One of the biggest changes taking place in the B2B sales world today is the introduction of a B2B sales platform. Change is difficult, it costs money and challenges the established ways of working. But in the world of B2B sales, brands and wholesalers that are slow to adapt to changes in technology are putting their business at risk.
One of the reasons B2B companies are resisting the change could be because they dont fully understand what a B2B sales platform is and how it will benefit them.
Explaining a B2B sales platform
When thinking of a B2B sales platform, the best place to start is by realizing that the new B2B customer now works in a similar way to B2C customers, just like you and me.
They begin their buying process online, and as they engage with the variety of digital tools available to them, they have the expectation that whether they are dealing with you online, on the phone, via social media or in-person, everything must work together seamlessly they expect an Omnichannel experience. An all-in-one commerce platform optimizes all aspects of offline and online B2B sales and delivers that experience.
Why should you care?
1. Omnichannel is not just a passing phase. Your B2B buyers demand it.
According to Forbes, 68% of customers highlighted that its very important to them to be able to view all their activities across all channels. They want a B2B omnichannel experience where they can view product information, see their full account history, track delivery, analyze their activities and return and exchange goods across every channel.
78% of B2B buyers said next day delivery was the most important purchasing driver when buying goods and services on behalf of their company. So, B2B companies must enhance fulfillment capabilities to provide buyers with the capabilities they have come to expect as consumers.
2. It ensures customer loyalty and drives business results
Omnichannel customers are more active, spend more, and are less expensive to support than single channel customers. They are also more willing to consider new products and reconsider mature brands than they were as offline-only customers and They more open to making return purchases and becoming long-term customers.
3. It increases revenue
In a recent Forrester survey, 51% of B2B digital professionals said their omnichannel
customers increased spending with them in the past year. This because they spend more when they touch multiple channels and when they buy offline as well as online.
4. It reduces your warehousing and production costs
When data is centralized on one platform, you can produce accurate sales forecasts and customer demand. This reduces wasted inventory and the associated costs with overproduction, together with the costs connected with storing unsold items.
5. It helps you provide an improved customer experience
When a customer is presented with a seamless buying experience, they can interact with that company in a simple and natural way, without a struggle to get what they want. The ability to successfully respond to your customer the way they want and expect certainly leads to an increase in customer satisfaction.
Conclusion
To gain and keep valuable B2B buyers, B2B sellers must enable them to buy where they want, when they want, and how they want.
The way to do that is by implementing a flexible B2B sales platform offering a full spectrum of options including pure self-serve websites, salesperson-intermediated full-service, and everything in between.