Thursday, November 5, 2020

Key Considerations of a B2B Ecommerce Website

 


Did you know?

27% of projected global B2B sales will have an online component within the next 5 years.

As a growing number of B2B organizations adopt digital commerce and forego traditional selling methods, there is also a rise in B2B technology.

Today, more and more B2B customers are purchasing online. In fact, a study by Forrester states that over 90% start their business purchases with an online search.

B2B e-commerce is transcending boundaries, with technology being able to modernize critical functions and business processes.

The ways of doing business have changed rapidly and the older approaches are on the verge of becoming obsolete. The sooner you realize this, the better it is for your business.

Here, in this article, are some features that you must adapt in your B2B e-commerce store to make it a raging success online.

Personalized Pricing

Personalization is crucial for e-commerce websites. You should implement advanced B2B e-commerce analytics since each one of your customers is unique, even if they are ordering the same products.

Each one of them will have their own special contracts, shipping needs, and inventory concerns. In order to provide personalized solutions, you need to keep up with individual KPIs (Key Performance Indicators).

User-friendly Searches

One of the best ways to enhance the conversion rate on the website is to improve the search functionality of your e-commerce portal.

Customers must be able to locate items they’re searching for without having to navigate the entire product catalog.

Customers must be able to refine default search results by varying attributes like product size, color, availability, etc.

Enhanced Mobile Experience

Mobile-friendly sites are no longer an additional feature. They are necessary if you want to provide your clients with the best user experience.

While designing a mobile responsive e-commerce store, you need to look for advanced features like auto-complete and a clear call to action button.

Customers who have auto-complete suggestions are 6X more likely to complete their purchase, compared to sites that don’t have this option.

Restricted Access

While choosing an e-commerce platform, make sure that it has the ability to password-protect your entire site and restrict access to specific portions to unregistered customers.

Advanced Checkout

Your shopping cart model of checkout needs to be the most appropriate. Your e-commerce website design must facilitate a simple checkout process which in turn reduces shopping cart abandonment.

Customers must be able to fetch payment information from their previous orders. They should be able to pay for the orders via different payment methods like a line of credit, purchase requisition, trade credit, etc.

Also, they should be able to repeat a previously placed order without having to search for individual products all over again.

Flexible Payments

Flexible payments add to the overall user experience. In B2B businesses, there is a steady relationship between the company and the client, and very often, businesses extend a line of credit to their clients. This brings in the need for flexible payment options.

On-hand Customer Support

To ensure a rise in conversion rates, you need to have more than a Contact Us page on your e-commerce portal. Provide real-time support to your customers by adding a “request a free quote” form or even a live-chat facility.

A study has shown that live chat helps boost leads by 4 to 8 times.

Real-Time Inventory Updates

This is a go-to feature of all effective B2B e-commerce portals. Provide your customers with the most accurate information with a real-time inventory update feature.

It also helps to streamline your operations, especially if you run a just-in-time business model.

Keynote:

Protect yourself from GDPR violations The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is of great importance for merchants targeting the European Union (EU).

In May 2018, it changed the game regarding privacy and transparency. Primarily, it’s important for your customers to know exactly what you intend to do with their information.

Providing an SSL certificate, in short, means no one can intercept your customer’s sensitive information to ensure security.

Final Thoughts

Launching a flourished B2B e-commerce store is not possible overnight. You need to choose the right platform and provide your customers with advanced features and added functions to ensure that it works the way you want.


Source: Features Checklist for B2B eCommerce Site

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