In recent years, people have been more and more interested in the digital experience; for instance, personalization of products or services. The issue of usability in eCommerce and its impact on conversion in also a well-known topic.

Despite being aware that there are people behind both B2C and B2B purchases, these aspect seem to be ignored in business relations. It is confirmed by results of the conducted research. 77 % of Gartner's respondents consider the purchasing process in eCommerce B2B as "too difficult".
 

eCommerce B2C is in fact easy to use

While looking at the number of amenities introduced in B2C stores, you can see the opportunities and potential they bring. Customers can adjust services to their expectations or, because of interactive configurators, even design products before purchase. They can choose between the forms of delivery and payment, or use instalment purchase or split payment. In B2B, this system functions in such a way that it divides the final sum into the net amount and the amount of tax.

It is worth mentioning that the purchase process itself can also take place from the product card level in the form of Onestep Checkout or Onepage Checkout. For people who sell things or services online, this can greatly reduce the likelihood of cart abandonment. Its advantages are, among others:

• Quickness.Onestep Checkout completes sales faster in comparison to multistage transactions. In practice, this means that the customer has less time to change his mind and leave the shopping cart. For many Customers, the purchase process is accelerated by the fact that in one place they can view all the information and conditions regarding the order.
   
• Convenience.This type of solution is by definition more mobile- and user-friendly. This enables to reduce the risk of cart abandonment, which results from the low convenience of using.
   
• Comprehensiveness of information. In the "B2C world", by using numerous plugins or integrations with external technologies, it is possible to provide buyers with any information in real time. By choosing the right technologies for a given product or service, we can solve many specific business difficulties that had effectively eliminated online sales in many branches of industry a few years ago.
  
   

What do sellers in B2B offer?

In most cases, a tedious ordering process, monotonous tables, and often a lack of information about product parameters...

Unfortunately, companies very often assume that the customer knows what he wants to buy, so there is no need to write a lot the product description or add "unnecessary information."

Fortunately, businessowners more and more often notice the need for change. This is due to greater awareness of the factors and reasons that influence the purchasing decision of the B2B Client.

Depending on the purchasing policy of a given company, the willingness to buy is most often the beginning of a time-consuming process of searching for offers and selecting a supplier. As a result, the very moment of order placing on the platform may turn out to be the last stage of the process.

Bearing in mind how the way of ordering looks for our client, it is worth making it easier for him to finalize the order using the tools already available or create dedicated solutions.

Increasingly, the acceptance and sales processes are combined with each other in B2B purchasing platforms, regardless of the branch of industry. This is an element that renews the existing cooperation of B2B entities. It is consistent with the incentive of businesses to simplify the ordering and fulfilment processes.

This, in turn, affects a greater number of customers, their greater attachment to the supplier, or even the timely execution of contracts. Regardless of which option we choose when building our own B2B platform, the effect we achieve will be positively received by customers. This is due to the fact that the niche for perfected and user-friendly solutions and platform personalization in the B2B industry begins to work. Below, we present a set of aspects and functions that can be used to strengthen B2B sales.
 

RWD technology channels

Universal access on various devices is the basis of any online business. More and more people search for products and make purchases using mobile devices. Making it easier for them to use the store in this way has a positive effect on the sales amount.

Regardless of the device on which the website is viewed, its content must be displayed correctly and be legible. It is the comfort of use that is one of the main reasons why individual customers decide to use the offer of producers or sellers.

Achieving such a level of customer satisfaction is also possible in B2B transactions. Because of the use of RWD, we can offer contractors easy access to the platform, both on stationary and mobile devices.

By facilitating the ordering process, we adapt to the needs and expectations of recipients and the standards of their workstation (it is a great help, e.g. for people working in the field). The B2B platform, which works efficiently on all of the buyer's devices, significantly accelerates the execution of the order which also translates into more effective cooperation. It also increases loyalty to your organization, and it is only your competition who loses.

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Sales scalability

Increasing the sale of products or services is obvious when it comes to the development of any company. However, if we want to sell more, sooner or later we will have to systematize processes, define control points and KPI indicators, measure effectiveness, etc.

You need to know what the average cost of acquiring a new customer is in different locations, branches of industry, etc. Also, you need to calculate how long it will take to get the money back.

When you gain control over selling costs, you can easily predict the behaviour of other financial indicators.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of traditional sales departments do not value these indicators (for instance, selling costs, customer acquisition costs, etc.). For this reason, it is more difficult for them to answer the question of what is needed to develop and scale sales.

It is essential to strengthen the concept of quality over quantity. Sales teams are encouraged to view public data - such as social media - to give a more personal initial contact. However, it is not the most time-efficient operation.

The CRM system, integrated with marketing automation tools, is a rich source of accurate and up-to-date information about potential and current customers. By using opportunities it gives, representatives can sell much more effectively.
 

Safety is the key

As we know, Internet security is based, among others, on the use of SSL certificates. Internet users have already got used to the characteristic padlock symbol in the browser's address bar, so that its absence can effectively deter people from visiting the website, and even more from making a purchase. Users know that the up-to-date certificate means a properly encrypted connection, and that the data they provide are safe.

SSL is a kind of a guarantee that the data provided by the customer will be stored securely and used ONLY for the purpose of completing the purchase.

Account registration and activation of full access to the platform (including many "extra" functionalities) are other forms of security for both parties of the transaction. As owners of the B2B platform, we have the ability to verify our contractors (e.g. by VIES, REGON register from the Central Statistical Office, or the White List of VAT Taxpayers), before providing them with a full sales offer, dedicated price lists, or an invitation to participate in a loyalty program. Our contractors, on the other hand, create an image of their company as a reliable business partners by registering.

Making the system of roles and authorizations available to our clients (including its adaptation to the needs of the company) directly concerns authorization management. It also contributes to increasing the security of the purchasing policy on the side of our client. Each organization has its own hierarchy or purchasing policy, and the employees - specific roles and responsibilities. Introducing even a very simple role system, e.g.

The buyer (negotiates prices), the Ordering Party (places orders for given products), or the Acceptor of orders gives our client certainty that authorized persons take part in the purchasing process and have the power to make decisions.

In the case of a limit on orders, there may be several people serving with the privileges of Acceptor. For example, the Acceptor may accept purchases up to PLN 55,000 for one order. However, if our client is able to specify such an authorization in the system, the order will not be fully approved. Instead, it goes to a person with the same role, but with the right to accept higher budgets.

That is why the system of roles and permissions is so important for B2B customers - it effectively supports the purchasing process and protects against fraud and irregularities in the purchasing policy. And this is just one of the elements for which this system is responsible.

Convenient management of the B2B platform

If we are the owners of the platform, an important aspect for us is the management of the administrative part of the system. So it should not be a surprise that it is equally important to our customers. Therefore, it may be a good idea to provide systems to facilitate the management of the platform. For this purpose, it will be best if we use the previously mentioned advanced system of roles and permissions. It combines many functions related to the management of the administration part of the platform and user accounts. It enables, among others performing activities such as:

• Creating and activating user accounts, blocking them or suspending access
• Defining user roles and permissions (e.g. The platform administrator will be responsible for adding new user accounts, granting them access rights, modifying data, e.g. records)
• Assigning users to groups (e.g. Purchasing Department) and defining their powers in this regard
• Creating authorization exceptions for specific users (e.g. for a temporary period)
• Providing changes to personal data or resetting the password based on the authorization method
• Introducing two-step login for users with the highest privileges
• Defining items that will not be visible to an employee or group with the view to their position in the company
• Defining user roles at the employee level, e.g. in defined workflows
• Selecting which databases the employee or employees have access to or not (e.g. Price lists, invoices, order workflow),
• Giving temporary access to the platform or, for example, deactivating the account after the profile in the employee base expires

In addition, let's take into account the fact that B2B customers often manage not only a single business, but many companies at the same time. Hence, the implementation of administrative systems may turn out to be a great help for customers. For us, however, it is associated with gaining a significant competitive advantage.
 

B2B market niche

Box solutions tempt with a quick start of the sales process, price, but also a wide range of functions that may seem to be the optimal solution. However, they often lack the right approach to individual needs and anticipate the ever-increasing expectations. More precisely, what is included in the Buyer enablement concept.

This concept does not impose a sales process implementation scheme but creates a new and positive purchasing experience. It provides a lot of possibilities in the field of personalization of sales processes, tools that facilitate placing orders or creating offers tailored to the ordering parties.

Buyer support bridges the gap between how marketing and sales treat their customers. Unfortunately, for the full implementation of this concept, it is necessary to implement dedicated solutions that allow you to adapt to the needs of both the seller and each buyer individually.

Depending on your needs, it is possible to make all functionalities available at the start or to select only the most popular ones. In the next stages, we can develop them by providing other components to further improve the buyers' experience. During the consultation with our specialists, we will advise you when it is most appropriate to introduce all components, and when it is better to divide the implementation into stages.

Meeting the expectations and requirements in this area will make the properly designed platform a target and frequent destination of potential customers. In this context, we must admit - the market niche in terms of B2B sales platforms is still large and it is worth trying to fill it because it can effectively affect the level of sales.