B2B eCommerce has been developed rapidly over the last few years and created a significant change in the market, even more obviously under the impact of Covid 19. This market caters to a large number of businesses around the world who are seeking and selling anything and everything. From software and hardware to medical equipment, electrical components, specialized equipment, and other niche products. This rapid change, nevertheless created a number of mistakes made by B2B stores when preparing for their launch. These mistakes may not derail your entire campaign, but they can make it far harder to start seeing results. As a matter of fact, this article will point out the 5 biggest B2B eCommerce mistakes to avoid.
Poor product content
A commonly made mistake in consumer and business eCommerce, poor product content can do far more damage than you may realize. You may have a fully developed online store that is functional and even mobile-friendly.
If product pages content is not well written in terms of descriptions and images, it will be so hard for you to actually raise on the conversion. However, if product descriptions are copied over from the manufacturer’s description, overly cryptic, badly written, not optimized for SEO, too short, then they cannot optimize the engagement from customers to convert them from a viewer to a lead. Likewise, if product images are of poor quality, you are also losing out on potential sales. For example, taken from one angle only, or too small to provide any detail,
No sales team support
Your product descriptions may be close to perfect, but if you do not have your sales and marketing teams aligned you will soon notice an impact on your conversion. Not in a good way, either.
You will need full support from your sales team for successful implementation. Many sales teams feel threatened by the rise of B2B eCommerce, worrying that they may end up losing commissions when customers place orders online, which is one of the big mistakes.
Rather than trying to replace your sales team, find ways of working together.
No integration with other systems
B2B eCommerce, though quite different compared to B2C, without a doubt. However, it is never a good idea to see B2B eCommerce as something that stands in isolation.
Though B2B online orders are growing big and moving from offline to online, still offline contributes to most of the sales in the market. Therefore, undergoing this change, the most proper way is to integrate your online strategies with your other systems. For example ERP, order management, CRM, etc. Then, you will be able to get the best of both online and offline sales.
To see optimal results, it is best to integrate your systems and teams – marketing, design, mobile, UX, branding, buyers, PR, and sales. When this happens, with incorporated B2B strategies in your bigger systems, you will see far better returns.
Lack of mobile optimization
Another common mistake is failing to consider mobile. Even on the B2B platform, there is a large number of people use mobile devices to browse products — that includes consumer and business markets.
As a matter of fact, your store needs to not only be visually attractive, but also, should act as a fully functional store that can be used to add products to the cart, favorite items, and even complete purchases.
Mobile commerce is rapidly growing and stores that are not optimizing for mobile will miss out on the potential for increased sales. It’s also worth noting that many B2B customers expect to have the same experience that they would on a B2C eCommerce site.
Failing to provide such an experience could end up prompting potential customers to head to a supplier who offers a better mobile experience.
No multi-channel approach
Even worse than a non-responsive mobile store is a lack of a multi-channel approach. Mobile and web make up just two channels. There are many other channels that provide a huge range of selling opportunities for B2B retailers.
Lead nurturing, email marketing, SEO, social media, online advertising, and marketing automation all form part of an effective multi-channel strategy. Your B2B strategy should align with your other channels or does not support your broader digital marketing goals. Or else, you will battle to see a return on your investment.
Conclusion
Above are the 5 biggest B2B eCommerce mistakes that retailers need to avoid during the transition from brick-and-mortar stores to digital platforms. We hope that you find yourself a tip to come up with a strategy that works for your store. Once applied properly, you will soon see a change in your sales results.
Moreover, if you are on Magento and looking for a B2B solution, you are at the right place. Try our B2B platform for optimal user experiences and order process:
