Four signs that indicate it is time for a change of the B2B eCommerce platform
Does it seem like your eCommerce solution isn’t completely aligned with your business goals? If your answer is yes, then it is time to think about a new eCommerce solution. The truth is, a change of the B2B eCommerce platform isn’t an easy decision to be made.
However, if you are facing problems like bad user experience in eCommerce or over demanding maintenance of the existing platform, then there really isn’t an alternative solution. To avoid any doubts, here are four definite signals that it’s time for a change of the B2B eCommerce system.
1.Too high maintenance costs and inefficiency of the B2B eCommerce platform
The cost of B2B eCommerce doesn’t stop after implementing a new system. One of the more significant items is maintaining the new B2B platform. If it requires too much time and money, and is also becoming more inefficient, changing the B2B eCommerce platform is the logical solution.
Manually inputting and updating product information, checking the compatibility of data between the ERP system and eCommerce, constant eCommerce platform upgrading costs, order errors and returns – surely you didn’t consider all these problems when you decided to digitalize your sales.
Still, there is a simple way of dealing with them with the help of an integrated B2B eCommerce system . One of the biggest advantages of the integrated eCommerce solution is the automation of the sales process. B2B eCommerce integration with an ERP system enables managing all data located in the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central system and all others Microsoft tools that it is integrated with.
That way, the manufacturing process, inventory condition and client communication are significantly simplified. The integrated B2B eCommerce platform guarantees a 100% accurate data because it’s not a separate new system, but an extension of the ERP where all your data is already located.
2. Incompatibility of B2B eCommerce platform and business goals
B2B eCommerce platform has to follow the business development that brings the more complex business needs and processes. Changing the business model, new target groups of users with their specific requests, introducing new payment options or compatibility of business with new tax regulations – these are all situations that could become a problem if it is not possible to conduct them in B2B eCommerce.
That is exactly why you should timely check can your existing eCommerce platform keep up with the business strategy. If it is hard to align it with the company’s business goals, changing the B2B eCommerce platform could save you from mistakes and oversights that would appear because of the more complex business.
3. Bad user experience of shopping in the B2B eCommerce
More than two 2/3 of B2B clients make the decision to buy based on the user experience they had in a B2B web shop. Important parts of a positive user experience in B2B eCommerce are: a personalized offer, communication at the time of delivery and client engagement. Your B2B clients want you to understand their expectations from a financial and intellectual point of view and to offer them benefits they can’t get elsewhere.
That is why the optimization of the user experience has become a key part of the B2B eCommerce buying process. If it is impossible to do it inside an eCommerce system you are currently using, a change of the B2B eCommerce platform is necessary.
B2B buyers want accurate, real-time information on the inventory condition, a simple catalogue overview and a fast, efficient and personalized shopping. An integrated B2B eCommerce system provides all of that. Also, in an integrated B2B eCommerce, clients have an insight into previously created orders, detailed information on prices, updated calculations of various tax rates and the option of printing necessary documents. They can do it anytime anywhere.
Besides, these systems create analytics of buyer movement in the B2B web shop which helps you to recognize eventual shortcomings in their user experience before they become a problem that will make them give up buying.
You can conduct the testing yourselves to see how much B2B clients are pleased with the shopping experience in your eCommerce system. What is their feedback? Are they ready to place orders via eCommerce? How often do they run into problems with errors in orders and returns in eCommerce? Do they see your eCommerce as a self-service platform or do they still need help when buying online? Answers to these questions are a clear indicator of B2B client satisfaction.
4. The lack of key B2B eCommerce functionalities
Certain B2B eCommerce functionalities are necessary for providing a positive online shopping experience for your B2B clients. They also simplify and speed up the process of ordering articles and decrease the need for an offline user support. If your current system doesn’t dispose of such functionalities, changing the B2B eCommerce platform will become quite certain in time.
What are actually key functionalities of B2B eCommerce that make the process of buying easier for buyers? They are extensive possibilities of searching for available products, a personalized offer and content inside eCommerce, insight into previous orders and the option of tracking the delivery. If your current B2B eCommerce system doesn’t dispose of these possibilities and doesn’t display accurate and updated product information, it’s time for a change of the platform.
B2B eCommerce that provides much more than creating orders online
B2B eCommerce is much more than just mere digitalization of sales. With the right platform, buying in B2B eCommerce can become a simple way of expanding sales with fewer costs and a safe way towards an excellent user experience for your clients. An integrated B2B eCommerce system as a user friendly self-service platform enables precisely that and motivates B2B buyers to cooperate with you as a reliable partner according to terms you have defined yourselves.
You are looking for a quality eCommerce platform that will help you with that? Contact us today to be presented with the best solutions for pleased online buyers and a successful B2B web shop.
