What are the Benefits of Adopting the SaaS Approach to B2B eCommerce?
The way enterprises manage their business online has changed substantially. When eCommerce was just taking off, entrepreneurs were using on-premise eCommerce solutions to build their online store. It was the only option to set up a full-fledged eCommerce store.
As eCommerce evolved over the years, hosted technology forayed into the space making it easy to launch an eCommerce business. Today, several hosted platforms have a strong presence in the eCommerce market.
Hosted eCommerce platforms are essentially SaaS-based solutions that have several advantages over their on-premise version.
What is SaaS?
SaaS acronym for software as a service is a software delivery model in which the application, as well as the underlying IT infrastructure, can be accessed over the Internet. You can use the application from any device with an internet connection. The SaaS provider develops and hosts the software application on the web browser, making it available to the customers via the Internet.
Manage your eCommerce Business in a Hassle-free Way
A B2B eCommerce solution provider with a SaaS-based approach relieves you from managing the technical aspects of your eCommerce store. The SaaS provider has a team of experts that handle all the technicalities including software updates, server configuration/maintenance, website performance, security patches, etc.
A SaaS approach provides an economical way to set up and operate your online business. The maintenance aspect is taken care of by the SaaS provider who monitors your website 24/7 for any issues. This will enable you to optimize your resources, enabling your team to focus on sales and business growth.
On the other hand, maintenance of on-premise solutions is tedious and an expensive proposition. So startups and small to medium-sized businesses should avoid using on-premise eCommerce to launch their online presence.
Get Integration and Customization Options within your Budget
On-premise eCommerce platforms offer endless customization and integration possibilities, and a lot more flexibility as compared to SaaS eCommerce solutions. However, all these features and functionalities are available at a great cost, burning a deep hole in your pocket.
Although platforms working in the SaaS environment offer limited options, their benefits far outweigh the cons. Easy to set and manage are some of the perks that you get while using SaaS solutions.
SaaS platforms also come with good integration and customization capabilities, allowing you to personalize the shopping experience of your customers. They also have a built-in eCommerce catalog module which will you to quickly upload the product catalog into your store.
Highly Scalable
Scalability in on-premise platforms is a time-taking activity as it involves adjusting the entire infrastructure.
SaaS eCommerce platforms are infinitely scalable that allow users to expand storage and bandwidth as and when needed on the go. This will allow you to easily handle increased website traffic and meet your evolving needs. New functionality can also be added on-demand with minimum effort.
If you have decided to offer a large number of products, it is possible to expand the storage capacity of the SaaS-based eCommerce catalog solution.
Wrapping Up
From software upgrades to bug fixes, the SaaS provider shoulders everything so that B2B users can concentrate on the most important aspect of their business organization — sales. With B2B eCommerce platforms, users can ensure fixed, predictable operational expenses and run their business through a web browser.
