Strategic B2B E-Commerce: More Success in Your Digital Business

The journey to business success is always a unique one. When it comes to B2B, i.e. business-to-business commerce, this statement is especially true. Here, customer relationships are more complex, requests more individual and expectations higher. To meet these requirements, B2B companies need a modern and, above all, holistic digital strategy.

In this article, you will learn how to implement modern B2B e-commerce strategies and which solutions are best suited to your company.

B2B E-Commerce Does Not Equal B2C E-Commerce

In B2C, e-commerce has been booming for decades – and even though people in companies have their own personal expectations when it comes to digital experiences, requirements cannot be transferred directly from B2C to B2B.

Depending on the company and industry, buyers need different products in different variations. Additionally, companies expect adjusted prices from their suppliers and service providers – especially when customer relationships have existed for a long time. In B2B, these are particularly crucial to ensuring steady sales. Your customers rely on the consistent quality of your products, but also on your personalised service.

Individual Requirements Equal Complex Challenges

Although no two B2B purchases are the same, the respective customer journeys are very similar. Digitalisation offers you helpful opportunities to optimise purchasing processes and place more focus on maintaining personal relationships.

And it pays off: at 17.9 trillion US dollars, B2B e-commerce sales were five times larger than those in B2C last year.

To take full advantage of this potential, you should put your B2B digital strategy to the test:

• Are your digital channels saving your customers time and money?
• Is the customer experience pleasant and does it strengthen customer loyalty?
• Is digitalisation helping your business succeed?
• Is your e-commerce strategy delivering sustained growth?

Various approaches and technologies can help you optimise these aspects.

B2B E-Commerce: Anytime, Anywhere and in the Best Possible Way

Although it still makes sense to sell products on marketplaces, just like in B2C, you should nevertheless promote your own online shop in B2B. This includes a smart digital business strategy that reduces manual effort with the help of automated processes, thereby saving time and keeping costs down. You can also integrate modern features such as configurators to improve the shopping experience of your target audience.

When implementing your e-commerce solution, you can choose between easily customisable standard systems and complex in-house developments. Audits and design thinking workshops help you make this decision and develop a clear vision for your e-commerce strategy. In this context, you can also address additional digital disciplines that support your B2B success.

The following questions can serve as an inspiration:

• How can you optimise your brand and user experience?
• Which digital marketing activities support your e-commerce strategy?
• How can you use intelligent search tools and recommendations to ensure more personalisation?
• How can good product and master data management give your B2B business an additional boost?
• How can all these processes be monitored via a business intelligence system?

Mobile Commerce in B2B

In the hustle and bustle of daily business, being able to place orders from the factory floor or in between external appointments is extremely convenient for companies. This has also been recognised by 75 per cent of B2B companies, who hope for positive developments through mobile optimisation of their digital offerings.

Agility Above Everything: Solution Providers for Successful B2B E-Commerce

Whether in B2B or B2C, agility is the foundation for long-term success. In the face of technological innovations and changing customer expectations, you should also adapt your digital offerings. However, the array of flexible technologies for company-owned online shops is huge. Due to the highly individual requirements, there is no one-size-fits-all solution.

For example, the plastics manufacturer Röchling Industrial opted for Salesforce B2B Commerce Cloud to map sales processes and individual cut-to-size calculation in a configurator. norelem, a supplier of standard parts and components for machine and plant construction, decided to use SAP Commerce. With this solution, the company can map its wide range of products in a particularly user-friendly way and make them available internationally.

B2B E-Commerce: An Overview of Strategies and Solutions – Download the »Best Practices« Publication Now!

Gain more insights into how major B2B players use innovative digital solutions to position themselves for the future in our »Digitalisation in B2B Best Practices« publication. Learn how to properly manage complex B2B relationships, succeed with a multi-channel platform and move towards a data-driven B2B future for more success in your digital business.

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