Top 7 B2B eCommerce Features & Case Study
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As of this writing, the eCommerce industry is booming and shows no signs of slowing down. Both B2C (business-to-customer) and B2B (business-to-business) models are widely used, which leads some to believe that what works for B2C will also work for B2B.?
However, that's not the case. LitExtension will tell you 7 key B2B eCommerce features you need to optimize for long-term success:
Feature 1: Tailored Pricing Plan
Unlike B2C (which usually offers a fixed price per product), B2B eCommerce platforms must be able to provide flexible pricing options for different clients.
Simply put, you need to create customized pricing based on factors like order size, specific product categories, and even client relationships. Offering discounts for special pricing or bulk orders where applicable is also a great strategy to boost your brand's reputation.
Feature 2: Customizable Delivery Options
From our own experience, B2B transactions often come with complex delivery requirements. Depending on the order's size and nature, your clients might need anything from a small package delivery to a full truckload.
Hence, a B2B eCommerce website should offer flexible delivery options to meet these diverse needs. Allowing clients to choose the best delivery method for each order is one of the best ways to smooth out logistics, reduce delays, and eventually boost customer satisfaction.
Feature 3: Credit Management
In B2B commerce, it's quite common for clients to place orders on credit, then receive goods upfront and pay later.?
That's why your eCommerce website needs a strong credit management system to let you set credit limits based on each client's size, credit history, and relationship with your business. Such an approach helps maintain good business relationships while minimizing non-payment risk.
Feature 4: Logistics Management
Here comes another crucial element in B2B eCommerce: efficient logistic management.
Common issues (like how many pallets fit in a truck, whether they are stackable, or if partially full pallets can be purchased) can be major roadblocks if not addressed properly. Only an eCommerce platform with advanced logistics management features can handle such complexities smoothly. Your business will be able to cut costs and improve delivery times (hence better meeting client expectations) as a result.?
Feature 5: Secure Access and Customer Verification
Remember that in any eCommerce transaction, your clients need to know their data is safe and accessible only to authorized personnel.?
We suggest implementing secure access and customer verification processes (e.g., ID checks or required credentials) to ensure that only verified users can place orders or access sensitive information. Aside from building client trust (the obvious benefit), this strategy will also protect your business in the long run.
Feature 6: Flexible User Permissions
In most cases, purchasing decisions often involve several people within the same organization.
Your eCommerce platform can help streamline such processes by letting different team members access shared information through flexible user permissions. Businesses should be able to assign roles and tasks through an admin console, enabling various employees to manage orders, access pricing, view order history, and more.
Feature 7: International Support
As businesses expand globally, an eCommerce platform supporting international transactions should be among your priorities. That includes:
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Only then can your business operate smoothly across borders, which opens up new markets and drives more sustainable growth.
IMPORTANT: Revisit Some Popular Case Studies
Still unsure how to include these key features in your sales strategy??
Of course, creating a campaign or sales plan for an entire brand is quite a huge challenge, something we cannot yet cover in just one newsletter. Nevertheless, we believe these two common case studies can give you a solid starting point:
HP and international support
HP's expansion into the Asia-Pacific market is a great example of how to successfully grow a B2B eCommerce presence globally.
As a top manufacturer of computers, workstations, and printers for consumers and businesses, HP knew they needed a B2B eCommerce strategy catering more to local markets. Back then, the company faced the challenge of launching five new online stores in different regions, each with its own set of unique obstacles while also ensuring:
In the end, HP chose Adobe Commerce as its main platform to tackle such challenges. The brand used its powerful features to manage multiple global stores smoothly while effectively aligning its international operations with local preferences.
The result: HP delivered 116 agile releases in only a year. Furthermore, 23% of customers in the Asia-Pacific region opted to purchase HP products online instead of visiting physical stores (as of 2023).?
HairStore.fr and inventory/logistics management
When HairStore.fr, a brand that originally focused on B2C, decided to venture into the B2B market, the transition wasn't easy.?
To manage this shift effectively, HairStore.fr opted for BigCommerce, a top eCommerce platform well-known for its strong B2B features that have proven successful for other companies. BigCommerce offered HairStore.fr a flexible and scalable platform with endless possibilities for integrating the brand's existing technology.?
One of the brand's biggest challenges was connecting its online store to the brand's own ERP (enterprise resource planning) systems. BigCommerce addressed this issue by enabling seamless integration with almost any existing ERP system on the market, which paved the way for HairStore.fr to handle varying future needs and add support services.
The continuous updates and improvements are also huge advantages. Whether these updates come from BigCommerce's internal teams or technical partners, the brand can rest assured that its website stays current and efficient without constant manual intervention.
The result: since launching on BigCommerce in 2023, HairStore.fr has experienced immediate and noticeable improvements. The site's load speed improved to 1.8 seconds (a 50% increase compared to its pre-migration performance), contributing to a conversion rate of 3.06% between December 2023 and January 2024.
Wrap Up
As you can see, whether you are able to optimize these key B2B eCommerce features can make or break your business. After our comprehensive feature list (along with two huge case studies), we hope you are now better equipped to create a more strategic plan for your own B2B eCommerce business in the long run.?