What are some of the expectations that B2B buyers have?
We live in a digital age when B2B eCommerce business is constantly faced with growing demands from clients and buyers. Clients are more demanding today than ever before and their expectations are not just closely related to particular markets any more.
That is exactly why in recent years owners of B2B companies have started investing significant funds into development of technologies so they could transfer their business to the Internet and attract online clients. But this digitalization of business in the B2B sector often presents a real challenge. Why?
Because the B2B eCommerce buyers are smart and know exactly what they want. The fact that 71% of B2B buyers make the decision to buy based on their experience during shopping attests to that.
B2B buyers expect their needs to be understood from an intellectual, financial and an emotional standpoint. Yes, they are very demanding which is withal completely expected. In B2B eCommerce you negotiate business with other company owners that are interested in a long-term business collaboration.
The influence of digitalization on B2B clients’ expectations
B2B eCommerce sector is on the verge of a great transformation which is mostly conditioned by very varying buyers’ expectations. That’s why technologies like robotics, artificial intelligence and cloud data storage are slowly but surely opening the doors of the B2B eCommerce market.
Additionally, market competition today is stronger than ever before. Although these changes in the B2B market have been present for a while, this is the first time they are happening simultaneously. And they are drastically changing “the rules of the game”.
That is exactly why this kind of business transformation, that is expected to simultaneously fulfill clients’ expectations, presents a huge challenge for many B2B company owners.
Clients dictate trends in the B2B ecommerce
Although it has brought many benefits to business, digitalization has completely switched managing trends on the market into the hands of buyers. Owing to numerous communication channels, a personalized client approach and aggressive marketing, buyers have created a hypercompetitive surrounding where they make the rules themselves.
So B2B company owners today have to be focused on creating a positive online shopping experience, more than ever. Thereby, many of them forget that many other factors affect that kind of experience, even after the purchase itself.
In fact, an important part of a positive online shopping experience is a specially designed product or services offer, client involvement and communication at the time of delivery. These are key factors that help the client to decide whether to shop again at the same place.
How to create a positive shopping experience?
B2B companies have to learn the understand what their clients want. In order to do that, they have to ask themselves questions such as – what does a buyer expect during the next interaction and what information could they be interested in when shopping next time? Yes, B2B buyers have extremely complex expectations.
One of the tools that can help fulfill expectations is an appropriate use of new technologies. That way, B2B companies simultaneously ensure the return on investing into a digital transformation of business.
The experience of buyers in a B2B web shop involves interacting with the seller of products or provider of services before, during and after the purchase itself. So, here’s some advice that can help you in creating a more satisfied client.
Information has to be simple and easily accessible
Regardless of the products or services you offer to your clients, you have to know how to simply, clearly and visibly present it to buyers. This is one of the basic rules in the e – market. What does this mean for a B2B company? Turn your business vision into simple and easily accessible information and principles.
One of the ways that enables it are “cloud” platforms that make information easily accessible. By saving time on inputting and exchanging information, B2B salespeople can focus more on the clients themselves and creating their positive online shopping experience.
You have to understand buyers and their needs
B2B companies deal with a wide range of buyers and clients. That’s why it’s sometimes difficult to relate demands of a single client to collective needs of buyers on the market. Every B2B client has different demands. Some want the lowest prices, some proactive service, others want top products and constantly available user support. How to recognize then what a client wants exactly?
You have to make a profile for every client. How? By analyzing the communication with the buyers using all available channels, including social media, available sales analytics and sales channels. To put it simply, you have to learn to predict their behavior based on all available data.
Predict your buyers’ behavior
One of the biggest challenges for B2B eCommerce companies is to realize the way their clients think. It is therefore necessary to first understand why a client chose a certain product or what brought him/her to your offer specifically.
To answer these questions, you need to follow their consumer habits based on choices they make when shopping. By having a better understanding of their needs, you can offer them better products or services. A measurement of successful business in B2B eCommerce isn’t the purchase itself, but rather the quality of the relationship you build with your clients.
If you wish to offer your products also via B2B eCommerce, contact us for more information and learn everything on the latest software solutions that will help you.