Five Reasons to Go Hybrid with Your Ecommerce Strategy

 Customer expectation is something businesses have noticed is rising steadily. To embrace change, businesses adopt digitization and innovation to plunge into the future. While few succeed in their endeavor to innovate, most businesses still fall behind.

When a business is advised to innovate, this doesn’t imply a business should do something out of the box. Innovating isn’t about progressing in discontinued fashion. That’s an erroneous belief many businesses hold.

Transformation doesn’t take place from scratch. It’s an unbreakable continuation of the same well-founded model that the business was built upon, but with streaks of reinvention and renovation added to its digital infrastructure.

Ecommerce challenges businesses deal with in today’s consumer-driven markets.

In today’s business realm, a customer is an active force, shaping and reshaping businesses worldwide. Consider, for instance, that a direct-to-consumer or DTC model of business is on-trend now.

Not adhering to it could present an unimaginable loss to a business.

Ill-conceived e-commerce strategies drive businesses and distributors miles apart.

It’s not physical distance, but a digital void that drives businesses to fritter hard-earned fortune away in the blink of an eye.

Businesses also must learn to drift as the technological landscape continues to flow unanchored.

A technology-driven inventory management system that streamlines a business’s ordering process is a lease on life.

A lifeline for any organization, not fodder for executives to spew skepticism against digitization and innovation.

A Hybrid B2B & B2C Ecommerce Platform: Why do you need it?

As said, e-commerce is in continuous flux. Its scope for innovation has put businesses on their toes!

According to a study, 81% of consumers in the next 5-years will be shopping from direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands.

That prepares B2B companies to optimize for direct-to-consumer (DTC) selling as soon as possible.

While B2C has taken a giant leap in that direction, B2B is yet to follow. The onus is on B2B to change, reorient, and reinvent, not B2C.

The time has come when B2B e-commerce should start selling to businesses as well as consumers, at the same time.

So far, the inability to do so has been detrimental to B2B businesses. Perhaps that’s why hybrid is steadily becoming a requisite for e-commerce strategy.

However, if a business has separate platforms for B2B and B2C, the realization of a hybrid platform is hard to imagine.

Consequently, businesses can see why they need hybrid e-commerce to manage B2B and B2C commerce from a single dashboard.

How’s Hybrid Ecommerce Different from B2C and B2B?

First of all, business to consumer (B2C) involves selling directly to individual shoppers. That is to say, the sales process is centered on an individual customer.

On the other hand, business to business (B2B) involves selling directly to businesses.

Here, multiple factors and stakeholders determine the outcome of the sales process. If B2C is emotion-driven, B2B is excessively logic-and-rationality-driven.

In stark contrast, hybrid e-commerce is a resultant outcome of B2C and B2B convergence.

In other words, as an e-commerce platform, hybrid e-commerce is a double-helix of B2C and B2B, where they’re intertwined like a DNA molecule.

Hybrid eCommerce strategy, therefore, forges together the best of B2C and B2B into a unified platform.

So, instead of creating two separate marketplaces, businesses can actually reap the benefits of both using a single hybrid platform.

Here’re five reasons why you should go hybrid with your e-commerce strategy.

1. Separate customer portals cater to B2C and B2B needs from a single dashboard.

A hybrid e-commerce platform gives businesses an opportunity to configure customer portals separately.

This is highly needed in order to cater to DTC demands where pricing varies so dramatically.

As is obvious, pricing for businesses can’t be fixed like it is in the case of consumers.

In the former, it varies based on factors such as the volume of purchase, association of business with a B2B organization, etc.

Additionally, it is a hybrid e-commerce strategy alone, that can offer businesses multi-site capabilities. As a result, businesses can add market-specific personalization to their e-commerce sites.

1. Single datastore to deliver content and data to various teams seamlessly.

Target markets no doubt differ significantly, but product information is identical across channels.

Non-availability of a hybrid platform results in inefficiencies that are detrimental to a business’s scalability.

Creating separate content and product catalogs for various e-commerce platforms are fraught with inefficiencies.

A hybrid e-commerce strategy relieves businesses of content duplication.

From a single datastore, businesses can deliver content seamlessly to various teams such as sales and marketing without duplicating it.

1. Single dashboard for omnichannel viewing of customer data.

A hybrid e-commerce platform offers businesses a unified viewing experience of customer data from a single dashboard. Businesses can track customer journeys and interactions with their business.

A business’s marketing team could utilize it to gain a holistic view of B2C as well as B2B customers.

With a hybrid e-commerce strategy businesses could avoid data silos, hence streamlining omnichannel customer viewing.

1. Explore B2C and B2B markets without having to re-platform.

DTC is the future of e-commerce. That’s why B2C and B2B commerce is yearning to benefit from it. Consumer-oriented brands or B2C are preparing to sell to businesses, whereas B2B is trying to explore the consumer market.

With a hybrid platform, businesses can take advantage of both markets without having to re-platform.

A hybrid e-commerce strategy facilitates digitalization. Therefore, it empowers businesses to roll out sales strategies more efficiently and cross markets.

1. Stay ahead of your competition with a hybrid e-commerce strategy.

If a business plans to create a B2B platform for its B2C business, it would need to spend countless hours to configure, customize, and personalize the new store.

Businesses can do it as seamlessly as possible if they go for a hybrid e-commerce platform. Instead of creating a new platform out of scratch, businesses can just switch to another platform, begin product configuration, and start selling.

Conclusion:

A hybrid e-commerce platform with tentacles in both B2C and B2B commerce offers businesses a common digital infrastructure with shared customer data, product information, content, and design layout.

As a result, B2B buyers could draw a B2C-like experience from B2B businesses. The same holds true for B2C businesses also, which can cater to B2B buyers.

Source: Ecommerce Strategy

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How Voice Search and Mobile Continue to Shape UX

 Voice search has continued to shape UX ever since mobile technology became mainstream. salesforce commerce cloud

Let’s explore the opportunities and challenges that voice interaction and mobile have created in UX design for businesses, especially in the financial and manufacturing sectors. b2b ecommerce

UX, or user experience, is in for mainstream adoption of voice search and mobile. b2b commerce

Considering the speed at which voice interaction is proliferating in today’s digital ecosystem, it’s likely to end the monopoly of the visual interface. b2b e commerce

Over 27% of mobile users globally use voice search, reports Google. As users of voice interaction are increasing, therefore it is a preferred input method instead of a visual interface. cpq salesforce

The adoption of voice search in mobile UX design is quickly becoming indispensable for businesses across industries. cpq

Bringing mobility in UX design is responsible for personalized user experience, which is en vogue in today’s customer-centric user interface. salesforce lightning

Business discoverability has received a significant boost. So has interconnectedness of business’s various systems, services, and channels.

This has translated into customer retention and the need to switch devices is minimalized. salesforce billing

 

Voice search in manufacturing industries

The emergence of voice search has given users a solid reason to cringe upon the clatter of keyboards. salesforce lightning

Typing is slowly becoming old fashioned and voice interaction is cementing its ground as a preferred input method. salesforce pricing

Its usability cuts across the consumer-user divide and allows businesses to utilize it in the same way with the same enthusiasm as customers of businesses do. salesforce development

That is to say, instead of giving a written command, a user can give oral instruction to a computer. cpq salesforce

“Computer, notify the shipping unit that I’ll finish packaging by 12 o’clock.’’ While you are talking, the computer performs menial tasks efficiently. salesforce community cloud

And it’s all because of voice interaction, which fortunately is no longer a far-fetched sci-fi idea. It’s here that the true potential of voice search lies. salesforce community

Over the years, AI has grown by leaps and bounds. And it has made voice technology a robust advancement to reckon with. salesforce partner community

Interacting with Alexa and Siri is a welcome development for consumers worldwide. salesforce cloud

Their penchant for voice interaction has flooded the consumer space with all kinds of devices, from Amazon Echo to Google Home. crm salesforce

 

Benefits

Voice search is a technology with benefits. It’s the clarion call for businesses to offer a robust and effective voice interface technology to its customers and staff.

 

• A device with voice interaction capability allows a worker to keep working uninterrupted as there’s no need for him to manually enter input into a device. He can receive instructions and reports from other departments without having to cease his work. salesforce community cloud

• Voice technology is capable of data collection. That enables businesses to gain insights into customer behavior. Businesses can utilize this data to improve search and navigation on their site. At the very least, they can render it effective by complying with local trends. salesforce lightning

• Voice technology is steadily replacing the consumer’s dependence on touchscreens and keyboards. Today’s voice search is much more advanced, functional and interactive. With sophisticated AI capabilities in the backend, it’s grown into a fully-functional HMI: Human-machine interface

Challenges

There’s not much of a challenge from the technological aspect of voice technology. However, human language poses a few hindrances, which need to be dealt with efficiently. salesforce service cloud

Human language is a complex enterprise, prone to erroneous interpretation. That could give rise to imprecise search results. salesforce log

It’s a challenge, but one that can be overcome by deploying AI. Also, it’s incumbent on businesses to feed clear, concise instructions and commands into voice search in order to make the interaction more understandable between user and machine.

 

Voice assistants in financial services

Financial services have found a special rapport with voice assistants. Financial institutions roll out voice technology to upgrade customer experience to the next level. salesforce s

Financial institutions have deployed voice technology in the banking sector to allow their customers to check account balance using voice assistance. salesforce is

Besides that, users can use voice commands to get a credit card payment done. Without having to resort to typing, users use voice search and get desired results instantly.

 

Use of voice technology in financial services

Voice search and mobility shape UX for a reason. It’s because of its utility and emergence as a mainstream consumer-centric technology that businesses need to make voice search integral to their UX design strategy. salesforce lightning

Voice technology, in the form of voice assistants and voice search, is utilized for many purposes by financial institutions.

 

Let’s explore some common uses of voice technology in financial services.

a) Personal finance

Voice assistants speak the customer’s account balance when asked. All it takes is a simple voice command and information is relayed instantly. salesforce s

 

b) P2P payments

Voice assistants are capable of handling peer-to-peer payments using voice search. Payment limits fears of accidental payments, and therefore the threat of losing money.

 

c) Credit card payments

Voice assistants make credit card bill payments easier, hassle-free, and faster. Users can schedule or automate payments for a later date using voice assistants. crm salesforce

 

d) Investment management

If given access to a user’s investment portfolio, a user can command a voice assistant for information regarding the performance of his/her investment portfolio. salesforce is

Most voice assistants come with terrific AI capabilities and can assist customers with financial research, news about stocks, and investment opportunities.

 

e) Lending

Voice assistants even come handy in making better financial decisions pertaining to lending.

As an individual customer or as a business, one can inquire voice assistants about loans, interest rates, eligibility, and more, for business as well as individual loans. einstein analytics

 

f) Conversational AI

Voice assistants play a much bigger and more complex role in financial institutions. From product recommendations to product purchases, it assists businesses in lead generation funnels. salesforce einstein

 

g) Voice analytics

Voice assistants are a storehouse of data. Companies can utilize it to offer improved customer experience. Audio helps businesses keep track of customer interactions.

And businesses can leverage it to improve AI, which helps revamp product offerings and offer personalized services to users. cpq salesforce

 

 

‘Voice Search Optimization,’ an SEO strategy to make voice search SEO-friendly

As voice search is set to replace the keyboard as a preferred input method in the near future, marketers have to include voice search optimization in their SEO strategy. Here’s how to optimize for voice search:

 

• Keep the language natural and to-the-point. Direct questions need direct answers, so don’t beat around the bush. cpq salesforce

• Use schema markup to help questions and answers remain within context. Search engines pick answers to queries if the context matches. Snippets also can be utilized to add context to queries made and answers given. salesforce partner

• Content optimization is key to voice search optimization. Remove or update outdated contact information and duplicate pages at the earliest.

 

Conclusion

The manner in which mobile is steadily but aggressively replacing desktops, voice search, equally disruptive and futuristic technology, is toppling the keyboard in a similar fashion. salesforce community

It has become obvious now that overlooking voice search implementation is fatal for a business. Without it, the business’s online presence is going to dwindle significantly.

Voice technology is the next big thing to happen in the realm of technology. So, it makes no sense to overlook it. That’d be perilous for a business. salesforce implementation

 

Source: Voice Search and Mobile Continue to Shape UX

How a Salesforce B2B Commerce Subscription Storefront can pull your B2B business through in these times of COVID

 As we talk about Salesforce B2B Commerce Subscription Storefront as the potential antidote to boost a business’s immunity during the COVID-19 pandemic, we must not forget that it’s foremost a human tragedy. salesforce commerce cloud

Its arrival hastened global commerce toward a dead end. b2b ecommerce

COVID-19 has turned the foundations of the global economy upside down and uprooted countless businesses in its wake, almost overnight. b2b commerce

However, its fallout has been a revelation too, begging us to reconsider and reconstruct our propositions as business owners, CEOs, marketing heads, etc. b2b e commerce

Some did respond, as we’ve been seeing businesses scramble for newer approaches to B2B ecommerce. cpq salesforce

The unprecedented rise of eCommerce bears that out. And to support the businesses in their journey to digital-first commerce, Salesforce B2B Commerce has been playing a crucial and central role. cpq

Salesforce’s Revenues Soar As More Businesses Turn to its Tools

It’s been Salesforce’s founding principle to haul CPQ for B2B Subscriptions from the clutches of a privileged few and place it into the hands of businesses looking for a robust Salesforce Storefront to benefit from. salesforce lightning

As a result of its small business eCommerce solutions, be it in the form of Salesforce B2B Commerce or Salesforce Subscription Product CPQ, today the global B2B eCommerce Market is thriving even in the midst of COVID-19. salesforce lightning

The fact that leveraging B2B eCommerce Software enables your customers to quote subscriptions with CPQ has brought businesses astounding success and proved extremely supportive to customers, too. salesforce pricing

As New York Times reports a 29% increase in Salesforce’s revenue and staggering profits during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, one can easily imagine its popularity as a B2B eCommerce Platform offering top-notch B2B eCommerce Features amongst the top-rated B2B eCommerce Companies.

COVID-19 and its Implications for B2B eCommerce

COVID-19 leaves a host of implications for business leaders to come to terms with.

Right from supply chain disruption to employee health, coming all the way to consumer trust and the continuity of the business itself, the antidote to these challenges lies in digital transformation brought to the forefront by Salesforce B2B eCommerce. salesforce development

A lot remains unclear and businesses have to brace up for unexpected challenges ahead because COVID-19 isn’t going anywhere for some time now! salesforce community cloud

You never know how it’ll impact consumer behavior and in which direction it will drive the lives of billions of consumers.

But not all is bleak as regards the future of commerce! salesforce community

In fact, the pandemic paved the way for B2B eCommerce to thrive as it became the central nerve, or only channel, holding together global commerce. salesforce partner community

And it has become evident that for B2B eCommerce growth, B2B manufacturers and distributors will have to turn to online channels and eCommerce.

1) B2B eCommerce is more important than ever.

When faced with situations where social distancing becomes an absolute necessity, salespeople have a lesser role to play in B2B compared to eCommerce channels and digital marketing efforts. crm salesforce

Therefore, for B2B, investing extensively in eCommerce and cloud platforms has become imperative. salesforce community cloud

And those who’ve been reluctant to digitize may well have to turn to eCommerce to evade jeopardizing their business.

2) Smartphones, laptops, and social media play a bigger role than ever.

Some in business-to-business commerce had been averse to mobility, especially to the possibility of bringing B2B ecommerce to smartphones but the pandemic has proved them wrong. salesforce lightning

As physical stores or businesses are shut down, B2B consumers are left with nothing but smartphones and laptops to close deals remotely. salesforce log

Therefore, if you want to reach out to consumers in the digital-first commerce leveraging Salesforce B2B Commerce is indispensable. salesforce s

B2B consumers prefer texting, not talking, to sales representatives.

And with face-to-face meetings becoming near impossible in times of social distancing, digital tools become all too important.

How to Create a Subscription Product CPQ

Running a Subscription Business? It’s time you flaunt your subscription products using Salesforce B2B Commerce Subscription Storefront.

Salesforce Storefront allows organizations with subscription products to create personalized storefronts and offer customers seamless customer experience.

Why Salesforce CPQ for B2B Subscriptions?

1. You get every freedom to personalize the experience of your customers and create a custom storefront, uniquely reflective of your business by the way it looks.

1. You get a scalable shopping cart robust enough to accommodate thousands of SKUs, and capability to seamlessly browse and compare products. salesforce is

1. You get multiple options for payments to give your customers the flexibility to use any method of payment, including credit cards. salesforce s

1. You get complex shipping functionality with Salesforce Storefront, where customers can choose multiple delivery dates and locations.

Leverage CPQ for B2B Subscriptions to start selling subscription products with Salesforce B2B Commerce and start reaping the benefits.

Deploying Salesforce CPQ for B2B Subscriptions means that your business is all set to cash in on countless opportunities SaaS has on offer. crm salesforce

In other words, you are going to witness a substantial increase in subscription sales; automate renewals so that you don’t have to nudge your sales reps to file for renewal, and avail yourself of recurring revenue without additional expenses. salesforce is

The Salesforce B2B Commerce Subscription Storefront transforms the whole operational setup of a business, so as to bring home integration where various processes, from manufacturing to distribution, work in tandem. einstein analytics

And it’s the consequence of this integration that businesses successfully offer personalized shopping experience to its customers across all touchpoints.

Lead Prospecting B2B Business Salesforce

B2B businesses know how hard lead generation could get, and they see it as a challenge.

But, it can be overcome with Lead Prospecting B2B Business Salesforce. salesforce einstein

After all, concluding a lead from a random customer interaction is a prowess Salesforce B2B Commerce revels in. salesforce lightning

So how do you know which is a prospective lead? For that, you should either be a salesperson who has direct access or contact with individual buyers and is able to communicate your business proposition in a tailored manner in consonance with his/her interests. salesforce service cloud

Or you should be using Salesforce CPQ for B2B Subscriptions, in which case the lead prospecting process is fully automated, thanks to its AI capability.

How else can you connect with your prospects?

1) Refer to social channels

The immense popularity of social media can prove a boon for your business. It provides a platform where businesses meet prospects. salesforce cloud

Replacing email as the primary form of communication, social media is being actively used by brands for social selling. cpq salesforce

So, try to dig deeper into your social channels to gain better insights into the prospects.

2) Use quantitative data

Salesforce tools store and analyze large amounts of customer data, churning out the same as quantitative insights that make the lead-generation process a lot more productive.

The quality data is important to the point that its absence is considered problematic or in fact, a barrier to lead generation by at least 42% of marketers. salesforce billing

The data analytics tools that B2B Commerce Storefront comes with offer intelligent views into behaviors of leads, thereby gleaning useful details about business-to-business buyer’s.

Using the same set of analytics tools helps identify quality prospects or simply put, assists in the process of lead prospecting, and on a successful implementation can lead to a whopping 77 percent increase in lead generation ROI. b2b e commerce

Therefore, using a salesperson’s marketing acumen and qualitative data can help you identify prospective leads and track their progress as they journey through the sales funnel.

How to Launch a Salesforce Storefront Fast

During this pandemic, we’ve learned that aB2B Commerce Storefront has become an absolute necessity. commerce cloud

In its wake, B2B organizations have been put on the pedestal of digital-first commerce. And it’s evident that face-to-face selling won’t avail in the post-pandemic landscape.

Your subscription products need B2B Commerce Storefront in order to get to stores faster while lowering expenditure. salesforce implementation

In fact, one of the best B2B eCommerce Features that comes to the rescue is that selling online is less expensive with B2B Commerce.

Salesforce puts it more precisely, sharing that, on average, companies using B2B commerce save $12 per order. salesforce community

Here’s how you can launch a B2B Commerce Storefront a lot quicker.

1) Deploy B2B commerce to meet customer needs

Manually entering orders is a thing of the past. Deploying B2B commerce frees your salespeople from the manual, time-consuming labor of inputting orders.

They can use the time saved to do more productive work such as quoting and hunting for business opportunities. salesforce partner

Not only does it improve ROI but it also cements lasting customer relations and loyalty, and promotes better engagement.

2) Choose a division that promises a reliable supply chain.

Sometimes, companies shut down soon after launch because of a bad buying experience.

It’s usually the result of their ecommerce site being replete with out of stock products.

3) Use Salesforce’s Quick Start Commerce for B2B.

It’s imperative, not a privilege, for a business to get to the market fast. That’s why using Salesforce Quick Start Commerce is recommended because it gets your B2B venture live faster. You also get customer-specific catalogs a lot quicker.

4) Vouch for speed and agility.

Besides metrics, there are things that matter more. And speed and agility fall in that category! Salesforce storefronts launch at lightning speed, literally put! cpq salesforce

What about Salesforce B2B Commerce Pricing?

You might ask, since Salesforce B2B Commerce is so reliable, fast, and AI-enabled, how much does it cost? As far as Salesforce B2B Commerce Pricing is concerned, just remember that pricing depends on an individual customer’s needs. cpq salesforce

If your needs are greater, it’s obvious that you’ll be priced higher! Opting for admin assistance incurs additional costs.

But, given the Small Business eCommerce Solutions that you get with Salesforce, such as more revenue and customer-centric buying experience, prices fail to surprise or deter businesses from deploying it.

Therefore, Salesforce B2B eCommerce helps scale your business easily and quickly. And it propels your business to the B2B ecommerce marketplace in less time, helping it get more B2B eCommerce sales by empowering customers.

Its self-service tools take customer experience to the next level of excellence and ease. For its capability to adapt to any situation, COVID-19 or otherwise, Salesforce B2B Commerce Storefront is touted as the best B2B eCommerce Portal.

In fact, what’s so unique about Salesforce as a top-notch B2B eCommerce Platform is its regular updates which keep it secure, up, and running smoothly.

Source: B2B Commerce