Modern self-service B2B ecommerce for manufacturers and distributors

MoreĀ revenue for manufacturersĀ and distributors now comes from digital channels than ever before butĀ research showsĀ there’s still a long way to go before business to business (B2B) customers have full self-service options.Ā 

Direct sales and channel partners still account for most transactions but there are opportunities to transform performance with a digital commerce strategy.Ā 

B2B ecommerce priorities

As an increasing proportion ofĀ B2B buyers are now millennials and Gen ZĀ expectations for easy and effective online self-service are high. They want to find detailed product information, specifications and recommendations online and to buy directly from your website.Ā 

The majorityĀ prefer to buy onlineĀ rather than placing their orders with a sales representative. While almost three quarters of B2B companies inĀ one surveyĀ said they were making more direct sales on their website in 2021, compared with just over half in 2020, improved customer experiences are needed.Ā 

If you are concerned that digital sales willĀ disrupt your established offline sales channelsĀ there is plenty of scope to create a new environment where they can work together seamlessly. This could include empowering your field sales professionals withĀ mobile tablet devicesĀ so they can access real-time information about pricing and stock availability, see customer accounts, and place orders on their behalf.Ā 

You can also explore how online self-service could open upĀ new opportunities overseasĀ or for different sectors that you can’t currently accommodate.Ā 

Creating your B2B ecommerce roadmap

Enabling self-service for B2B buyers is often the first and most important step of the digital journey for manufacturers and distributors. Depending on your business type, you could start with customers outside of your main sales areas, focus on a specific segment or stage of a customer’s lifecycle, or those who place frequent repeat orders.Ā 

You will want to define the specific business benefits you will realize through a self-service approach. These could include reduced customer service enquiries concerning order status, reordering or billing with near real time information provided throughĀ business systems integration. You might want to improve the speed of yourĀ quote to cash processĀ for increased profitability with around the clock self-service. You could also exploreĀ automationĀ to provide personalized product recommendations based on buyer behavior to increase sales.Ā 

Once your customers are registered on your site you can also streamline your after sales services with reordering reminders, offers and updates.Ā 

The next steps

Assisted ecommerceĀ can combine your online and offline sales channels and allow your customers to decide how and when they want to engage with you. This is ideal for longer and moreĀ complex sales cyclesĀ which involve multiple decision makers and extensive research and specification processes.Ā 

By reducing buyer uncertainty during the B2B sales process you can help them navigate complex organizational purchasing requirements with flexible processes and tailored information. You can speed up purchasing decisions and build confidence for placing higher value orders.Ā 

YourĀ sales teamĀ can become involved at the right time to answer questions and to become a trusted advisor, giving the benefit of their product knowledge and experience. Even where yourĀ online informationĀ is high quality your buyers will value assistance to interpret and use it effectively.Ā 

Phone calls, email, live chats, document sharing, complex orders and online product building can all be coordinated seamlessly. Once finalized, orders can be approved digitally or be handled by your sales team, depending on your customer’s needs.Ā 

Implementing your B2B ecommerce self-service strategy

It’s important to take account ofĀ your organization’s cultureĀ when planning your implementation program.Ā 

While deep integration and automation will benefit your business in the longer term you might want to start by introducing self-service to priority customer groups or internal departments, depending on the potential impact on your core business and revenue streams.Ā 

You will also need to assess the implications for your existingĀ offline channel partnersĀ and ensure that they can see clear benefits too. This might include simplified ordering, up to date pricing according to their contract terms, and accurate information about stock levels and deliveries.Ā 

If you have a well-established field sales structure yourĀ compensation modelĀ will need to be updated to recognise sales through digital channels and to motivate adoption.Ā 

To be sure you are achieving your intended results you will also want some realistic and usefulĀ key performance indicatorsĀ and an approach to generating helpful andĀ actionable insightsĀ based on the rich data you will be able to collect, based on your customers’ online activities.Ā 

Take the first step

Since 2009 Williams Commerce has deliveredĀ innovative B2B ecommerce solutions. We use all this experience to help our customers define their ecommerce strategies, design and build their ecommerce platform and market their businesses online.Ā 

Talk to one of our experts today.Ā 

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