Why You Need a B2B Ecommerce Platform
3 minute read
An ecommerce platform is a vital component for B2B businesses. The solution, which works with ERP integration, makes it easy to sell products online.
B2B companies are realizing that an ecommerce platform is an important tool to sell products online and to keep business on top in the game. People working on B2B know that they need to focus on the customer experience. Choosing the B2B platform is most important factor for any B2B business. Here are a few factors to consider when choosing a B2B platform:
Customer Experience
Most customers use different devices to place online orders, so a responsive platform plays an important role in providing the same experience across all devices. A responsive website design makes it easy to browse, purchase, and complete transactions easily, whether it’s on a mobile device, desktop computer, or tablet.
Simple Checkout Process
The checkout process should be simple and customers should be able to see all cart data easily. The pricing and discount data should be easy to access and the platform should not mislead the customer. Your checkout process should allow users to complete transactions without having to sign up for an account, because many customers are likely to abandon their cart if the checkout process forces them to sign up to complete their transaction.
Social Media
Social media provides the ability to expand your business’ reach and get more customers to explore the products on your website. Also, social media is fast network for communication and can be used by your customer service team to respond to inquiries in a quick and easy manner.
Pricing
A platform that provides customer-specific pricing should be a top priority for B2B businesses. Unlike B2C, product prices will vary depending on the basis of the customer group and quantity of orders for specific items.
Regular customers should receive more benefits than one-time customers. Setting customer-specific or special pricing helps to improve customer loyalty. Providing discounts to regular customers can dissuade shoppers from searching for the products in other online stores. Special pricing like bulk, role-based, or group options are beneficial functionalities in an ecommerce platform.
Multiple Payment Options
B2B businesses often have larger orders with recursive or subscription payment models. Multiple payment methods will give customers the option to split the order amount with multiple credit cards or ACH accounts, so customers can split the larger amount and keep the subscription on different payment methods.
Security
PCI security is a must-have for any B2B platform, as all customers are concerned with protecting their credit card information and confidential data.
Depending on the platform you select, the responsibilities differ. Customers need to have all the necessary information related to PCI security and understand how security will work within a specific platform.
Customer Relationships
B2B customers spend a lot of time developing customer relationships. These relationships frequently lead to negotiated personalized product offerings and pricing structures.
An ERP integrated with ecommerce offers solutions to build B2B customer relationships in an online store. Having a CRM integrated with your ERP makes all your customer data available in one platform.