Today, having a basic eCommerce website is not enough. If you want more returns, you must invest in creating an attractive, dynamic, and extremely efficient B2B eCommerce platform.
Digital channels are going to be a key source of revenue for B2B companies based in the United States. By 2025, 56% of their revenue is expected to be generated online - Statista
Your online store must be well-designed to strategically ‘find and meet’ the changing needs of your B2B customers and business needs. Not only should be easy to shop from, but also be secure and reliable to create a lasting impression on the B2B buyer.
The right tools and resources of a smart B2B eCommerce platform can get your eCommerce store up and running in no time.
It will take care of everything from hosting, and PCI compliance to maintenance and analytics. It will help you get off the ground quickly with pre-made and customized templates based on your needs.
Once you have your B2B eCommerce platform integrated, your products are always available at your buyer’s fingertips.
Also, when you choose an innovative eCommerce technology platform, you will improve brand awareness and reach out to more customers through search engines and paid ads.
The best way to sell online to a large customer base is by automating tasks that can be managed without human intervention.
The best website functionalities present in the B2B eCommerce industry today all include automation of various eCommerce processes.
When leveraged correctly, it adds more warmth to the seller-buyer equation without being intrusive. Automation also comes in handy to tide over other challenges pertaining to increased order volumes, fulfillment challenges, and fluctuating inventory levels.
With AI, machine learning, and a host of tools, a good eCommerce platform will help you automate everything from workflows to marketing campaigns, all in a few clicks.
Automation enables a self-service tool that allows customers to have complete control over online transactions while enjoying unhindered freedom to access order status, view order history, and change orders.
To ensure a delightful shopping experience, it is important to look into the buying history of the customers and the products they are looking for. Only then would you be able to create a personalized shopping experience, fulfill orders, and facilitate checkouts.
A good B2B eCommerce platform will help you collect real-time customer data in ethical ways by keeping a tab on customer interactions. It will provide you with actionable insights to help you innovate the customer experience and reduce cart abandonment.
A physical office or warehouse will cost a lot to maintain. Rent, repairs, inventory, workforce management, payrolls, etc. will take up an enormous amount of time and money.
Your eCommerce store must need minimal upkeep. It is also a good option for start-ups that are usually low on capital. You can spend the same money on Social media, Google Ads, organic search, and other popular marketing tools to reach out to potential customers.
Your sales figures improve in no time because the buying process is faster.
For instance, let’s say a buyer wants to buy pendant lamps and place a bulk order for the same.
If they are return customers, you must be able to offer special offers. You can also show them personalized product recommendations that suit their buying history.
Your B2B eCommerce platform must have different cross-sell and upsell strategies that use automated product recommendations to increase sales.
A key benefit of an eCommerce platform is that you can add impressive product listings rich with details such as vivid images, 360-degree product views, price, shipping fee, dimensions, product variants, other similar items, and recommendations.
For instance, someone looking for apparel may also want to know about the fabric and its care, color options, available sizes, manufacturer’s details, etc. The right product details always help make better buying decisions.
Businesses are now leveraging Product Information Management (PIM) and chatbots to get insights into buyer preferences, buying habits, and business trends while gaining ground in global markets.
AI-powered chatbots act like virtual salespersons, offering 24/7 support and help across buying stages and processes right from inquiry to closing a sale.
Chatbots can converse with customers, deliver information based on individual requirements, and help them with the purchase process. A good AI-powered B2B eCommerce platform is just what you need to inject chatbots into your marketing mix.
In a B2B eCommerce business, buyers are experts, and buying decisions are based on rational business value. They can be your potential return customers.
Email marketing, product recommendations, excellent search capabilities, flexible checkout options, loyalty programs, and incentives, therefore, provide great opportunities to make the buying experience personal and enjoyable.
You may also reach out through email marketing, push notifications on mobile for the products they showed interest in, allow them to add them to the wishlist through an app, and re-target those who bounced off through social media.
The ease and functionality, however, should transcend for future purchases too, giving enough flexibility for repeat orders, custom quotes for individual companies in near real-time, and personalized pricing based on the purchase of specific combinations of SKUs, etc.
Also remember, purchases may not always be made by a single representative, and customers should therefore be given the flexibility to set up multiple user roles and permissions within the same account.
A B2B eCommerce store must address a global audience in the tone and language they understand. The same understanding goes for payment choices, too.
A language of choice in the drop-down menu and the freedom to buy in the preferred currency through multiple payment gateways can give a much-needed boost to global business opportunities.
A B2B web store eliminates the need for trade fairs bringing businesses and customers closer irrespective of geographies.
Finding an e-commerce platform that offers solutions that resonate with your global growth plans would be the key to strategizing for global reach and creating campaigns tailored for new target audiences.
As new technologies and services emerge, B2B businesses are now getting new insights into the buying behavior of customers. Seamless communication across channels is the key to offering the right omnichannel support. You need to pick the best channels based on your customers’ needs.
Explains Cristina Gomez, managing vice president for the Gartner Sales Practice, “As customers increasingly learn and buy digitally, sales reps become just one of many possible sales channels. Because of this, sales organizations must be able to sell to customers everywhere the customer expects to engage, interact and transact with suppliers.
Sales reps will need to embrace new tools and channels, as well as a new manner of engaging customers, matching their sales activity to their customers’ buying practices and information collecting needs.”
Amazon continues to serve as a classic example of what a successful online eCommerce business is all about.
In December 2023, Amazon had ~2.27 billion combined website visits.
The reason behind Amazon’s success is simple. It understands its customers and uses the most innovative technologies to serve them. Customers’ personal shopping experiences with such retailers have upped expectations from the B2B eCommerce businesses too.
According to Digital Commerce 360, B2B e-commerce expanded by 17% in 2023, indicating the continued acceleration of digital channels in B2B sales. It’s time B2B businesses effectively started managing all their operations online!
B2B online stores must also be able to offer a seamless shopping experience to their B2B customers on their eCommerce websites.
If a B2B website isn’t able to manage such heavy functionalities, then the business owner must adopt a good B2B eCommerce platform.
ewiz commerce is the world’s only B2B eCommerce platform with built-in AI-powered marketing tools to help you create personalized shopping experiences for your customers.
Our actionable insights and solutions will help you scale your business while offering a seamless customer experience. We provide a host of AI-powered B2B eCommerce solutions to help you grow at the speed of thought.
Come, sharpen your e-commerce edge with us at ewiz. Allow us to partner with you in your eCommerce journey with a robust e-commerce platform that is as driven as your business objectives.
10 benefits of having an seamless B2B eCommerce Platform 
