Using B2B e-commerce to enhance buyer relationships – The Manufacturer

Following a slow start, the adoption of B2B e-commerce has grown exponentially over recent years. Predominantly motivated by the move towards digital transformation and an increasingly younger and diverse buying persona, it was also accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Research, facilitated by Sapio, shows two thirds of companies are spending more – 45% more, to be exact – online now than they did two years ago. And while this transformation has seen many benefits, including efficiency, flexibility and ease of use, there are still some roadblocks to success.

Importance of B2B relationships

Often B2B buyers will place repeat orders in large quantities from the same supplier. In fact, 81% of buyers rely on online for their repeat purchases. This means that if a supplier loses just one customer, it can have a significant impact on their bottom line.

Because of this, maintaining customer relationships becomes a high-stakes task. And for sectors that are used to negotiating purchases through face-to-face sales meetings, the transition to ordering online can be a challenge. At the end of the day, supplier relationships matter.

In fact, our research shows that four out of five B2B buyers rate the relationship between themselves and supplier in the buying process as important. What’s more, 84% claim they would be more inclined to buy from a supplier they had a great relationship with, even if the terms of sale were not as good as a competitor.

The challenge of B2B e-commerce

Buyer relationships come under threat when the e-commerce experience does not mirror the traditional customer journey in terms of service, personalisation and accessibility. It all comes down to making the buyers job as easy and straight forward as possible.

For example, if a buyer is making an online purchase and the product is showing as out of stock or that product information is missing, then this puts the supplier at risk of losing the customer.

How B2B relationships can thrive with ecommerce

Our research shows that just over half of B2B buyers feel there could be improvement in their suppliers’ e-commerce websites. But it doesn’t have to be this way. By making some simple changes, suppliers can ensure their customers are given a positive, buying experience.

Enhanced personalisation

When asked which aspects of their online customer experience as a consumer would they like to see mirrored in their B2B experience, 36% of respondents claimed to want a more personalised experience. Personalisation is now an integral part of the B2B e-commerce experience and has been for some time. It all comes back to making sure the buyer feels valued and through this, making their job as easy as possible.

It is crucial that suppliers find an e-commerce solution that allows for personalisation. 81% of B2B buyers rely on online web stores for repeat buying so …….

Source: https://www.themanufacturer.com/articles/using-b2b-e-commerce-to-enhance-buyer-relationships/