Are you a small or mid-sized business enterprise selling products in the online marketplace and focused largely on the B2B segment?
If your answer is ‘yes’, then you would have observed that while B2B businesses like yours have been slow to adopt eCommerce, they are now well on their way to adopt digital techniques to boost their sales.
Changing demographics of B2B buyers
This move is driven largely by the success of online businesses in recent months during the COVID 19 pandemic and the changing demographics of the B2B buyer, such as:
– A majority of B2B buyers are millennials.
– Their expectation is that the B2B sales process would be very similar to the personalized consumer experience through streamlined, digital channels that they experience in a B2C sales process.
– They rely more on eBooks and social media to keep them updated on product information, rather than on relying on data sheets, sales literature and product trials.
From the above it is clear that digital marketing techniques are being implemented, in addition to traditional marketing techniques such as cold calling, collaterals and trade shows.
Significance of improvements to B2B eCommerce website
As a B2B company, you need to improve your website to meet the demands of B2B buyers. If you don’t act now, you risk losing potential business, since unsatisfied B2B buyers can easily change gears and switch their loyalties by taking their business elsewhere.
If your objective is to retain your clients and build a long term relationship with them, then you have to improve your website and this will nurture loyalty, foster engagement and attract new customers through streamlined and optimized purchasing experiences.
7 ways to take your B2B eCommerce website to the next higher level
Here are some proven techniques that you can straightaway implement if you hire a Magento developer:
1. Build an Omni-channel eCommerce strategy:
Ideally, if you hire a Magento developer then you will be able to implement an Omni-channel eCommerce strategy for your customers. They will be able to access your website whenever and wherever they want, through any channel, or on any device and easily navigate across it throughout the buying process.
With an Omni-channel strategy, you are able to cater to technologically savvy customers who expect a variety of delivery options. These customers may start their search on their iPad or tablet, but continue shopping and eventually make the purchase on their laptop or PC the next day.
Therefore, an Omni-channel experience gives them the power and consistency to access all the touch points in the buying process. Secondly, an Omni-channel approach will provide you rich data with which you can track your buyer’s purchasing process across all the channels and have a 3600 view of your buyers and their purchasing habits.
2. Optimize your website for mobile devices
More and more B2B buyers are using mobile devices to access websites and this trend is continuously growing. Therefore, it is essential that you have your website audited professionally by a Magento development company and ensure that it provides all the information to buyers and the information translate across all devices – mobiles, desktops, and tablets.
Once you have a responsive and mobile-optimized website, your buyers would easily be able to gather information relevant to your products and services.
3. Build a chatbot
You can hire a Magento developer to build the feature of a chatbot in your B2B website. This feature will assist you in providing additional information to your buyers and answering their questions.
Chatbots are extremely useful in a business as they help in up-selling or cross-selling products, and can respond to website visitors 24 x 7.
This feature pre-empts the possibility of buyers leaving your site, if they are unable to find the information that they are looking for, or are facing problems with payments.
4. Use paid media
While you are in the process of updating your website and making it responsive and accessible on mobile devices and tablets, you need to simultaneously focus on driving traffic to the site, once it is revamped.
For this, it is recommended that you adopt a paid and organic media strategy, in parallel to building your website. This would enable you draw your buyers to your website through channels such as display advertising, search marketing, social media, and email.
5. Bring in personalization
Just like the B2C model, personalizing the buying and selling experience is the key to success in B2B eCommerce as well. As B2B operations depend a lot on offline relationship building and long-term contracts, it is important to bring these elements forward in a personalized way in all digital engagements with the buyers.
In today’s digital landscape, companies do a lot to remain current and competitive. Some examples include:
– Providing customers with a bespoke dashboard that provides all details at a glance.
– Pricing items, and specific deals and offers that are only available for them.
6. Implement an Ecommerce SEO strategy
In parallel to revamping your eCommerce website, it is essential to embark on an eCommerce SEO strategy; else you run the risk of not appearing in search queries and losing your buyers to competitors who have more optimized websites.
With a revamped website and an eCommerce SEO strategy in place your products & services are likely to appear in search engine results and buyers are more likely to click on your website.
7. Implement a content marketing strategy
It is recommended to follow a content marketing strategy to establish thought leadership in your particular industry. By writing more blogs, articles, surveys, and bringing up industry trends, events and market news on your website, chances are that you will arouse the interest of your buyers and motivate them to come to your website more often, and engage with your content.
Once this happens, your buyers will start sharing your content and will become repeat and frequent visitors to your site and will be seeking more information.
Conclusion
It is a good idea to hire Magento developer to improve your B2B eCommerce website.
Today, buyers are not just looking for new and improved products and services, but are also looking for easy ways to buy, a simpler buying process, answers to their questions, personalized experiences, and an industry leader who can work as their trusted advisor and help them move their own business forward.
In this respect, the above-mentioned 7 golden rules will help you improve your B2B eCommerce website and exceed the expectations of your customers.