It’s an exciting, albeit overwhelming, time to be a B2B manufacturer. On one hand, the possibilities for establishing a strong digital presence are endless. On the other hand, well, basically the same thing. With so many possibilities, where can one possibly begin, and is the “starting point” the same for everyone?
For companies that have already invested in ecommerce, there’s another possibility to consider: rather than logging in, are buyers still picking the phone to make a purchase? The issue then might not be adoption, but experience.
The B2B buyer, and the B2B buyer journey, have both been changing rapidly, and most sites have not been able to keep up.
Who is the “new” B2B buyer?
Digital natives, the millennials and even gen-z, are becoming a sizable portion of B2B buyers: over 60% in fact. They’re fluent in digital commerce and have much different expectations when it comes to ordering online. Expecting a more D2C-like experience, well over half of them are ordering online, and more than half of those preferring mobile devices over desktop experiences.
This puts B2B manufactures in a unique position: how to provide a seamless commerce experience that still leaves room for all the nuance and control of a B2B buying cycle? How to make it as “easy as Amazon” when it’s much, much more complicated than that?
To accommodate these new expectations without sacrificing all the necessary steps in the B2B buying process (requests for quotes, quotes, change orders, etc.), B2B manufacturers are rethinking their buyer journeys.
Where is there the most room for improvement? We’ll break them down for you.
Less Catalog-like, More Flow
There is a science and an art to determining where and when exactly a user should log in. Ask for a login too soon and there’s minimum value established—if your entire catalog is gated, they won’t even have a chance to properly browse, which is a critical task in the B2B buyer journey. Ask for it too late, like after products have all been added to a checkout or request for quote, and a buyer might get frustrated after making so much progress and move on to a competitor.
Offering basic flows like the ability to browse products and compare before requesting a quote or asking about pricing is a good way to split the difference, treating ecommerce as more of a flow and less of a static catalog.
As an organization moves up in its maturity, more robust workflows can allow for certain users, based not just on their logged in or out status, but their organization and buying role as well, to have access to only the information and pricing that is accurate and relevant to them. A power buyer can have access to bulk discounts whereas a new account will see different pricing.
Creating an interactive experience from the start with deeper information that unlocks for certain organizations and people is a great way to keep the new B2B buyer engaged—but it all starts with this very basic foundation.
Build Confidence with Search and Supporting Documents
Keeping in mind that buyers all have different roles, search and discovery tools tend to be underused in B2B instances.
One of your buyers may be looking for a very specific part and needs to search that part by its number. Search and filtering that doesn’t allow for that can push those buyers elsewhere.
If the part they need isn’t in stock, can a guaranteed fit be offered as an alternative? If it cannot, and buyers have to guess, they will not have the confidence they need to make it to the checkout or quote request page.
Making sure that a search will include the information that a more technical buyer needs, along with access to documentation—certifications, CoAs, diagrams, and more—will help build that confidence and reduce friction in the pathway to purchase.
Improving Quoting, For Everyone
Both your team and your buyers’ team need to be able to not only make changes to quotes, they need to be able to leave and resume them later. They need to be able to re-order with one click, and they should be able to do it without involving a sales rep.
Many B2B manufacturers cannot offer this: RFQs are difficult to access and manage, there is limited functionality in tracking split shipments, and saved lists are not on their radar at all.
To determine what’s needed, think about meeting a core set of buyer needs along their buying path. Is your buyer the kind that may need to place an order from the back of a work van? Mobile responsiveness, saved orders, and one-click options may be important. Does your buyer often need to make changes after an order has been placed? Can they do so with minimal involvement from a rep? Can they easily see confirmation that their change was successful?
Simplify Pricing and Inventory
Because trust is critical in building strong, long-lasting relationships with B2B buyers, having the most accurate and up-to-date information on pricing and inventory levels is key. A strong integration to an ERP or whatever source of truth you choose is how to automate this process.
Buyers can access realtime inventory data to know if what they need is in stock, and if not, when it might be available. Partial or incomplete ERP integrations can display all of this inaccurately. When the data isn’t reliable, in the best case scenario, the buyers will make a phone call to a rep to double-check. In the worst case, they’ll go somewhere else.
What does the modern B2B ecommerce flow look like?
Discovery
As buyers research online, they find your products, often through search (increasingly using AI), ads or through distributors themselves, before ever speaking with a rep.
- At this step, it’s important that product data is accurate, oryou’ll waste their time (and yours) if you can’t offer what they’re looking for
- Depending on your products and your buyers’ needs, this is where you will need to choose which information to show before a login is required
Consideration
At this point, your potential buyers want to be sure that they’re purchasing the best product, from the best company, for the best price. They’ll want to double-check certifications and compare technical specifications if relevant.
- The more readily available and easily navigable this content is, the quicker and more informed a buyer’s decision will be
- If you are going to restrict access to some information, this step is a good time to implement gated but easily-accessible information for products
Evaluation
Will a buyer move forward with a purchase from you, or go to a competitor? This is where it becomes critical for accurate pricing and inventory data to be given to the buyer, as well as providing them with information on why to choose you
- Visibility into pricing and inventory are just the beginning here: pricing based on the buyer’s account type, dynamic quoting, and automated approvals will all go a long way and reduce friction at this step
Purchase
The buyer is ready to place their first order. Will they order directly, or submit a purchase order? Will they purchase on terms? Will they expect to purchase tax exempt?
- An ERP integration that allows for real-time pricing and inventory updates will make sure that this process goes smoothly and everyone is happy because nothing is over-sold and the invoice price matches the expectation
- Supporting capabilities like tax exempt calculations (and certificate management) and purchasing on terms streamline the process and build loyalty
Post-Purchase
B2B buyers expect visibility into your fulfillment processes: where is their order, when will it arrive, and if it will be delayed, why?
- Warranties, certificates of analysis, documentation, and order history should be shared in a portal that’s easily accessible
- For B2B manufacturers, “re-ordering” is a critical part of the post-purchase process, are you making it as easy as possible for buyers to repeat their order, or will they have to repeat the arduous process of adding everything all over again?
The mindset shift from sales-rep-led to system-led
Leaders in the B2B ecommerce space don’t see their digital presence as just a storefront, but a living and breathing extension of their sales organization. It’s not battling with reps for closed deals, it’s freeing up bandwidth so they can stop troubleshooting and start chasing more business.
B2B ecommerce is less a static portal and more a sales enablement tool, and if everything is connected properly, reps will have visibility into the self-service process so they can step in when needed, or to better assist large or strategic accounts.
When self-service works, everyone wins.
At Wasserman Digital, we rebuild these processes to better serve B2B manufacturers and distributors. Want to get started? Reach out and we’ll figure out the best way forward, together.