Online shopping and the purchase of products and services on the Internet (clearly) continue to be famous everywhere throughout the world. Online shoppers in 2019 were estimated at 1.92 billion, equal to about 25% of the total populace.
In the event that we consider that only 58% of the total population has any type of Internet access, obviously they likewise use it for shopping. In the United States, nearly 70% of adults shop online and love utilizing mobile devices for shopping. Of those aged 30 to 49, 87% made a purchase on a mobile device.
Online shopping is nearly as common as viewing online videos or utilizing social networks. Recent Statista projections indicate that e-Commerce has become approximately 20% universally in 2019, reaching $3.5 trillion in retail sales and representing approximately 13.7% of everything being equal.
By 2021, the number is expected to rise to 17.5%.
The blasting e-commerce sector can be attributed to the change in buyer demographics. The younger generations prefer to shop online rather than in stores. Gen-X consumers (conceived between 1966 and 1981) make more online purchases than some other age gathering. They take advantage of in-depth item information, explanatory videos, live talks, and customer reviews to make the best possible purchase decision. Be that as it may, consumers of all ages love the convenience of modern e-Commerce websites.
B2B e-commerce has developed from the desire of business buyers to make business purchases without any difficulty with which they make their personal purchases. In 2012, B2B e-Commerce outperformed B2C in overall revenues.
Obviously e-Commerce is here to remain. In a quickly evolving ecosystem, here is a glance at what B2B buyers wanted in 2019 and the fundamental B2B e-Commerce trends that meet those needs in 2021.
What B2B buyers wanted in 2019?
Sapio Research interviewed buyers who purchase from manufacturers, wholesalers, and merchants to discover what they expected more from their purchasing experiences in 2019 and it isn't amazing that they wanted more opportunities to shop online.
30% of shoppers need to purchase in any event 90% of the items online, however, only 19% are doing as such.
What is keeping them back? Trouble during the purchase process: buyers report that their online purchase attempts are interrupted when they can't discover the information they need, (for example, item details, transporting options or payment methods) and resort to other ways, for example, contacting a representative, by phone or email.
For orders they can place online, B2B buyers might want improvements that facilitate their work including:
- Easier and faster payments
- Easier reorders
- Order tracking clearer and more complete
- Faster deliveries
We might not have control over the deliveries of BRT or GLS, yet we can certainly make the reordering experience easier as we can offer our customers brisk and easy payment systems.
1. Omnichannel sale:
The omnichannel sale implies the creation of a strong brand engraves utilizing different channels in addition to the presence on the website or on the physical store. In addition to your online store, online channels include social platforms and even old fashioned phone calls. The average B2B buyer uses up to six channels over the course of their purchase journey.
The present buyers are increasingly likely to choose a brand with a well-established range of action on social platforms, for example, Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook. 69% of US adults have used at any rate one social media channel in 2019. Since 90% of brands use social media to create brand awareness, your competitors are likely to use social media too. In 2021, companies will continue to use social media to connect on a human level, respond when things turn out badly, and use social reviews to identify industry trends. Social media tools will be more significant than at any time in recent memory.
Regardless of the number of channels used, make sure your network offers a consistent shopping experience. Your e-commerce store ought to have the same quality as your snappy promotions on Instagram to maximize the conversion rate.
These days, 62% of B2B buyers start their shopping journey with an online search. Once the search has started, nearly 90% of shoppers consider detailed content extremely critical to the purchasing process.
Unfortunately, the examination company Frost and Sullivan reports that only 26% of companies successfully control their B2B e-Commerce channel. In 2021, companies will customize their solutions to meet the different e-Commerce needs of B2B buyers and will use multiple channels to interact with customers and leads.
2. Continuous customer involvement:
Content marketing and SEO are additional marketing efforts to drive traffic to your website, improve the shopping experience, and retain customer loyalty. Detailed content is extremely significant for 90% of buyers. Long-enduring content (over 1,000 words) became famous in 2020 and will continue to be effective in 2021 as people, in general, are searching for experiences on a subject. Audiovisual content will also continue to increase in ubiquity.
3. Voice search and mobile devices will continue to shape the UX:
20% of all searches in the Google App today are vocal and people are getting used to chatting on their devices. Streamlining the digital experience for voice search and the mobile display is critical to the success of B2B e-Commerce.
Mobile has been a huge trend in B2B e-commerce and in 2021 it will be the same. As per the projections of Google and Boston Consulting Group, the share of mobile traffic will involve up to 70% of B2B search queries. Voice search is considerably more every day, so keywords will long become the standard rather than the exception.
Since "voice researchers" is very likely to use mobile devices, it is more significant than at any other time that every page on the site is optimized for mobile experiences. Mobile apps can be the key to getting the most out of your marketing efforts. 90% of B2B buyers will make another purchase from a supplier offering a superior mobile experience.
4. B2B eCommerce solutions:
B2B e-Commerce is estimated to be worth nearly 2.5 times that of B2C online retail and developing rapidly, which represents a treasure trove of opportunities for any business. However, so as to take advantage of B2B segments, companies must meet the specific needs of the buyer and provide B2B-oriented e-commerce solutions that permit the accompanying:
- Vast customization possibilities - management of different prices for the same item for different customers, giving unique faithfulness programs, and offering customized indexes in the same e-Commerce store.
- Longer sales cycles - on account of high-value orders, a regular sales life cycle involves multiple interactions between buyer and seller. This requires specific functionality to rearrange these interactions on an e-Commerce entrance.
- Support of different types of buyer-seller interaction - B2B companies can be different from each other in the manner they do activities that normally require the support of unique business processes. Regardless of whether your company follows a self-service model, interactions between buyer and seller, or a multi-vendor B2B market, select the platform suitable for your business processes.
- Scalability for global development - a scalable B2B eCommerce solution takes into account the unlimited development of your online stores. Make sure your solution can meet all multi-site, multi-brand, and multi-nearby requirements in case your company needs it.
B2B e-commerce trends affecting the organizational structure
E-Commerce integration will continue to affect organizational structures more than at any other time. While an examination by Frost and Sullivan has indicated technological integration as the biggest obstacle to the success of B2B e-Commerce, for companies making the transition to integrated e-Commerce, the transformation effect is felt in the whole organization.
Also read: Why convert your ecommerce store into mobile app in 2020
The new era of digitalization requires new digital devices, people with new abilities, and multi-system integration. The sales and marketing teams will change the manner in which they operate and likely create new positions. As a result, sales teams will be more efficient, optimized processes and information will stream freely between your ERP and your e-Commerce solution.
Companies will rely more on their CRM. In the transformed digital organization, CRM will be used by more than only a sales force. Technical support and customer service will be based on CRM access to get a 360° view of each customer and each purpose of contact and interaction.
B2B e-commerce as a strategy
In 2021, successful operations will no longer consider e-Commerce a function however will become a strategy. B2B can follow B2C in terms of digital development, yet for companies that receive a digital strategy, the results are profoundly profitable.
Once digitalization becomes a strategy, future-proof solutions will be more significant than at any other time for continued success. Flexible B2B solutions specially designed for this purpose will replace B2C platforms "adapted" for B2B. B2C solutions will not, at this point offer the customization and adaptability necessary to achieve the monetary objectives of modern B2B e-Commerce.
So we can summarize it all in...
E-commerce will continue to develop for both B2C and B2B companies. It will be essential to provide what buyers need, with a multi-channel approach. Customer involvement can take place by means of email, personalized, and targeted videos on social media or through webinars and webcasts. Voice search and mobile experience will be the fundamental differentiating factors between those that are successful and those that struggle with B2B e-Commerce.
Companies that successfully digitize their operations will see their entire organizations transformed. Furthermore, this transformation will certainly be positive as they collect higher sales and productivity than their simple counterparts.
Dependence on technology will make the integration and adoption of future-confirmation solutions more essential than any time in recent memory. In 2021 e-Commerce will no longer be a sales channel, it will be a strategy at the company level.