Giving a tough competition to B2C e-commerce, B2B is blooming but, there are a few mistakes many newbies make in a rush to reach the top, upon three of which, we are throwing some light today.
Amazon, eBay, Alibaba etc. – what is the common thread in all these companies? A decade ago, these companies were just starting out in B2C retailing, but now are the public’s go-to online platform to purchase any goods for the home or office or other personal use.
B2B is a similar nascent stage. Or rather, it has already picked up. The belief that e-commerce is only for B2C has been broken, and people/companies have started making purchases/selling through B2B platforms. The projected growth potential as compared to B2C in terms of revenue and sales is going to be exponentially higher. We need to get ourselves ready for this online B2B e-commerce journey now to tap into the untapped potential in the coming decade.
Another one of the major reasons for the advent of the shift from traditional business retailing to online B2B platform is the novel COVID-19 pandemic. Online shopping surged during the lockdown hitting the retailers, wholesalers, distributors badly with the need for an online presence that led to a major shift towards the B2B marketplace.
In short, to meet the fast-paced transformation of the world and consumer behavior, after knowing the latest technology that giving a spin off to eCommere industry and implementing them well without any slip-ups is the only way to thrive in this new landscape. So, let’s take a look at the top 3 B2B e-commerce mistakes that you must stay very steer clear of.
1. Not providing a B2C-like shopping experience
Indeed, B2B is different from B2C but, that doesn’t mean you need not give importance to its user experience. A B2B buyer is a customer too, and UX matters in it just like B2C. Everything from site usability, personalization, product recommendation, special offers, easy ordering process, fast fulfilment and checkout process is a must for B2B e-commerce. A B2B buyer will certainly enjoy shopping from a website having high-resolution product images, detailed product descriptions, advanced search capabilities, payment options, personalized promotions, live chat, and other common B2C features of e-commerce shopping.
Ensure that the welcome page or the landing page sends across the right message to the potential customer and serve their needs. Also, pay attention to the navigation of your site as although all the services and clickable buttons are available on your site, if the customer doesn’t find them in the required location or the page takes more time to upload, it’s a loss. Remember, the attention span of the customer is less, nowadays, and they might switch to another e-commerce site within a split second of time if your speed, performance, features, appearance of the site are not up to the mark.
2. Neglecting the importance of mobile B2B e-commerce
Smartphones are more of a medium of shopping than just a mode of communication. The convenience and accessibility ease one gets from shopping via mobile is making mobile commerce a hit which B2B business owners must incorporate just like B2C because B2B buyers too are finding it more comfortable to research products, request price quotes, complete transactions and contact customer service, from their smartphones more than any other medium.
3. Investing less in your sales team
Some believe that once your e-commerce is set there will be a flooding of sales. Well, it is nothing like that. Just having an online presence won’t bring you sales. You will need your sales and marketing team to entice a customer to the product. It is essential to involve them in making the transition to B2B e-commerce. In fact, it would be better to source their inputs on how to optimize the services or what features must be included when developing your e-commerce site.
Final Thoughts
There are many misconceptions regarding B2B e-commerce. Just because it’s business-related doesn’t mean it has to be boring. It too can be appealing like B2C, for which you must hire the service of a professional B2B eCommerce solutions provider to design the flow of service, understand the pain points and cover all the possible problems, which one can eventually face at the beginning to avoid any kind of hiccups later.
