Top 7 advice on how to attract customers with integrated B2B ecommerce

How to attract buyers to a web shop? In the last few years, this question has been the focus of many B2B companies. So, two years ago, Sapio Reasearch (an American agency for research of B2B market and its buyers) has conducted a survey on the topic of B2B digital transformation.

More than 300 B2B companies have given their thoughts on the digital transformation of business. Results have shown that already then, more than 75% of companies included in the survey have planned to implement the possibility of online shopping. Their buyers simply expected them to do it.

A few years ago, B2B ecommerce companies have faced the challenge of how to “switch” their clients to an online market. It seems like today, they face some different problems.

Namely, the same agency conducted a new research this year on the topic of the B2B buying process, which gave interesting results. Yes, B2B buyers want more online channels for buying and they are willing to buy more in B2B ecommerce. But, because of previous bad experiences with online shopping, they are simply forced to look for help “offline”.

Before we get deeper into analysing and finding a solution to this problem, we need to remind ourselves of why do B2B buyers buy in ecommerce at all.

Conducted research has shown that there are three main reasons for it:

• The simplicity of online shopping (72%)
• Easy searching through online catalogues (52%)
• Inventory overview and information on the accurate delivery time (42%)

Simply put, your B2B buyers want benefits and all these questions are simply and efficiently dealt with by the integrated B2B ecommerce. OK, you have decided to use all the advantages of such a system, but you have concerns on how to present your clients with this new system and all its advantages that guarantee a unique shopping experience. These seven advices will help you.

1. Announce the integrated B2B ecommerce to your clients via email

You have invested time and effort to provide your clients with a better service, but how to attract B2B buyers to your new web shop? Announce it via email. This email notification should be short, concise, interesting and it should invite clients to try out the new integrated B2B ecommerce system and to ask for their demo version. You can also personalize this email by sending a link to a product that could be of interest to them.

2. Educate clients using video materials

An integrated B2B ecommerce simplifies B2B sales. One of the best ways to attract B2B buyers is to educate them and video materials are a perfect tool for that. Explain to them how they can easily create an order via B2B ecommerce and share such video materials via email or social networks. Except being very useful, these video materials are an excellent way to raise awareness of your brand and attract new clients.

3. Encourage online shopping using special ecommerce discounts

One of the best ways to attract B2B buyers to a web shop is to offer them special online discounts. Also, be sure to emphasize how an integrated B2B ecommerce offers them a complete insight into the delivery process and information on the exact delivery time.

More than 70% of B2B buyers will make the decision to buy based on their previous shopping experience. This information and benefits guarantee that they will have a positive shopping experience in B2B ecommerce.

4. Show clients that the login is quite simple

One of the most common reasons because of which more “conservative” clients refuse to conduct a digital transformation of business is because they believe that it is complicated. Teach them that B2B ecommerce is simple and easy. How? Show them how to login in a B2B web shop and all that ecommerce has to offer.

Clear price lists and catalogues, automated quantity discount calculation or prompt VAT calculations are all information that make an online shopping experience positive.

5. How to attract B2B buyers to ecommerce? Change the way they think

There are many ways you can encourage your B2B clients to buy in ecommerce. One of them is to present them an integrated B2B ecommerce as a solution for the problems they face.

If your buyers, who you are already cooperating with, order from you mostly via phone or email, you have to know that by initiating B2B ecommerce you are giving them a direct overview into the condition of your inventory. How does that help them?

If they are reselling your products, it means that they no longer have the need to stock up in order to have products available for end users at any time. An integrated ecommerce offers them the possibility of creating orders using data from your inventory. It’s a win-win situation!

6. Educate the sales team

In order to present a B2B web shop as the best solution for buyers, your sales team has to be familiar with the way it operates. Educate them on how to order in an integrated B2B ecommerce, because that’s the way to have the best user experience.

Sales representatives themselves can show clients how to get to wanted products and place an order, and encourage them to use all possibilities that online shopping has to offer. Once they realise that shopping in ecommerce is faster and easier, clients will be less hesitant when making the decision to buy related or alternative products.

Furthermore, you can use the feedback from your sales team to additionally improve the shopping experience in a B2B web shop.

7. Use the advantages of the offer and personalized marketing

A big part of the answer to the question on how to attract B2B buyers to ecommerce, is in offering them a unique, personalized offer they can’t refuse.

An integrated B2B ecommerce system makes it very simple. How? These systems track the behaviour of your buyers on their own and offer them related or alternative products somewhere visible, if the requested ones are not available.

You can take it a step further and send your clients a list of products that could interest them, regularly on a monthly basis. By using this personalized approach, you are showing them that they are important to you.

It is understandable that you will not be able to implement all these steps at once. But the most important thing is to present B2B ecommerce to your clients as the best solution for them and to attract their interest so they would try out this faster and easier way of shopping themselves.

You are looking for a quality ecommerce platform where all this becomes even easier? Then contact us today to be presented with the best solutions for pleased online buyers and a successful web shop.