While B2B companies have been slower to adopt ecommerce than the retail (B2C) sector, it’s predicted B2B will be over 250% bigger than B2C by the end of this year. As an indication of this rapid growth, the value of the UK B2B market in 2017 was estimated to be $99billion.
With this scale of opportunity, the choice of B2B ecommerce platform you make to link in with your manufacturing or wholesale business model is important. It needs to be carefully considered as part of your overall strategy.
Here are some key ecommerce features included in the Cloudfy offering that we recommend you consider before making this important decision.
Multi-channel and multi-device performance
B2B buyers will use desktop, tablet and mobile devices during their decision-making process and will often search online, call sales and customer service teams, and look for reviews.
The logistics of maintaining consistency across devices and channels can be a challenge. That’s why your choice of ecommerce platform should deliver your product catalogue seamlessly, wherever you want to present it, by easily integrating with a single source of information behind the scenes.
This will ensure that your information is accurately available in real time. It will improve the sales process and enhance customer satisfaction. It also won’t limit buyers to just your ecommerce store, as it won’t matter which channels your customers choose. They can easily move between them. If they are already registered customers you can also give them personalized views of their buying history, provide price breaks and delivery preferences.
Fast results for mobile users
Up to half of the searches business buyers make will include use of mobile devices.
If they have to wait more than three seconds for a page to load they are likely to move on.
That means your ecommerce platform needs to be responsive for mobile devices and deliver results – fast. To keep up with competitors you will need well-designed and technically effective web pages and the ability to have pages that can load fast.
Quality content
Content is more than information. It’s part of your business DNA. It will build brand recognition and deliver value to your customers in addition to your unlimited products or services. That will give your buyers the confidence to make their purchases with you.
To keep your content fresh and user friendly, it’s important that your site is easy to update and manage. This will improve your search engine rankings thanks to the popularity of your blog posts, technical specifications, troubleshooting guides, ‘how to’ videos, and social media shares.
Easy and relevant search results
Depending on the size of your catalogue, your customers could have the choice of hundreds, perhaps even thousands of options. They want results quickly, so they’re unlikely to spend time working through navigation menus.
Reliable, easy and effective searches will make their job much easier. Your ecommerce platform can even give existing customers tailored menus and searches, based on their buying history.
Dynamic pricing
It’s no longer enough to offer coupons and loyalty programs to your customers. They will expect to see offers and price breaks that reflect their own unique business relationship with you.
So, your ecommerce software and platform should allow you to create multiple price lists that you can apply to individual customers or groups.
Payment options
Invoicing isn’t the only option for B2B transactions and many business buyers now prefer direct payment methods that are fast and efficient. Manually handling local taxes and currency adjustments can slow down your international business.
Your ecommerce platform can automate it all for you. This enables smooth payment gateways that ultimately heighten the user experience.
A solution in the Cloud
We know you will want to look at all the options available to you before you make your choice. We recommend you include Cloudfy in your review because it has been specifically designed for B2B businesses. This means that you have a solid platform to support your online ambitions and give you that edge.
Because Cloudfy is a software as a service (SaaS) solution you will also receive the latest innovations thanks to regular updates that are deployed in the Cloud. This is why Cloudfy is becoming one of the most increasingly popular ecommerce platforms offering great value in this competitive market. In terms of B2B ecommerce solutions, few come close to the flexibility and ease of use Cloudfy provides.
Ecommerce websites that truly stand out will keep being visited, so let us show you all that Cloudfy has to offer. Contact us for a free demonstration.
