DRIVING B2B SALES IN THE AGE OF DIGITAL

WE’RE ON THE CUSP OF A GENERATION SHIFT IN B2B PURCHASING.

As Business-to-Business (B2B) buyers are exposed to innovative online consumer experiences

(think: Amazon), they’re demanding a more digitized, multi-channel environment in which to

research and make B2B purchases.

Buyers who were once content with browsing an annual big-book catalog and purchasing

via ‘fax and phone’ are now increasingly familiar with web portals that enable them to

view product information, assign purchasing roles and limits, and track fulfillment of orders

across channels.

And although adapting your business to meet these changing buyer expectations will require

digital investments, the results pay dividends: higher sales volume, average order value, and

customer satisfaction—all with less effort and errors than ever before.

This B2B ecommerce whitepaper outlines the game changing approaches forward thinking

B2B companies are taking to meet B2B customer demands for simple, transparent, and

efficient product discovery, purchasing, and fulfillment, and what you can do to lead the field.

DRIVING B2B SALES IN THE AGE OF DIGITAL

WANT TO DRIVE DIGITAL B2B SALES? HERE ARE YOUR B2B ECOMMERCE INITIATIVES:

Personalize the administrative and purchasing preferences of B2B customers.

Optimize repeat purchases using quick-order portals, order history, and automation.

Accelerate product discovery and purchasing using online quoting systems.

Enhance billing and support by providing access to account history, billing, and returns across channels.

Create sales opportunities by triggering sales promotions based on customer buying behavior.

Provide visibility to order, inventory, and fulfillment from a single interface.

Reduce shipping costs while increasing on-time delivery rates by synchronizing inventory across channels and fulfillment centers.

Add additional revenue by merging business and consumer purchasing onto one unified platform.

DRIVING B2B SALES IN THE AGE OF DIGITAL

SELF-SERVICE ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT Allow managers to define and administer accounts, including user specific roles, budgets, permissions, and approval workflows.

PERSONALIZED PRICING Make pre-negotiated pricing and payment terms available at the company, department, or individual user level. Offer pre-determined volume pricing and aggregate purchase incentives on a monthly, quarterly, or yearly basis.

ADVANCED INVENTORY AND SHIPPINGAssign buyers to a primary warehouse based on proximity and display specified size and weight shipping carriers; When products are out of stock at the primary warehouse, offer the option to purchase from a secondary warehouse. Once a purchase is made, provide accurate shipping estimates, order status updates, and tracking links.

ORDER AND PAYMENT HISTORY Show order history, paid & outstanding invoices, and submitted purchase orders.

B2B ECOMMERCE INITIATIVE #1: ENGAGE YOUR CUSTOMERS WITH A MODERN INTERFACE (PERSONALIZED, SELF-SERVICE PURCHASING)

Lock in Loyalty: Offer personalized, self-service account portals with financial, inventory, and fulfillment visibility.

INCREASE SALES

IMPROVE CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

BOOST EFFICIENCY

REDUCE CUSTOMER SERVICE HOURS

INTELLIGENT SEARCH, FACETED NAVIGATIONAnalyze your buyers’ interactions and refine their search results based on past searches, pricing, and availability. Focus searches by category, attribute, price, color, manufacturer, etc.

MULTI-CHANNEL VISIBILITY Create custom views & applications for tablets and smart phones.

Facilitate Lightning-Fast Decisions: Streamline self-service purchasing with progressive, fluid, intuitive search and multi-channel visibility.

B2B ECOMMERCE INITIATIVE #1: ENGAGE YOUR CUSTOMERS WITH A MODERN INTERFACE (CONTINUED)

INCREASE SALES

IMPROVE CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

BOOST EFFICIENCY

REDUCE CUSTOMER SERVICE HOURS

Personalize the Experience: Tailor buyer workflows for efficient bulk and recurring purchasing.

CUSTOMIZED PORTALSSimplify the login experience by eliminating unnecessary steps; customize your buyer’s workflows and dynamically display their products and content.

SELF-MANAGED LISTS, SCHEDULED RE-ORDERINGGive your buyers the ability to add frequently purchased items to a ‘favorites’ list for one-click ordering, schedule items for automatic re-order, and add out-of-stock items to wish list.

UPSELLS, CROSS-SELLS, PROMOTIONSOffer pricing promotions (flash sales, shipping promotions), and display product recommendations based on purchase history.

BULK ORDERING, DISCOUNTINGOffer bulk ordering list views for configurable products or kits, and offer volume price breaks at the product, product kit, or attribute level.

B2B ECOMMERCE INITIATIVE #2: ENGAGE YOUR CUSTOMERS WITH A MODERN INTERFACE (QUICK, RECURRING PURCHASING)

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GAIN BRAND LOYALTY

INCREASE ORDER SPEED

INCREASE RECURRING ORDERS

INCREASE ORDER VALUE

B2B ECOMMERCE INITIATIVE #3: ENGAGE YOUR CUSTOMERS WITH A MODERN INTERFACE (COMPLEX PURCHASING)

EXPEDITED PRODUCT RESEARCH Display how-to videos, FAQs, peer-driven product reviews & ratings on each product page.

CONFIGURABLE PRODUCTSWhen offering configurable products, provide detailed CAD drawings and product attribute selection using radial buttons or dropdowns.

COMPLEX PRODUCTSGive buyers the ability to build and manage complex quotes by defining product specs and selecting attributes; your sales reps can log-in ‘shop-as-customer’ to provide additional sales support.

REAL-TIME PURCHASE APPROVALProvide managers a summary of product specs and purchase order amounts.

Make the Complex, Simple: Help your buyers make complex purchasing decisions by expediting product research, quoting, and approval.

ADD TO CART

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IMPROVE CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

REDUCE CUSTOMER SERVICE HOURS

DECREASE AVERAGE ORDER TIME

INCREASE AVERAGE ORDER VALUE

ACCOUNT BALANCEShow outstanding and available balances, terms.

ELIGIBLE PAYMENT METHODSOffer standard or tax-exempt payments, checkout with a purchase order number, credit card, or ACH.

INVOICES & PAYMENTSOffer full or partial payment of single / multiple invoices.

RETURNSEnable self-service and assisted return management, online return authorizations.

SALES & SUPPORT ENGAGEMENTGive buyers the ability to submit questions and support queries throughout the purchasing process.

B2B ECOMMERCE INITIATIVE #4: DELIVER MULTICHANNEL SUPPORT (OFFER A 360 CUSTOMER VIEW)

Provide Visibility: Enhance your buyers’ experience using a fully-integrated, digitally enabled administrative and support portal.

REDUCE CUSTOMER SERVICE HOURS

IMPROVE CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

BOOST EFFICIENCY

INCREASE VISIBILITY

BUILD CUSTOMER PROFILESTrack your buyers’ behavior (online, in-store, and via call-center).

IMPROVE CUSTOMER SATISFACTION & RETENTIONLeverage real-time customer data to offer a consistent customer service experience across channels.

INFLUENCE PURCHASING BEHAVIORCreate personalized promotions and upsell / cross-sell campaigns.

DRIVE MERCHANDISING / MARKETING DECISIONSGenerate reports based on buyer behavior and customer lifetime value.

B2B ECOMMERCE INITIATIVE #5: CREATE A COMPLETE CUSTOMER INTERACTION CYCLE (CRM INTEGRATION)

Deepen Engagement: Increase customer satisfaction (and drive sales) by creating a complete customer interaction cycle.

IMPROVE CUSTOMER LIFETIME VALUE

IMPROVE CUSTOMER RETENTION

INCREASE SALES

INCREASE VISIBILITY

Synchronize Data: Consolidate order data, order updates, product catalog, and customer data across your ecommerce and ERP systems.

ELIMINATE RE-KEYING ERRORSSave time, lower administrative costs, and reduce stock-outs and shipping errors caused by manual data entry.

STREAMLINE UNIQUE ORDER PROCESSESCreate intelligent workflows & approval processes for negotiated pricing and RFQ’s (Request for Quote’s).

CONSOLIDATE PURCHASING AND INVENTORY ACROSS CHANNELS Get real time visibility across EDI, web, phone, partner, and point of sale orders.

B2B ECOMMERCE INITIATIVE #6: EFFICIENTLY MANAGE YOUR CUSTOMER DATA (ERP INTEGRATION)

ELIMINATE DATA RE-ENTRY

REDUCE OPERATIONAL COSTS

BOOST PRODUCTIVITY

OPTIMIZE ORDER FULLFILLMENT CYCLE

OPTIMIZE ORDER FULFILLMENTEfficiently implement change orders; handle customer specific packing notes, cancellations, and changes from a single source.

CONSOLIDATE FINANCIAL STATEMENTSCreate role-based views for sales, service reps, web-store & finance managers, fulfillment specialists, and executives.

CORRELATE DATA IN REAL TIMEAutomatically update online orders / account changes with customer information, financials and inventory.

B2B ECOMMERCE INITIATIVE #6: EFFICIENTLY MANAGE YOUR CUSTOMER DATA (CONTINUED)

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Operate Efficiently: Increase the speed and accuracy of order fulfillment no matter how complex your inventory system becomes.

OVERSEE WAREHOUSE FUNCTIONSView shipping, receiving, picking, and packing from a single source.

FORECAST INVENTORYGet real-time inventory and projected demand levels, track sales and backorders to minimize your stockouts and obsolete inventory.

INTEGRATE 3RD PARTY CHANNELSDecrement your inventory levels across Ebay, Amazon, Rakuten, and Newegg.

SHIP FROM MULTIPLE WAREHOUSES, FULFILL IN-STORECreate exception queues and dashboards to monitor days of supply and stock-to-sales ratios.

MANAGE SUPPLIERS AND 3PL (THIRD-PARTY LOGISTICS) PROVIDERSAudit 3rd party supply-chain performance, manage purchase orders, and deliver payments across multiple accounts.

B2B ECOMMERCE INITIATIVE #7: SYNCHRONIZE YOUR INVENTORY ACROSS CHANNELS & WAREHOUSES (WAREHOUSE MANAGEMENT INTEGRATION)

INCREASE VISIBILITY

REDUCE SHIPPING COSTS

REDUCE STOCKOUTS

IMPROVE CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

CHANNEL SEGMENTATIONDisplay retail pricing to B2C visitors; wholesale pricing is only made available upon login.

SPECIALTY PRODUCT REGULATIONFor B2C visitors, state or jurisdiction-based sales restrictions may apply. Configure your shipping settings to reflect this.

CREDIT CARD PAYMENT PROCESSINGAdd a payment gateway and merchant account for B2C buyers.

RETAIL SALES TAX MANAGEMENTB2C customers pay tax; this is based off nexus, and calculated at state or zip-code level.

Add a B2C Channel: Open up new revenue streams with larger retail profit margins. Here’s what to consider when combining B2C and B2B onto a single, unified platform:

ARE YOU READY FOR B2C?

CHECKLIST:

Specialty Product Regulation

Payment processing

Retail sales tax

Shipping calculations

Customer support

B2B ECOMMERCE INITIATIVE #8: BUILD A B2C CHANNEL INTO YOUR EXISTING B2B SITE

SHIPPING CALCULATIONSOffer real-time shipping rates, flat-rate shipping, and promotions to B2C buyers.

SEGMENTED WAREHOUSINGImplement a unique B2C fulfillment process (pick, pack, and ship, tracking).

CUSTOMER SUPPORTCreate order tracking and refund protocols via a fully-integrated, digitally enabled administrative and support portal.

B2B ECOMMERCE INITIATIVE #8: BUILD A B2C CHANNEL INTO YOUR EXISTING B2B SITE (CONTINUED)

CHECKOUT

ESTIMATE SHIPPING

Subtotal

Shipping

Tax

TOTAL

Zip Code

Country

$599.95

Estimate

--.--

$599.95

Add a B2C Channel: Open up new revenue streams with larger retail profit margins. Here’s what to consider when combining B2C and B2B onto a single, unified platform:

DRIVING B2B SALES IN THE AGE OF DIGITAL

CONCLUSION

The challenge in vetting technology for B2B commerce is that all ecommerce products ranging in

cost from ‘free’ to millions of dollars ultimately facilitate a checkout experience. However, the goal

of modern B2B web commerce (and modern ecommerce as a whole) is more complex than the

ability to take orders online. Its purpose is to migrate inefficient, resource-intensive offline tasks

to cost effective, self-serve digital environments—which requires highly tailored digital B2B (and

B2C) portals. Furthermore, a true enterprise ecommerce solution extends far beyond the front end

purchasing experience and serves as a hub for streamlining operational efficiencies via customer

relationship management, enterprise resource planning, and inventory / warehouse integration.

When implemented properly, a flexible ecommerce architecture enables B2B businesses to gain

a long-term competitive edge by driving sales—and refining operational efficiencies.

Since 1997, Miva has powered over $100 Billion in online sales for some of the

most successful B2B and B2C brands in the world.

SCHEDULE A DEMO Or Read Our B2B Case Studies: CROWN AUTOMOTIVE | SEWING PARTS ONLINE