With different processes around payments, budgeting, cataloging, and custom product needs, business-to-business (B2B) selling is unmistakably more complicated than selling to consumers (B2C).
For decades, B2C businesses have made the move from brick-and-mortar, phone-based selling to online commerce (and arguably back again!). Meanwhile, B2B ecommerce has traditionally been slower to transition to ecommerce. There are two main reasons for this:
- The processes around account management, purchase orders, and invoices continue to be done in-person with offline methods, especially when it comes to older retailers.
- Software features and capabilities are slow to adapt to and accommodate the complex needs of B2B retailers.
With the introduction of modern B2B ecommerce platforms like BigCommerce, brands can now channel their previous business complexities into apps, API integrations, and built-in native features — allowing them to capitalize on the online B2B audience and reap the benefits seen by many B2C businesses – all without compromising their sales team and long-built, hard-won B2B customer loyalty.
What to Consider Before Moving Your B2B Business Online
What KPIs and Metrics Should Guide B2B Ecommerce Store Development and Online Store Performance?
Before you start building out an ecommerce store, sit down with your sales team to discuss how you want to measure your online store's performance, including what kind of traffic you want to see go through the online channel versus inbound offline sales.
Determine your online target market.
The people who shop online need to be marketed to differently — they may not respond to direct mail as well as they’d respond to a retargeting ad. Think of your online and offline clients as two separate personas with the same inherent motivation: to purchase your product.
How Should You Structure Product Taxonomy to Create the Best Storefronts for B2B Ecommerce?
B2B businesses are organized primarily through online and offline catalogues. In ecommerce, the way your products are displayed on your website has a say in the conversion rate — the rate at which people purchase a product. The best B2B storefronts typically convert the best as well.
If you don’t organize your website well by using proper categories and search functionality, it can hit your bottom line. Take time to conduct user testing and A/B test the categories of your website and your product taxonomy to ensure that shoppers are getting the best user experience possible when engaging with your B2B storefront.
What Online Pricing Strategies Work Best for B2B Retailers Running a B2B Online Store?
B2B selling focuses on incentives and negotiated prices. As a B2B retailer, you need online sales strategies that work for your B2B online store and reflect more complex, relationship-based pricing methods.
Adding a Request for Quote (RFQ) feature lets customers negotiate for large or custom orders online, delivering tailored quotes and preserving the personal approach valued by business buyers.
Include automatic bulk pricing as an option, with tiered discounts applied as order quantities increase. This will encourage larger orders and enable customers to see savings in real time directly on your platform.
Finally, customer segmentation allows you to assign pricing, catalogs, and terms to different groups based on factors like order history or company size. This way, each customer can see pricing, products, and terms that are relevant to their segment.
What Integrations Are Critical for B2B Commerce Features and B2B Ecommerce Capabilities?
While working with larger organizations, B2B sellers need to be able to connect their products to the buyer’s procurement system, such as Ariba, Coupa, or SAP. In addition to procurement integration, modern B2B commerce capabilities should also include real-time inventory updates to ensure accurate stock levels across channels and advanced account management tools to handle complex buyer hierarchies, custom pricing, and approval workflows. These B2B commerce features are crucial to stay competitive.
Stepping Stones to Your B2B Ecommerce Store
Now that you’ve done the research and decided to move your B2B business online, you need to equip your business with the right tools and solutions to facilitate your growth.
This starts with identifying the ecommerce platform to use, as well as the agency you hire to help build out the design and experience of your website.
Choosing the Right B2B Ecommerce Platform
Whether the seller uses a SaaS-based B2B ecommerce platform, like BigCommerce B2B Edition, or an on-premise solution such as Magento B2B store development, this ability is essential.
SaaS platforms usually provide high uptime, robust security, and automatic updates, making them ideal for businesses that prioritize reliability and scalability. In contrast, on-premise solutions offer unparalleled customization options, enabling companies to tailor their platform to specific workflows and customer needs, though they may require more resources to manage security and maintain consistent uptime.
Selecting a B2B Ecommerce Agency Partner
Unless you have a fully-staffed and trained group on your team that can master the creation and launch of your B2B storefront, you’ll need to be on the lookout for a B2B ecommerce agency to help you bring your ideas to life.
Thousands of agencies across the world have experience with B2B ecommerce development, so how do you pick the right one for your project? Start by determining the following:
- Industry Experience – What experience does the agency have in your industry? Do they have examples of clients similar to you?
- Client Proof – Ask for proof of satisfied clients. This could be through testimonials, case studies, or a quick reference phone call.
- Turnaround Time – How quickly can agencies turn work around? You want to ensure that they do a thorough job, but also have the ability to work within your anticipated timeline.
Must-Have B2B Ecommerce Website Features
Volume-Based Pricing & Discounts
This B2B ecommerce website feature allows businesses to incentivize larger orders by automatically applying tiered pricing, a critical capability for driving higher sales volumes.
Personalized Catalogs
Personalized catalogs enable sellers to tailor product offerings, pricing, and promotions to individual buyers or accounts. This B2B ecommerce capability improves the buyer experience and strengthens long-term relationships.
Multiple Shipping Addresses
B2B buyers often need to ship products to multiple locations within a single order. This B2B commerce feature streamlines the checkout process, making it easier for buyers to manage complex logistics directly from the website.
Real-Time Inventory Updates
Real-time inventory updates ensure that buyers always see accurate stock levels, which reduces the risk of overselling or backorders. This is vital for maintaining trust and operational efficiency in B2B ecommerce.
One-Click Reordering
This simplifies the purchasing process for repeat buyers by allowing them to quickly reorder previously purchased items; it’s a must-have for improving convenience and driving customer loyalty.
Advanced Search Functionality
Advanced search functionality, including filters, predictive text, and category-specific search, helps buyers quickly find the products they need. This B2B ecommerce feature is vital for enhancing usability and ensuring a seamless shopping experience.
Preparing for B2B Ecommerce Growth
The introduction of SaaS platforms and coinciding tools has paved the way for B2B ecommerce success. As the amount of people moving their businesses online increases, it’s important for you to stay ahead of your competition and strike a clear path for growth by using the best resources available: your ecommerce solution and your partner agency.
BigCommerce and Americaneagle.com, a BigCommerce development company, have partnered up to provide clients with results-driven B2B ecommerce solutions and customized B2B ecommerce. We implement the most secure and intuitive B2B ecommerce platform, paired with the onboarding and development you need, to outpace others and grow your business online.
Talk to Our Experts to Start Building Your B2B Ecommerce Store
