Five B2B common opinions on e-commerce
-B2B operators do not trust (so far) online business models. Why?-
1) “I thought e-commerce was only for my purchases as a consumer, sold by B2C companies”
That is the first misconception about online commerce. Digital commerce is not just about the purchase on Amazon of the latest book from your favourite author, or that pair of shoes you love so much. E-commerce offers thousands of opportunities also for B2B professionals — what you really need is to equip your customers with a friendly, simple, attractive, engaging users’ interface. In a nutshell, the bar has been set high by B2C operators — and B2B players should offer the same user experience. However, at the same time, it is a must to deliver comprehensive content and technical data, with a tailored B2B ordering and delivery process (also known as “cart flow” in e-commerce), which allows the B2B buyers to meet their business processes.
2) “Online commerce does not provide enough information, compared to hard-copy catalogues”
Again, that is not true anymore. Technology makes it possible to create huge structured databases, with high quality of data and technical specifications, accessible from anywhere thanks to cloud hosting — exactly just like what Amazon has been doing for decades. Then, you can easily handle your products data and your start selling everywhere around the world — without relying anymore on those heavy, bulky, awkward paper-made catalogues. Also, you will no more look through many pages in those unwieldy catalogues to find what you need. Just type the product you want in the search bar of a good e-commerce website: the clever search algorithms will lead you onto millions of articles and technical data, and find the most relevant to your precise needs.
3) “Online presence is costly and does not increase my company revenues”
B2C has taught how online presence needs to be managed effectively. As B2B buyers’ expectations have increased, customers’ expectations are leading B2B firms to shift toward rich omni-channel experiences. Providing a comprehensive omni-channel experience helps ensure your customers’ loyalty. Besides, after entering the digital market, you can explore, benefit from and cover a totally untapped market, while gaining high online visibility.
Moreover, all these benefits come with much lower costs than you may think. Indeed, Software as a Service (SaaS) offers to clients advanced functionalities, without up-front expenses or the struggle of dealing with the installation or maintenance of traditional softwares. SaaS provides access to its business functions remotely as a web-based service, at a cost much less than that for licensed applications, since SaaS pricing is based on a monthly subscription fee. It also makes the user benefits from economies of scale versus classic one-off software systems.
4) “I am already in touch with my customers — after all, B2B is based on people-to-people deals”
Although you are doing business with your clients since a number of years, are you completely sure you precisely know which are the top expectations of your clients? Which electro-mechanical components they need more and faster? Are you able so far to interact with your clients 24/7, giving them an immediate access to your catalogue, providing them an enormous amount of industry-related technical information, and allowing them to chat with you in any moment of any day?
The reality is that retailers often do not have quality data about products, while distributors lack information to help retailers to sell more and better.
B2B e-commerce enables you to carry out all these activities and first and foremost to know which are the current most urgent needs of your clients. Besides, you will offer them a seamless customer experience: no more uncertainty for their business, no more inefficient quotation processing, no more stress due to unexpected troubles or misunderstandings. Give your customers a real time view on their order status.
If you know them, if you help them, if you engage them with your website, products offered, and high value content, then you will retain them.
5) “I don’t want to disrupt my company operations, bother my sales people, nor lose my existing employees”
You will not. You will enable your organisation with the right tools and a user friendly, clear, attractive website, where you can show and sell your products. All the other logistic tasks — terms of payment, shipment, delivery, warehouse management, and so forth — remain exactly the same as your traditional, proven business.
Processes that are executed offline, person to person, with papers, can now be enabled online, remaining person to person. Just faster and easier for both sellers and buyers.
Eventually, you will be able to exploit your employees’ skills and drive your organisation towards efficiency. Your staff indeed will not be required anymore to execute low added value tasks, such as handling a request for quotation or generating a bill of quantities. On the contrary, your people will be focused on what really matters — meeting clients’ expectations and delivering them a superior service level and customer care. In other words, they will be in charge of bringing value to your organisation and your clients.
Pietro Borsano
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