The Future of B2B E-Commerce is Bright
When we talk about e-commerce, we generally refer to B2C (business to consumer) e-commerce. But B2B (business to business) e-commerce is growing exponentially. B2B e-commerce is the exchange of goods and services between businesses. An example of this is a clothing company selling uniforms to a business. The benefits of B2B e-commerce are sometimes overlooked. Below we’ve outlined the reasons why web stores are the future of B2B specifically.
Rising Sales and Customers
Owners of B2B companies can reap the benefits of sales much more directly — there is less error doing B2B transactions online. Currently, B2B e-commerce is two times the size of B2C; and it is predicted to keep growing. This is because B2B e-commerce strips away outdated processes and limited sales channels of traditional B2B commerce. Customers are finding that large e-commerce transactions are much simpler over the Internet. Businesses can reorder what they need with a simple click, rather than an e-mail, phone call, or mail order form. The potential of B2B e-commerce is immense.
Simplicity and Flexibility
Another benefit of web stores is that customer service and sales reps can use them for online order entry tools. For example, k-eCommerce has a Sales Portal, which can be used on the road by sales reps, and synchronized back to Microsoft Dynamics. So even if you’re not an entirely e-commerce B2B business, you can still use your web store to help with your physical store.
The flexibility of an e-commerce store is also very important. Personalization is a new trend in the e-commerce world. Rather than focusing on promoting a specific product line, this change places focus on each unique customer. Personalization features within k-eCommerce includes custom catalogs per user. B2B marketers are increasingly turning to website personalization to provide content that is specifically geared towards individual buyers, largely segmented by industry, department, function, or role.
Lastly, businesses can conduct transactions over their mobile device. This is very helpful for clients or sales reps that are on the road a lot. Overall, the advances in B2B e-commerce are leading the digital revolution.