales funnel.
- Creating a better customer experience. An integrated eCommerce platform makes it easier for customers to buy from you by giving them one place to browse products and make purchases quickly–no matter what device they use (phone, tablet, or desktop computer). By providing this type of streamlined checkout process on all devices without requiring additional steps to enter shipping information multiple times or download files before purchasing something online, you’ll increase conversions while ensuring customers get what they ordered every time.
Create the perfect eCommerce experience.
The right technology can help you create a simple and convenient eCommerce experience for your customers while offering them the information and tools they need to make intelligent buying decisions. You can use data to decide what products to sell, how to price them, and where to find them.
In addition, you’ll be able to provide better support by tracking customer behavior onsite so you can respond quickly when problems arise or serve up targeted offers based on their preferences and past purchases.
Manage the business end of things.
As you build your eCommerce store, it’s crucial to think about the business side. How will you manage inventory? How will payments be processed? What about shipping and returns? Customer service is also vital–are there times when customers need help with an order that a chatbot can’t handle?
The best eCommerce software solutions are designed to simplify small businesses’ tasks. They’ll give you access to inventory management tools that allow you to track precisely how much of each item is in stock at any given time, allowing for more accurate pricing calculations and better planning when running promotions or discounts on products.
They also allow customers who pay through credit card or PayPal accounts (or even online banking) direct access to their accounts, so they don’t have any worries about getting charged twice if they accidentally forget something during checkout–allowing them peace of mind while shopping online without having any barriers preventing them from buying something new.
Keep your store secure and safe.
Security is a top priority for most businesses, and it’s no different with eCommerce. You must have suitable security measures to protect your brand reputation and bottom line.
With an eCommerce platform that offers robust security features, you can rest assured knowing that the personal information of your customers will be protected from hackers looking to steal their identities and credit card numbers. You can also take advantage of tools like fraud prevention software which helps prevent chargebacks by detecting fraudulent orders before they happen.
B2B eCommerce has much potential, but choosing the right platform that meets your needs as a business owner is essential.
Here are some things to consider:
- Scalability. If your business proliferates and you’re planning to add more products or services in the future, it’s vital that your eCommerce software can scale with you.
- Ease of use. You want a system that’s easy for employees and customers alike–this means no unnecessary steps or confusing processes along the way (and probably no jargon).
- Security & privacy protection. Your customers’ data should be safe from hackers, scammers, etc., so look for features like two-factor authentication (2FA) which provides an extra layer of security on top of passwords alone; encryption technologies like SSL/TLS connections over HTTPS; secure storage options such as Amazon Web Services S3 buckets.
- Affordability & flexibility without sacrificing quality.
To summarize
We know that in today’s business world, your company needs to be able to adapt quickly. That means finding ways to improve efficiency and productivity while still maintaining the quality you’re known for. The right eCommerce software solution can help you do all of these things.