Ultimately, the goal of all ecommerce is to improve sales, but that has many elements when selling B2B products and/or services. There are subcategories such as obtaining approvals from multiple decision-makers, managing complex pricing, offering multiple shipping options and providing the conveniences that busy B2B customers appreciate such as intuitive design and navigation. The best way to improve the ecommerce experience is to improve ecommerce UX applications. It’s critical to design a responsive site that meets the technical requirements for delivering a good customer experience--such as fast page loads, painless checkout and responsive design to make ordering easy on mobile phones. Creating the path of least resistance for the customer journey depends on the UX. How to Improve ecommerce UX Applications Designing and upgrading B2B ecommerce UX applications are ongoing processes that require monitoring, testing and fine-tuning. Unfortunately, it’s not a one-and-done process, but it can be simplified with automation and platform integration. The first step is to get a robust API layer that supports integration and integrates all business applications, such as Clarity Connect, which with over 3,000 integrations is designed to bring together the data and processes from your ecommerce marketplace to your back-office applications. Business News Daily recommends organizing the process into three areas: [1] Budgetary limitations Types of products and services Essential platform features In-house design specialists should attempt to cover these basics before adding optional features. Customers today expect responsive design and fast speed. Tightening up the user experience includes speeding page loads, redesigning site architecture for functionality, creating killer layouts and building custom landing pages for the best B2B customers. Covering the basics is just the first step, however. Some of the best ways to deliver a great UX include: Use Data Analytics Each company is different, so it’s important to determine the company’s own needs using analytics. Google Analytics is a free service that offers top-of-the-line analyses. Offer Reassurance Even large, well-known B2B ecommerce businesses aren’t always trusted by new users. It’s important to reassure visitors about the site’s SSL protection and other security measures that keep their data safe. Mobile capabilities--while in demand--worry some customers. about 36 percent of consumers have been victimized by credit card fraud, and the concerns multiply when placing large orders from a new B2B supplier. [2] More than 60 percent of online customers worry that their data is less secure when they provide their financial information over a mobile phone. [3] Direct Targeting of Buyers Targeting current customers is a great way to build sales, However, impersonal marketing messages are relatively useless to B2B buyers. That’s why it’s important to target buyers based on their behavior, preferences, type of company, seasonal buying behavior and other benchmarks. Engagement is critical, and timely and relevant messages deliver better engagement and conversions. Install and Integrate Cart Abandonment Software As the budget allows, installing cart abandonment software can provide steady leads with incentives, compelling product alternatives and answers to user questions and concerns. Create a FAQ Page Getting answers to the most common questions enables customers to make buying decisions with more confidence. Content Campaigns Content includes videos, articles, website content, catalog descriptions, videos, images and blog posts. Content helps to convert customers by giving a fuller description of products and services, engaging people with emotion and simply entertaining them. Great content increases social exposure and referrals. Brand the Company and Its Products Even B2B buyers are not immune from the appeal of branded merchandise. Branding a B2B company is an essential part of the UX experience, and that means defining the company’s products, targeted customers, competition and user interface design. Best practices for branding include putting headers in conspicuous places, using a recognizable logo, designing a splash screen or welcome screen and highlighting brand graphics or mascots. Clarity ecommerce provides not only the branding of products, but individual stores (i.e. for unique brands, divisions, etc.) as well. Design for Easy Scanning The user experience depends heavily on people being able to scan articles for information quickly. That means following a visual hierarchy that includes using eye-tracking features such as headlines and bulleted lists. CTA elements are also critical. Customers should be able to navigate easily and share socially with easy-to-find social media buttons. Reduce the Number of Clicks Customers should be able to reach any website feature within three or four clicks. Product mega menus should get them to the sub-category of choice in 1 click. Simplify Sign-ins and Account Registration Making it easy for customers to sign in or register is a critical aspect of a good user experience. Use Landing Pages Intelligently Directing customers to the homepage can prove counterproductive. It can lower conversion rates and increase bounce rates for customers who want to place a quick order. Landing pages can direct some traffic directly to the areas that users want. Companies can use their analytical insights to decide which clicks should lead to a home page or landing page. Highlight Relevant Menus or Features When a site user clicks on a link, the page displayed should highlight the information that the user seeks. User-friendly Design Begins with Data It’s critical to understand what your customers want and what your needs are before trying to improve UX ecommerce applications. How you approach the essentials of design, integration and automation, however, depends on the experience, reliability and support of the developer. Clarity offers a team of B2B marketing experts who can build your UX using modular components that fit your budget. The company offers full support services that include testing, monitoring performance and training staff to leverage the most from your platform features and UX applications. References: [1] Dharmamerchantservices.com: 7 Powerful Strategies to Improve Your ecommerce Site https://dharmamerchantservices.com/faq/7-powerful-strategies-improve-ecommerce-site/ [2] Quicksprout.com: 11 Best Ways to Boost ecommerce Sales Fast https://www.quicksprout.com/2017/11/10/the-11-best-ways-to-boost-ecommerce-sales-fast/ [3] Toptal.com: ecommerce UX for the Mobile Experience https://www.toptal.com/designers/ux/ecommerce-ux-mobile-experience