The Consumerization of B2B eCommerce
If you sell to business organizations today, chances are your customers want the same ease and simplicity of buying online they’re already used to from B2C eCommerce. Before making the move online, consider some unique aspects of B2B that can make eCommerce challenging:
- Sales cycles can be measured in weeks or months
- Pricing strategies and discount schedules need to be tailored to individual buyers
- Product variations and order configuration pose a challenge for purchasers
- Partner and vendor integrations need to be addressed
- Payment is not made at the time of sale; instead customers receive invoices
- Fulfillment can require a deep view of production schedules and inventory.
The LYONSCG white paper, Consumerization of B2B eCommerce, discusses how to take advantage of the opportunities building a B2B eCommerce site offers to maximize sales and customer satisfaction. B2B eCommerce can be employed to a wide range of companies. Whether you manufacture steel or premier fly-fishing equipment; whether you sell to retailers, another online dealer or licensed agents; building a B2B eCommerce site can make it possible for you to:
- provide personalized shopping environments by individual or company
- drive online sales while not disrupting retail channels
- deliver detailed product information and high quality images for a rich user experience
- support buying commodity goods in the field
- offer new options for retail replenishment
Remember, if you’re not providing your goods and services on the web now, your competitors are (or soon will be).
