Today’s B2B businesses face fierce competition. They not only have to compete with other companies from potentially anywhere in the country, but they also have to hold onto their leads through a longer buyer’s journey (compared to B2C retail), keeping people engaged and interested the entire time.
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B2B eCommerce: The Complete Growth Guide
A B2B eCommerce platform gives businesses like yours the tools they need to manage their leads and customer information while tracking campaign performance. The demand for robust solutions continues to build as B2B eCommerce trends call for increased sophistication. Here’s what you need to know about the power of these platforms, the importance of B2B eCommerce solutions, and how to find one that fits you best.
What Is a B2B eCommerce Platform?
A B2B eCommerce platform plays an essential role in managing the complex tasks involved in digital B2B selling. However, many people will ask, “What is B2B eCommerce software?” At the core, B2B eCommerce features help businesses track their customers, campaigns, and sales through a single platform. Compared to a B2C system, a B2B platform offers capabilities that cater more to the B2B sector, such as bulk ordering and custom pricing options.
B2B businesses focus on engaging other companies and the decision-makers in those organizations. Therefore, this type of platform will make it easier for them to track these relationships and cater to the particular needs of businesses with longer buyer journeys.
Why Your Business Needs a B2B eCommerce Platform
When you employ a B2B platform, your business will gain tremendous benefits. Modern companies have to engage with customers throughout a complex buyer’s journey, enticing leads to stay interested and learn what makes a particular company the best option. With a well-equipped platform, businesses can manage all these activities from a central source, which improves overall operational efficiency. Quality platforms also scale easily, allowing you to incorporate more leads and campaigns as your business grows.
With a central place to organize your campaigns and track leads, you will also likely see improved buyer relationships because you can send out critical content at the right times and better personalize your interactions. These B2B eCommerce trends lead to increased sales.
Key B2B eCommerce Features Found in the Best Platforms
As you consider the benefits of the best B2B eCommerce platforms, you will soon find yourself trying to weed through a variety of platform options that all offer different combinations of features and benefits. When you evaluate potential choices, there are certain features you’ll want to make sure are included. Specifically, the best B2B eCommerce platforms will provide:
- Personalized pricing
- Advanced product catalogs, so you can better organize your offerings
- Integration with CRM platforms for better lead and customer management
- Integration with your ERP for resource management, enhancing your ability to monitor and optimize business processes, such as supply chain management, accounting, and compliance
You can see some of the benefits of incorporating top-notch B2B eCommerce software options when you look at the success of L.A. Police Gear. With the proper tools in place and the help of an experienced service team, Groove Commerce built a better-optimized site for L.A. Police Gear. We focused on creating an outstanding user experience, improving accessibility and compliance, and continually optimizing the website. These efforts produced tremendous results, with the company reporting a 34 percent increase in its conversion rate and a 13 percent improvement in the last contentful paint, reflecting a faster site loading speed.
Top B2B eCommerce Platforms for 2024
As you start evaluating different platforms, there are a few names that will typically appear in your search results. Here are three options that you’ll probably encounter.
Shopify
Shopify is a popular choice for many businesses because it offers customer portals that you can customize with the information that your leads and buyers need. It also offers a variety of automation options and lets you use the platform with both B2B and B2C prospects in mind.
On the other hand, it is a more complex platform that can be overwhelming for those who are unaccustomed to it. While there is a three-day free trial, there is no free version.
BigCommerce
BigCommerce offers an excellent platform for scaling and doesn’t charge transaction fees when businesses use third-party payment options. Companies can utilize a cart recovery system to maximize lead engagement. Users benefit from a variety of marketplace integration options.
However, prices can run high when certain themes are selected.
CoreCommerce
CoreCommerce attracts many users because it offers a setup wizard that walks people through the initial setup process. Features like inventory tracking are also easy to use.
Nevertheless, many professionals grow frustrated with inconsistent customer support and challenges with page editing.
How to Choose the Right B2B eCommerce Platform for Your Business
As you sort through all the options, there are steps you can follow that will help you find the best choice for your organization:
- List the business needs that your B2B eCommerce platform needs to address.
- Think about existing software that you would need to integrate with the new platform.
- Consider your budget limitations and the total cost of each option.
- Evaluate the ability of different platforms to scale as your business grows.
- Assess each company’s customer service to make sure you’d have the support you need. Consider whether a B2B agency would also be helpful.
- Schedule calls with the top contenders to discuss how they can help your specific business. Evaluate their plans alongside your goals. Help them understand your customer journey and where you want to improve it.
- Choose a platform and onboard your business. Contact us at Groove Commerce if you have any questions.
Conclusion
Working with a B2B eCommerce platform can provide your business with the support and capabilities you need to drive sales and achieve greater success. Evaluate your current B2B business operations and think about getting an audit to see the value that B2B eCommerce solutions can offer you.
Be sure to consider how Groove Commerce and our B2B eCommerce agency services could benefit your organization.
