Why B2B Buyers Need More Than Products in a Cart!

B2B buying is becoming more digital and self-directed. Customers increasingly want to order and manage routine purchasing tasks online, without needing to call or email a sales or customer service team for every request.

Gartner recently reported that 61% of B2B buyers prefer an online buying experience, while Forrester predicted that more than half of large B2B purchases will be processed through digital self-serve channels.

B2B buying is rarely as simple as adding a product to a cart. B2B customers increasingly want the convenience of digital self-service that reflect the way they already trade with you. That is where a standard ecommerce website typically falls short. Ecommerce is important, but in B2B it is only part of the customer experience. A product catalogue and checkout may help customers place an order, but it does not always help them manage their account or stay on top of day-to-day purchasing.

For wholesalers, distributors and manufacturers, this creates a clear opportunity to think in terms of offering a complete customer portal, not just an ecommerce website. A customer portal gives customers a more complete digital way to work with your business, combining online ordering with account visibility, workflow automation, and ERP-connected data.

A good Customer Portal is designed to help customers get instant insights and stay on top of their accounts without picking up the phone. This includes things like:

• Account dashboards
• Aged balances
• Price lists
• Un-invoiced sales orders
• Real-time balance updates
• Approved quotes
• Previous transactions
• Order approval workflows
• The ability to integrate third-party systems such as:
  • Power BI dashboards
  • Online booking
  • Customer support

The ERP connection is what makes this possible, as for most businesses this is where all the data already resides.

When an easy-to-use customer portal is properly connected via a proven native ERP integration and workflow which reflects the business complex B2B rules, customers can self-serve with more confidence, while your team reduces manual admin tasks.

As B2B buyers continue to expect faster and easier digital experiences, the businesses that stand out will be those that make ordering and account management simple, accurate and connected.

The future of B2B digital commerce is not just about putting products online. It is about giving customers a better way to order, manage their account and do business with you.

360 Commerce is built around this idea. More than ecommerce, it is a complete B2B customer ordering portal connected to your ERP.