B2B ecommerce set to overtake B2C in 2014

Business to business ecommerce has been on a steady incline over the last year, with the introduction of Amazon supply and Google shopping suggesting that the B2B market will double the size of B2C by the close of 2014. All B2B ecommerce companies who currently do not have their products available online should consider it a priority. In this day and age, creating and maintaining an online presence is vital for companies who wish to be successful. This is not always a straight forward decision as the B2B buying cycle is often long winded and complex. Conflicts can arise between direct and online sales channels due to inevitable cost implication, especially when integrating online systems into business systems that are already established. This is understandably a big decision to make but the potential rewards should be enough of a catalyst to change.

B2B vs. B2C ecommerce

When migrating B2B customers online, companies on average can expect to see a 44% increase in order value and 38% of online trading businesses acknowledge that their customers have spent more as a result. Half the companies that have made this transition have reduced their acquisition costs, whilst 52% have decreased their support costs. The more channels that customers have to purchase from, the more money they spend and the more loyal to your business they become. Traditional sales channels can often prove to be dead ends for struggling businesses, whereas as ecommerce can be a great way to differentiate your business from competition and to increase sales.

Key considerations when building B2B ecommerce solutions:

• A smooth online experience with an intuitive order process is crucial so that your customers may be able to navigate your products and services with ease. With such impressive commercial websites like Amazon out there, customers have become used to slick, efficient and convenient ordering processes which leads to customer loyalty and the potential of them to spend more.
• It is important to allow customers the ability to manage, track and edit orders online. This ensures a speedy process without the need for human resources. For example, the sales team that would have been responsible for someone's order could now use their time more productively by finding new clients. This is a good way to save time as well as money.
• Having adjustable price sliders are a must have so your customers can quickly and easily increase the quantity of the product they are purchasing. You should link these to your back office (account and stockholding) systems, so that orders and stock inventory can be updated in real time, showing changes in your main database, therefore you will always know important facts & figures.
• Make sure to plan for the full extent of the marketing mix before your site is launched as this could greatly decrease the time to grow online revenue. Ideally the site will assume an overall 'digital strategy' encompassing all of the essential marketing channels (email, mobile, and social media).

So as you can see, it is absolutely essential for a business to embrace the world of ecommerce, as it is destined to be the platform for the future of trading and commerce.

Advansys – B2B ecommerce solutions

Advansys, founded in 2000, offer specialist ecommerce solutions and a broad range of internet marketing services including search engine optimization, corporate website development, bespoke web based applications, multi channel retail solutions and much more. As passionate ecommerce specialists, our team is dedicated to working with diverse clients, from sole-traders to large corporate businesses to drive through a successful outcome. You can call us today on 0845 838 2700, or you can email your query to sales@advansys.com.