B2B eCommerce is not the way of the future; it’s the way of the present.
Consumers are now fully comfortable researching products and making purchases online. Even from their phones. Not only are people buying online, they are involving themselves in the entire shopping experience on the Internet.
This is a straight-forward process for typical consumers. Imagine you want to buy a new pair of hiking boots. You start by searching Google, reading articles, perusing reviews, comparing prices, looking for the best deal, and then you make a purchase. Online shopping is different than the buying experience of a decade ago, but overall it’s not that complex.
What if you’re a construction company that needs to buy supplies for a big job that begins in two months? Or you’re a school district buying food for each of your school cafeterias for the next quarter? These are not typical consumer-like purchases. They are much more complex business transactions. This is the world of B2B eCommerce.
In the past, if a manufacturer wanted to sell their products online, there were so many layers of interaction that needed to be considered. They would typically have to build an eCommerce system not connected to their ERP or accounting system.
This is the beginning of the headaches. Suddenly you have lots of double entry transactions to make sure product information and prices are the same on the eCommerce website as they are in the ERP. When an order comes in through the site, you have to manually process that sales order in the ERP. If a customer changes their shipping address on the website, you need to ensure that their customer record in the ERP matches, too. Then there’s the myriad of warehouse issues.
Due to these headaches and complexities, most businesses have avoided the migration to eCommerce.
Today’s complex businesses need a B2B-specific eCommerce solution that integrates directly — in real-time — with their ERP, CRM and/or accounting system. One that can handle large-scale business relationships and transactions.
What does “real-time integration” mean for your business?
When product information is updated in the ERP, it immediately updates on the eCommerce site. If a customer saves a new address to their profile, that update is immediately reflected in their customer record. When an order comes in through the eCommerce site, it immediately creates a sales order in the ERP. All real-time.
This is a game-changer. Imagine how many problems this solves for small- to mid-sized businesses as well as large enterprises. Suddenly your customers can make purchases online rather than over the phone. Entire catalogs of products can be searched and browsed online. No more wasting time on double-entry and belaboring sales staff with phone order-taking. Suddenly your team has more time for things like customer service, scaling your business, and fulfilling orders.
The following chapters cover the challenges of eCommerce, how an integrated B2B eCommerce system addresses them, and how this system is beneficial to you and your customers.
SCREENSHOTS CREATED USING XTUPLECOMMERCE
- Executive Summary
- Introduction —
- Are you generating the greatest value for (and from) customers?
- The times they are a-changin’
- What’s your return on investment (ROI)?
- Three Ways B2B eCommerce Benefits a Manufacturer
- How Can You Meet Customer Demands for B2B eCommerce?
- Chapter 1 — Sales Growth
- Chapter 2 — Pricing Schedules
- Chapter 3 — Marketing or ERP Content
- Chapter 4 — Customer Engagement
- Chapter 5 — Multiple Locations
- Chapter 6 — Omnichannel Customer Experience
- Chapter 7 — Sales Reps and Vendors
- Chapter 8 — Customer Complexity
- Chapter 9 — Customer Service
- Glossary of eCommerce Terms
- Conclusion
