The transformation of the digital environment of companies is also changing B2B e-commerce. According to Fevad, inter-company electronic transactions could reach 24% of the total amount of B2B sales by 2020. B2B e-commerce thus has strong growth potential. However, the sale on this market implies the use and the installation of specific elements. Although B2B buyers increasingly want an experience similar to that experienced on B2C sites, dedicated features must absolutely be offered.
The specificities of B2B e-commerce
B2B e-commerce sites have certain specificities compared to B2C merchant sites. It's up to you to determine and implement these elements in order to provide B2B buyers with a simple and pleasant experience. Here are some examples of specific features to implement on your B2B e-shop:
- Create multiple customer profiles. These types of customers can be: resellers, partners, wholesalers, individuals, etc. Each of these types of customers has specific characteristics that make it possible to classify them and thus subsequently offer them appropriate offers.
- Offer differentiated management of your catalog and your prices for B2B. The primary objective when setting up a B2B e-shop remains to establish a specific catalog for each category of customer, from a single product database. In other words, hide certain products for certain users and highlight others for other categories of consumers. In this way, you segment your offer and already offer a much more relevant customer experience.
- Offer different packaging solutions to professionals. When you sell in B2B, it is essential to offer specific packaging options to meet the expectations of professionals who usually buy in large quantities. Your packaging must therefore be different from that offered to your B2C customers.
- Configure “multi-tariff” criteria. Since you sell your products to two different types of targets (individuals and professionals), it is essential that you offer a differentiated pricing strategy. Thus, you have different prices for the same product. This price is displayed once your customer has identified himself on your website. It is therefore personalized. Thus, if you sell your products to individuals but also to professionals, you must absolutely offer different prices for the same product. This price changes according to the customer. It will then be displayed including tax or excluding tax. On the other hand, you can for example display to professionals a crossed-out public price by highlighting the discounted price from which it benefits.
- Remember to integrate decreasing prices. In B2B, the quantities purchased can sometimes be significant. It's up to you to offer adapted prices according to the quantity slices purchased. For example, offer quantity or recurring purchase discounts. Also offer the possibility of negotiating directly with a commercial available online. Indeed, some elements require negotiation such as the specific terms of payment, delivery, return policy, etc.
B2B E-Shop: How to create a 100% optimized online experience?
Business-to-business relationships on the web are on the rise. The next challenge will now be linked to the creation of an experience similar to that of B2C e-commerce sites while integrating the specificities of the B2B market. In order to offer an optimized experience on your B2B e-shop you must take advantage of a set of features: professional prices and catalogs, B2B customer area, recurring orders, end-of-month invoicing, etc.
Discover several examples of features to implement in your B2B e-shop:
- Business customer accounts in order to manage customer receivables, deferred invoicing, management of outstandings, etc.
- The management of rights, access, permissions, by users or by entities.
- Adaptive catalogs according to customers in order to offer specific price lists and discounts.
- A tool allowing buyers / sellers interactions.
- The possibility of restocking on recurring orders.
- Management of debt collection issues.
- The possibility of carrying out a back-end integration of theERP and CRM to manage large batches or personalized customer experiences.
- The possibility of validating the solvency of customers (control of the outstanding amount, etc.).
By integrating a set of features dedicated to B2B on your e-commerce site, you will gradually build a pleasant environment for professional buyers. In this way, you will put the odds on your side to start developing an effective customer relationship (and therefore loyalty) strategy! Would you like a demo of a simple and flexible solution for creating a successful B2B e-shop? Contact Solusquare !
