eCommerce

B2B eCommerce Development: Making the Most of Your eCommerce Platform

Updated October 11  |  8 min read
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Key Takeaways
  • Business-to-business (B2B) eCommerce refers to online transactions that occur between businesses, as opposed to between businesses and consumers. It involves the buying and selling of goods and services between two or more businesses through a digital platform.
  • A B2B eCommerce website can offer benefits such as improved efficiency, cost savings, and increased convenience for businesses.
  • This type of eCommerce often involves larger transactions, longer sales cycles, and more complex negotiations compared to business-to-consumer (B2C) eCommerce.
  • B2B eCommerce platforms can include online marketplaces, supplier directories, and B2B procurement systems, among others.
  • With the growth of digital technology, B2B eCommerce is becoming increasingly popular and essential for businesses to remain competitive.
An eCommerce platform makes buying easier for corporate buyers.

Stop Waiting — The B2B Revolution Is Here

Clarity eCommerce is a high-performance eCommerce B2B platform that solves eCommerce business problems. The multi-faceted platform can cover an array of capabilities to help any size business operate this business model to its fullest capacity. Some of these proficiencies include, but are not limited to:

  • Built-in integration to a robust content management system
  • A complete set of administrative features
  • Native SEO tools
  • Tailored B2B architecture to lure market clients
  • Revenue-producing eCommerce business intelligence capabilities
  • Reporting and analytics
  • Supply chain management integrations
  • B2B buyers groups
  • Specialized customer experience
  • Improved customer service
  • Back-end integration to B2B sales tax and global shipping calculations

Our Approach to B2B Websites

For Clarity, B2B is B2C with customization capabilities built into the eCommerce platform. B2B still needs the well-designed UI/UX that converts your customers, there's usually just a ton more back-end that needs integration and automation. Here are a few benefits of a true B2B eCommerce solution from Clarity:

  • eCommerce designed to meet special B2B needs, customizations, and functionality
  • Built-in CMS, SEO tools to drive traffic, user administration toolset
  • Revenue-producing business intelligence for eCommerce with a machine-learning module
  • Back-office ERP / CRM integrations and reporting for business process improvements and automation

B2B eCommerce Solutions

B2B eCommerce solutions account for more business than you can imagine. According to Gartner, in 2019, the IT purchasing segment alone accounted for more than $3.7 trillion dollars. That's a "T."

B2B eCommerce solutions are responsible for helping to keep your customers happy, serviced, and coming back. How much does each of your customers buy each year? Hundreds or hundreds of thousands each? Don't let a sub-par B2B system take care of your most-prized assets. Get a B2B platform, like Clarity eCommerce, designed by a B2B company, that builds B2B solutions.

Improve Customer Loyalty

By focusing on a better online shopping experience, making it fast and easy to re-order, allowing partners to be notified proactively when an item they've back-ordered comes in, split shipping, custom handling, and many more customized features of B2B eCommerce, Clarity eCommerce helps to improve customer satisfaction and overall shopping experience, which creates and builds on customer loyalty.

Designed to Move Product

Clarity eCommerce focuses on helping businesses improve efficiency ranging from the enterprise level to medium/large sized organizations. ECommerce solutions such as the ability to send abandoned shopping cart emails, administer the site from one comprehensive dashboard, customize advanced SEO controls, and the availability of many more eCommerce features has given Clarity websites the power to sell more products and services than ever before.

Tailored to Drive Your Business

The combination of our experienced consultants, custom developers, purpose-built B2B eCommerce and integration platforms, as well as our hands-on approach all help your market strategy flourish.

Clarity specializes in delivering a custom-tailored eCommerce solution that is designed specifically for your online goals and business improvement processes, improving both your customer's experience and customer service.

Custom eCommerce by Clarity Ventures.

What to Look for in a B2B eCommerce Development Company

What is business-to-business eCommerce? B2B eCommerce is a term regularly thrown around. B2B eCommerce is offering products and services that specifically target outside businesses.

The main differentiator between B2B and normal eCommerce platforms is that B2B transactions are generally made between large suppliers and other companies (inventory management, vendors, resellers, etc.). Organizations that purchase from large suppliers, then sell these products to their customers through separate B2C eCommerce websites.

With B2C, the merchants sell the products to the customers when the customers visit the site. However, B2B eCommerce is much more complicated; negotiating contracts, setting customer-specific price levels, and a whole array of other company-specific criteria. B2B eCommerce also has a lot to do with having the right business connections and service models to stand behind the offerings made on the website.

If you are looking to grow your online business in dramatic ways, consider involving a custom eCommerce development company for your B2B eCommerce system.

What Features Does an eCommerce Website Need?

As more and more people turn to online shopping, it's essential for businesses to have a website on a B2B eCommerce platform. However, creating a website that's both functional and effective can be challenging. In this article, we'll explore some of the critical features that eCommerce websites need to have to succeed.

Customize It to Your Needs and Your Customers' Needs

One of the most critical features of a website is customization. Your website should be tailored to your needs and those of your customers. You need to consider the type of products you sell, your target customers, and your business goals. The website should be easy to navigate and should provide all the necessary information about the products or services you offer.

It should also be customizable to each customer as necessary. This includes custom pricing and flexible payment options depending on your relationship with the customer. Sales teams can determine exactly what kind of eCommerce strategy is best on a per-customer basis.

Advertise That You Sell to Business Clients

If your eCommerce site is geared towards B2B customers, it's essential to make this clear. You should make it easy for B2B customers to sign up and access your website. You may also want to offer special features or pricing for B2B customers. By making your website B2B-friendly, you'll attract more business customers.

Connect ERP and CRM Systems

The ability to connect enterprise resource planning (ERP) and customer relationship management (CRM) systems to a B2B eCommerce site is crucial for streamlining B2B eCommerce processes, reducing errors, and enhancing customer experiences.

Integrating data between these systems provide real-time insights, automates processes, and improves accuracy, enabling businesses to make better decisions, improve operational efficiency, and drive growth. The result is an optimized B2B eCommerce experience that benefits both the business and its customers.

Deliver Mobile-Responsive Design

With more and more people accessing the internet through their mobile devices, it's essential to have a mobile-responsive website. A mobile-responsive website adapts to the screen size of the device being used, providing a seamless user experience across all devices.

Having a mobile-responsive website will also improve your search engine ranking, as Google now prioritizes mobile-friendly websites. Consider B2B mobile apps as well.

Make it Easy to Find Products

Customers should be able to find the products they're looking for quickly and easily. This means having a well-organized catalog, clear product descriptions, and an easy-to-use search function. You may also want to consider offering filters or sorting options to help customers find the products they want.

Consider Multilingual Capabilities

If you're selling products to a global audience, you may want to consider adding multilingual eCommerce capabilities to your website. This will help you reach a wider audience and increase your customer base. Make sure that your website is translated accurately and that the translation is culturally appropriate.

Make Sure the Site is Secure

Security is a critical concern for any website. You need to make sure that your website is secure and that your customers' personal and financial information is protected. You should use SSL encryption, secure payment gateways, and keep your website software up-to-date to prevent hacking attempts.

Optimize the Site for Speed

A slow website can be frustrating for customers and can negatively impact your search engine ranking. You need to make sure that your website is optimized for speed, and that it loads quickly. This means compressing images, minimizing HTTP requests, and using caching.

Support SEO

Search engine optimization (SEO) is essential for any commerce website. You need to make sure that your website is optimized for search engines so that customers can find you. This means using relevant keywords, optimizing product descriptions, and creating high-quality content. Talk to us about enterprise SEO solutions.

Have a Solid Review Process

Customer reviews can be a powerful tool for building trust and driving sales. You need to have a solid review process in place that encourages customers to leave reviews and responds to negative reviews. This will help you improve your products and services and build a loyal customer base.

Creating a successful website requires a combination of technical expertise and a customer-focused approach. By customizing your website to your needs and those of your customers, designing an eCommerce solution can improve your eCommerce market share.

An eCommerce solution can improve your eCommerce market share..

Steps to Advanced B2B eCommerce Solutions

Developing a B2B eCommerce website can be a complex process, and it requires careful planning and execution. Here are the steps involved in the development process:

  1. Define your business goals and requirements: Before starting the development process, it's important to define your business goals and requirements. This will help you identify what features and functionalities your B2B website needs to have. You should also consider factors such as your target audience, budget, and timeline.
  2. Choose a platform: There are many eCommerce platforms available, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Some of the most popular B2B commercial software includes Magento, Shopify, and WooCommerce. You should choose a platform that best meets your business needs and provides the features and functionalities you require. You could even have a custom eCommerce platform built.
  3. Design your website: Your B2B eCommerce website should be designed to meet the needs of your target audience. It should be user-friendly, easy to navigate, and visually appealing. You may want to consider hiring a professional web designer to create a custom design that meets your specific needs.
  4. Develop your website: Once you have chosen a platform and designed your website, you can start developing it. This involves coding your website and integrating it with any third-party applications or services that you may need.
  5. Test your website: Before launching your B2B website, you should test it thoroughly to ensure that it is functioning correctly and meets your business requirements. This involves testing for usability, security, and performance.
  6. Launch your website: Once you have tested your B2B eCommerce website and are satisfied with its performance, you can launch it. This involves deploying your website to a live server and making it available to your target audience.
  7. Market your website: Finally, you should market your B2B eCommerce website to your target audience. This involves promoting your website through various channels such as social media, email marketing, and search engine optimization.

Developing a B2B eCommerce website requires careful planning, execution, and ongoing maintenance. With the right approach, you can create a website that meets your business needs and helps you achieve your goals.

An eCommerce platform can improve your sales funnel.

Integration with All Major Carriers

Clarity eCommerce is capable of integrating with whatever shipping service you prefer, domestic, international, regional, LTL, etc. It is even capable of doing complex intermodal shipping calculations to find the best price and route automatically if your business often ships in combinations of air, train, and ground.

B2B Development Experts

Business continues to move online, and ignoring eCommerce in B2B isn't an option anymore. Your business clients are working online, so you have to, too. You need an eCommerce website—and that's not a B2B project to be taken lightly.

B2B development is a key aspect when presenting your company to business buyers. You want to work with a company that has extensive experience, one that has solved the problems after years of fine-tuning its eCommerce platform to create a robust and flexible framework.

Clarity is a B2B development agency dedicated to helping your business grow and deliver an online shopping experience that your customers will love. Get in touch with us today to make it happen.

 

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B2B eCommerce supply chain for business buyers

FAQ

 

B2B eCommerce is the business model where one business sells goods to its business clients.

ECommerce solutions can lead to business growth on an online store, often via the integration of the online sales platform with back-office ERP, CRM, and payment solutions. Online stores can also be integrated with third-party systems to improve the customer journey, such as shipping APIs and tax software.

ECommerce businesses should seek the help of B2B eCommerce development services to ensure business processes aren't interrupted and business objectives are upheld. Developers create B2B eCommerce solutions that streamline operations that exceed employee and customer expectations for an online store.

 

If you are a small-to-medium business (SBM) looking to grow your online business, it’s important to find a eCommerce development agency that can provide a flexible platform to give your customers options that aren’t offered by most websites. Competent eCommerce development will also ensure that your site can grow exponentially as your business grows.

Most online eCommerce platforms—software-as-a-service (SaaS) options such as WordPress or Shopify—typically cater to very small businesses. These platforms are attractive to one-employee businesses that have no experience creating an online presence or dealing with third-party payment processors.

An experienced team providing professional business eCommerce development services helps eCommerce businesses improve business processes and increase conversion rates, making the entire process more efficient.

 

The most common example of eCommerce in a B2B environment is a company that produces items and then sells them to a retailer. This could be clothing, toys, appliances, or food. B2B can occur many times before an item makes it to retail, especially with complex items such as electronics.

For example, Intel will purchase high-quality silicon from a mining business, sell those chips to Samsung to make televisions, and then Samsung will sell the completed television to a wholesaler. Best Buy then buys the televisions from a wholesaler (they may also be the wholesaler). All of these B2B eCommerce transactions occur before the final B2C sale to a customer.

 

The best business to business eCommerce platform is one that does what you need it to now and can grow as your business grows in the future. You should seek out a B2B eCommerce development agency that has extensive experience helping companies of your size grow exponentially.

 

Business-to-business eCommerce uses an online website to connect one business to another to exchange goods. This could be a business selling raw goods to a manufacturer, then a manufacturer selling to a wholesaler or retailer.

B2B eCommerce platforms specialize in the features that eCommerce businesses require to ensure business growth. This may include more advanced shipping and payment options that deal with larger orders, especially when compared to B2C eCommerce solutions that focus on selling to the end-consumer.

 

Customer data is invaluable for B2B businesses as it provides insights crucial for success. By analyzing purchasing patterns, preferences, and behavior, businesses can tailor their offerings, enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty. This data-driven approach informs product development, allowing businesses to align offerings with client needs and improve the customer experience.

Furthermore, customer data aids in targeted marketing and sales strategies. Precise segmentation enables personalized communication, optimizing lead generation and conversion. Businesses can anticipate client needs, providing proactive solutions and building stronger relationships.

Data analysis also informs decision-making, from inventory management to pricing strategies. This enables cost-efficiency and maximizes profitability. Moreover, understanding pain points through customer feedback aids in refining customer support and service, solidifying trust.

Data security is paramount; protecting sensitive client information fosters trust and complies with regulations. B2B businesses can leverage the data of customer groups to predict market trends, stay competitive, and foster long-term growth.

 

Yes, B2B eCommerce software solutions are generally secure when implemented and managed properly. These platforms prioritize security measures to protect sensitive customer data and online sales. They often employ encryption protocols like SSL/TLS to safeguard data during transit. They also implement robust authentication and authorization mechanisms to ensure that only authorized personnel have access to critical information when they sell online.

B2B eCommerce software providers regularly release security updates and patches to address potential vulnerabilities. They also employ firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and other security tools to monitor and protect against unauthorized access and cyber threats.

The level of security can vary depending on the specific software provider and the measures taken by the individual businesses using the platform. It's essential for businesses to follow best practices in password management, user access controls, and network security to maximize the security of eCommerce platforms.

While no system is entirely invulnerable, reputable B2B eCommerce solutions invest heavily in security measures. By adopting these eCommerce platforms and implementing proper security practices, businesses can significantly reduce the risks associated with online transactions and data handling.

 

Creating a B2B eCommerce platform involves a series of strategic steps to ensure a seamless and efficient business-to-business online experience. Here's a concise guide in list format:

  • Market Research and Analysis
    Identify target industries and businesses. Analyze competitors and market trends. Understand the unique needs and pain points of B2B customers.
  • Define Business Model
    Choose between a marketplace, distributor, or hybrid model. Determine revenue streams such as subscription fees or transaction commissions.
  • Select Technology Stack
    Choose a scalable and secure eCommerce platform. Integrate essential features like inventory management, order processing, and a payment gateway.
  • User Experience Design
    Develop an intuitive interface with a focus on user-friendliness. Prioritize easy navigation and quick access to product information.
  • Supplier and Product Onboarding
    Implement a streamlined onboarding process for suppliers. Establish clear product categorization and data standards.
  • Implement Security Measures
    Prioritize data security and privacy. Implement secure login, encrypted transactions, and regular security audits.
  • Integrate ERP and CRM Systems
    Integrate with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems for seamless business systems.
  • Implement Customization and Personalization
    Allow businesses to customize their profiles and product catalogs. Implement personalized recommendations for existing and new customers based on purchasing history.
  • Optimize for Mobile Devices
    Ensure the platform is mobile-responsive for on-the-go business transactions. Develop a mobile app for enhanced accessibility.
  • Establish Analytics and Reporting
    Implement analytics tools to track user behavior and sales metrics. Provide comprehensive reporting for both buyers and sellers.
  • Compliance and Legal Considerations
    Ensure compliance with B2B eCommerce regulations. Clearly communicate terms and conditions, return policies, and other legal aspects.
  • Testing and Quality Assurance
    Conduct thorough testing for usability, performance, and security. Address any issues identified during testing.
  • Launch and Marketing
    Develop a comprehensive launch strategy. Utilize digital marketing channels to attract both buyers and sellers.
  • Continuous Improvement
    Gather feedback and continuously improve the platform. Stay updated on industry trends and technology advancements.

By following these steps, businesses can establish a robust B2B eCommerce platform that caters to the unique needs of business customers while ensuring a secure and user-friendly experience.

 

When engaging in business-to-business development, it is crucial to consider several key factors to ensure success and long-term partnerships to facilitate company growth. Here are a few examples of what to look for

  • Clear Business Objectives: Define your business goals and align them with your business-to-business development strategy to drive purposeful collaboration.
  • Target Audience Analysis: Understand your target market and tailor your B2B solutions to meet their specific needs and preferences. Ensure the marketing team can implement its digital marketing strategy to attract potential customers.
  • Search Engine Optimization: Make sure any digital marketing strategies involves work on the website that will appeal to search engines, which is an excellent way of generating leads for potential customers.
  • Scalability: Ensure that the business-to-business development framework is scalable, allowing for growth and adaptation as your business evolves.
  • Security Measures: Prioritize robust security protocols to safeguard sensitive business data and maintain the trust of your B2B partners.
  • Integration Capabilities: Choose a development approach that seamlessly integrates with existing systems and technologies, facilitating smooth transitions for your clients.
  • User-Friendly Interface: Develop an intuitive and user-friendly interface to enhance the overall experience for B2B users, promoting efficiency and satisfaction. This will be especially helpful for your sales team and the entire sales process.
  • Customization Options: Provide flexibility for clients to customize solutions based on their unique business requirements, fostering a tailored and personalized experience.
  • Reliable Support and Maintenance: Implement a proactive support system and maintenance plan to address issues promptly and ensure continuous, reliable operation for both current and potential customers.

    • By carefully considering these aspects, businesses can navigate business-to-business development successfully, fostering lasting relationships and sustainable growth. Doing so can lead to effective business development that will help increase sales.

Still have questions? Chat with us on the bottom right corner of your screen #NotARobot

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Written by Stephen Beer
Stephen Beer is a Content Writer at Clarity Ventures and has written about various tech industries for nearly a decade. He is determined to demystify HIPAA, integration, enterpise SEO, and eCommerce with easy-to-read, easy-to-understand articles to help businesses make the best decisions.

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