Is Partnership Automation the Lifeline that Retail Needs?

 For centuries, producers of all goods have relied on distributors and marketers to sell those goods and consequently, offer customer service. Any industry is a combination of several individual sectors working together in harmonious partnerships to produce, market, and distribute goods and services. salesforce commerce cloud

 

The retail industry, too, operates on carefully placed partnerships. Business relationships with B2B partners, affiliates, influencers, and app-to-app premium publishers play a critical role in customer acquisition and engagement. b2b ecommerce

 

For decades, effective retail partnerships have proved to be a lifeline for customer conversions and brand loyalty. b2b commerce

 

Essentially, partnerships allow retailers to reach a segment of customers and prospects who are otherwise inaccessible to them. cpq salesforce

 

Traditionally, retailers managed these partnerships using manual methods such as phone, email, or fax services. Manual communication methods have lost potency in an age driven by digitization, mainly because of their inability to remain dynamic. cpq

 

Moreover, the digital age has personalized customer-brand relationships, thereby ushering partnerships that focus on referrals instead of transactions. With influencers, media houses, and affiliates dominating modern marketing, businesses must resort to increased automation to facilitate effective partnerships. salesforce lightning

 

With varying levels of sophistication, automation must be applied to almost every partnership that facilitates retail processing. For a successful partnership program, retailers use technology to optimize every facet of partnership management. salesforce lightning

 

Automating interactions between retailers and their marketing and distribution partners is the chief function of partnership automation. Using automation to build a robust network of affiliates, social responsibility partners, media partners, and ambassadors allows businesses to streamline their management, vetting, and payment procedures effectively. salesforce pricing 

 

Just like CRM platforms optimize sales and customer servicing features of a business, partnership automation optimizes everything from the onboarding to the management of retail partners and affiliates. salesforce development

 

Why Are Partnerships Important?

 

1. Revenue Growth

Partnerships contribute 20% of a brand’s overall revenue. Since automation significantly reduces manual work and boosts productivity, it drives revenue growth for retailers who use it optimally to manage such critical partnerships. In a Forrester research conducted for Impact, companies that encourage high-maturity partnerships observed a 2x revenue growth at the company level. salesforce community cloud

 

This indicates that highly functional partnerships exceed stakeholder expectations on key business metrics, including revenue growth, stock price, and bottom-line profitability. Brands that steer away from partnerships do not report the same level of success on such metrics. salesforce community

 

2. Competitive Advantage

Ecommerce supply chains, growing consumer and supplier demands, cost inflation, and increasing labor costs create intense competition in the retail market. Customer expectations, too, are rising steadily, with more consumers demanding personalized services. salesforce partner community

 

However, these are not the only competitive differentiators in the retail world. With traditional marketing and distribution methods losing relevance, brands are focusing on highly functional partnerships to gain competitive advantage. A 4x higher competitive advantage is observed by brands that consider partnerships critical to their growth. crm salesforce

 

Consider partnerships to be a strategic differentiator for your retail business and develop them using automated tools.

 

How Partnership Automation Improves Retail Functionality 

 

Deploying automation platforms erases barriers to partnership entry for most businesses. An effectively automated partnership program can be used to establish connections with new audiences and develop relationships with existing partners. salesforce community cloud

 

Apart from conserving resources and streamlining production, automation of partnership management methods serves to improve several business performance aspects. salesforce lightning

 

1. Better Cooperation

The idea of partnerships is to facilitate the synchronized working of an organization’s partners. With automation, partnerships become increasingly transparent. Different team members are accountable for each other, allowing them to adapt a unified approach to sales, marketing, and business development. salesforce log

 

Moreover, such transparency allows retailers to set organization wide-goals for new partner acquisition and conversion rates. salesforce s

 

2. Contracting Flexibility

Automation makes partner contracts flexible. This flexibility was explored by McAfee, a brand that recognized publishers who were driving high sales and customer acquisition. salesforce is

 

As a result, the brand introduced a tiered payout structure providing CPA modifiers for new customer acquisition, thereby incentivizing growth. Maintaining prosperous partner relationships due to contract flexibility allows retailers to observe sales growth. salesforce s

 

3. Reduce Redundancy

Retailers that do not utilize automation to drive partnership relationship management often face issues like duplicated credit, partner terms abuse, and management overhead. Automation streamlines relationship management workflows and reduces costs by managing interdisciplinary relationships with single payouts. 

 

Strong cross-functional collaboration is essential for a successful partnership program. A product-aligned partnership structure that keeps all partners at their highest functionality can only be achieved by using automation. crm salesforce

 

With automation, retailers can take a comprehensive approach to partner recruitment and capitalize on partner relationships that affect customers the most. To truly utilize partnerships to your advantage, build consolidated partnerships driven by innovation and technology while breaking down internal silos. salesforce is

 

Source: Partnership Automation

PixelMEDIA and Docmation Build Momentum with a Combined Ecommerce-Focused Agency

 

The Newly Combined PixelMEDIA and Docmation Gain Backing from BV Investments and Salesforce Ventures to Elevate B2C and B2B Ecommerce on Salesforce.

PixelMEDIA and Docmation announce today the investments from both BV Investment Partners and Salesforce Ventures. salesforce commerce cloud

As highly focused Salesforce consulting partners in the areas of B2C and B2B eCommerce, PixelMEDIA and Docmation continue to drive excellence in the shopping and buying experience. b2b ecommerce

While organizations seek to increase the amount of business they do online, BV and Salesforce Ventures support the Pixel and Docmation effort with these recent investments. b2b commerce

PixelMEDIA and Salesforce Ventures

This Salesforce Ventures investment announcement comes on the heels of Pixel’s recent merger with Docmation, an established leader in implementing and supporting B2B commerce, CPQ, and billing solutions on Salesforce. cpq salesforce

Pixel’s certified global team covers customers’ full range of eCommerce needs around software development, third-party integrations, user experience, and data analytics to optimize digital commerce operations and performance on the Salesforce platform. cpq

Pixel was founded in 1994, with operations based in the northeast, now operating virtually with staff throughout the U.S. and internationally. salesforce lightning

“The events of the past year have only accelerated our clients’ investments in B2C and B2B eCommerce. This additional funding from BV and Salesforce Ventures allows us to expand and better amplify eCommerce support for our clients” stated Erik Dodier, PixelMEDIA CEO.

Accelerating Momentum

As the world continues to turn to Salesforce Commerce Cloud, PixelMEDIA and Docmation services are experiencing strong growth. salesforce lightning

• The combined business supports more than a billion dollars in online transactions on Salesforce Commerce Cloud salesforce pricing
• The company continues to invest in Salesforce capabilities that will support delivering complete eCommerce solutions salesforce development
• The combined company employs a large international workforce of Salesforce-certified consultants to support clients around the globe 24×7

Vikram Datla, Principal and Co-Founder of Docmation said, “Backing from Salesforce Ventures and BV partners further validates our vision of creating a global leader focused on Commerce Cloud and reinforces our confidence in the space.”

About PixelMEDIA

PixelMEDIA helps lifestyle brands launch, manage, and grow their eCommerce on Salesforce. salesforce community cloud

By leveraging the world’s leading eCommerce and customer experience platform, in partnership with the certified team, Pixel enables brands to increase their online revenue. salesforce community

 They help to discover the possible with some of the hottest brands in eCommerce including Samsonite, Vince, Tourneau, Cavendar’s, Skechers, and iRobot. For more information, visit www.pixelmedia.com.

About Docmation

Docmation is a Salesforce Consulting Partner, with a focus on implementing B2B Commerce, CPQ, and Billing solutions on the Salesforce platform. salesforce partner community

With nearly 10 years of experience and expertise in working across all Salesforce Clouds, and with a team of 100+ certified Salesforce experts, Docmation helps organizations build high-performing omnichannel Quote-to-Cash and Cart-to-Cash solutions that support business goals across the organization. crm salesforce

The company’s client base includes global names like Palo Alto Networks, Docker, Wolters Kluwer, Novartis, Ithaka, Sage, and more. For more information, visit www.docmation.com. 

About BV Investment Partners

BV Investment Partners is one of the oldest and most experienced sector-focused private equity firms in North America. salesforce community cloud

Since its founding in 1983, the firm has invested approximately $3.8 billion, actively targeting investments in the business services, software, and IT services industries. For more information, visit www.bvlp.com.

About Salesforce Ventures

Salesforce is the global leader in Customer Relationship Management (CRM), bringing companies closer to their customers in the digital age. salesforce lightning

Salesforce Ventures, the global investment arm of Salesforce, invests in the next generation of enterprise technology that extends the power of the Salesforce Platform. salesforce log

Salesforce Ventures is building the world’s largest ecosystem of enterprise cloud companies and extending that technology to customers. salesforce s

Portfolio companies receive funding, strategic advisory, and operating support, and can easily join Pledge 1% to make giving back part of their business model. salesforce is

Salesforce Ventures has invested in more than 400 companies, including DocuSign, GoCardless, Guild Education, nCino, Twilio, Zoom, and others across 22 countries since 2009. For more information, visit www.salesforce.com/ventures.

Source: Build Momentum with a Combined Ecommerce-Focused Agency

Solving the B2B E-commerce Checkout Experience

 In the past decade, digitization has fueled immense growth in online revenue, both for B2C and B2B companies. salesforce commerce cloud

The B2C world has leveraged on artificial intelligence and automation to deliver increased customer convenience. b2b ecommerce

Due to this, buyer expectations for convenience have increased, pushing B2B companies to adapt selling strategies that suit the needs of their online consumers. b2b commerce

Customer and product nature, however, remains vastly different for B2B and B2C companies, making it impossible for the B2B industry to mirror web layouts of B2C giants like Amazon and Alibaba. b2b e commerce

B2B Shopping – Unique Features

Consumer relationships with business customers are complex and dynamic. For one, B2B consumers expect customization in everything from product specifications to delivery.

1. Pricing Variations

Incorporating complex pricing tiers for a single product is necessary for a successful B2B e-commerce website.

These tiers may be dependent on the specific customer, order bundling, and product group.

Individualized product and service configurations are critical to a successful B2B transaction. cpq salesforce

1. Multiple Stakeholders

According to a recent CEB survey, an average of 5.4 people is involved in one B2B shopping experience. cpq

This data indicates that different consumer teams (including product supervisors, procurement experts, and quality assurance managers) are included in addressing various features of the product they are shopping. salesforce lightning

Product customization, therefore, extends beyond the adjustment of superficial features demanded by one team. salesforce billing

1. Personal Supplier-consumer Relationships

For decades, B2B consumer relationships have been highly personal. Built on human-trust that comes with sales representatives, these consumer relationships need individual attention. salesforce lightning

B2B e-commerce must be conducive to such personalized business-consumer traits.

Ensuring hassle-free cross-geography delivery, pricing and quotation features, and dynamic customer-service systems is a necessity for successful B2B businesses. salesforce pricing

A B2B vendor who wishes to see profits via e-commerce must incorporate all these features while maintaining an engaging website design and robust consumer service strategies. salesforce development

Learn more about several optimization features that make the checkout process convenient and attractive for buyers and thereby help ensure B2B customer retention.

1. Clean Navigation Process

Due to the complexities involved in a B2B customer relationship, many companies have e-commerce websites filled with cumbersome navigation features. cpq salesforce

B2B buyers know their exact needs and do not need excessive product recommendations or extensive searches to shop for their desired products. salesforce community cloud

If customers spend a lot of time searching for products through different navigation layers on your website, they are likely to become impatient even before the checkout process begins.

Ensure optimum clarity of product navigation and avoid internal navigation jargon to make the shopping processes friction-free for buyers. salesforce community

Incorporate traditional B2B shopping workflows and custom catalogs for registered buyers to give conventional customers a sense of familiarity. salesforce partner community

1. Streamlined Checkout

Modern B2B customers do not have the patience for a confusing checkout process involving multiple pricing details and a tiring registration process. salesforce cloud

A transparent checkout process is less likely to result in cart abandonment. To avoid losing potential buyers, make your checkout portal compact, concise, and hassle-free.

Restrict checkout to a single page if possible and reduce distracting headers and footers.

Offer both registration-based and guest purchasing options to avoid driving away consumers. crm salesforce

A significant way to boost customer engagement is by displaying checkout progress with interactive graphics. Delivery-related details, shipping costs, handling time, and “edit order” options are also recognizable features of the checkout page. salesforce community cloud

1. Payment Optimization

B2B purchasers look for payment methods that go beyond credit cards, debit cards, and cash. Ensure that your website offers price quotation forms and purchase order payments, displays bulk quantity discounts, and options for customized prices in addition to electronic and cash payment methods. salesforce lightning

Above all, do not let payment details remain unprotected at any stage. Any breach of customer privacy will cause a loss of trust in your brand. salesforce service cloud

1. Avoid Redundancy

Many B2B e-commerce checkout portals require buyers to fill in shipping and billing details every time they shop for products. Modern customers hate such repetition. salesforce log

Automation makes it possible to eliminate redundant checkout features. Ensure that your website’s checkout portal has auto-fill features for addresses and previous order details.

To further consumer convenience, make your ecommerce site a part of your omnichannel customer servicing strategy.

Keeping aside these primary attributes, industry specifications will dictate the ideal checkout experience for your B2B consumers. Manual B2B systems allow for personalization.

Ecommerce platforms must catch up with this need by incorporating enhanced purchasing information gateways, guided navigation techniques, product cataloging, and pricing segmentation. salesforce s

Analyze operational data to understand the sales cycle lengths and consumer preferences better before choosing the perfect Salesforce solution for your B2B web checkout portal.

To make your website more buyer-friendly, borrow the best checkout page optimization practices from the B2C industry while keeping layered pricing and product customization features intact. salesforce is

Source: B2B E-commerce Checkout Experience