The key to boosting B2B sales today lies in a digital-first approach that meets customers’ changing expectations. 2020 was a landmark year that tested businesses’ agility and adaptability in a crisis. Companies could no longer hold face-to-face meetings, which were once a huge part of B2B. Other marketing activities also had to be halted to comply with social distancing measures.
As the pandemic put a stop to business-as-usual activities, companies turned to digital solutions. Covid-19 sped up digitisation, which was already starting to develop in the B2B space. If last year taught us anything, now is the time to build and optimise your digital presence. Even if the pandemic ended today, digital purchasing will remain as the standard and brands must adapt to survive.
3 Steps to Boost B2B Sales
#1 Grow Online Presence
E-commerce was previously thought of as a more suitable medium for direct-to-consumer than B2B businesses. Many B2B companies stuck to the status quo by focusing on offline operations.
That completely changed when Covid-19 came into the picture.
Once the initial shock of disruptions wore off, B2B businesses shifted online as they could no longer make sales the way they used to.
It may have seemed like a temporary solution in the beginning but there is no denying the benefits of B2B e-commerce today. While it may seem daunting, going online does not necessarily mean a complete overhaul. Conventional B2B practices still work, but the pandemic taught us the importance of building an online presence to seamlessly pivot when needed.
The transition online went smoothly for businesses that already had an online presence pre-pandemic. Before the digital age, companies had to create custom-coded software and build a website from scratch, which took months and was costly.
Types of E-Commerce Platforms
With more options available today, launching an e-commerce platform has never been easier.
Currently, there are numerous Content Management Systems (CMS) available in the market with solid backend management features. These systems allow you to create and edit a website to your liking and launch it once you’re happy with the result. Without having to write any code, you can build an online store in a matter of days.
Another way to quickly establish an online front is to join B2B marketplaces. These are the plus points:
- Signing up as a seller on a marketplace is straightforward and takes hardly any time.
- Sign-ups typically come with comprehensive guidance from implementation onwards for ongoing support.
- Marketplaces allow brands to tap into a larger audience and gain early recognition, which is especially beneficial to brands that are just starting to digitise.
Whatever option you choose, the key is to start digitising immediately. After all, it’s been predicted that 80% or more of B2B sales will take place digitally or in remote settings in the future.
Want to fast-track your digital growth? Sign up as a seller on Dropee, where you can reach thousands of buyers and grow B2B sales.
#2 Enhance Customer Experience
The key to accelerating B2B sales is a low-effort, digital buying experience that raises customers’ confidence. Traditionally, sellers spent a lot of time going door-to-door to service clients but B2B e-commerce can change that. It’s important to build or choose online systems that allow you to service clients faster.
In the digital space, brands can provide an entire catalogue of products with more diverse options. Customers can browse through the catalogue at their leisure and make comparisons easily, aiding the decision-making process.
By going digital, customers can place orders, check their order status and track shipment remotely from various devices. To amplify the experience, customers should be able to access this information and view their order history from a single account without having to sift through multiple email chains.
Attention to detail is crucial here to eliminate any errors in the process that could cause doubt or distrust. Customers will be more inclined to buy online with a simplified ordering process. This in turn speeds up digitisation as they are more confident to trade online.
A successful jump to self-service is critical to the success of B2B e-commerce as it not only improves the customer’s experience but also relieves the burden on sales personnel.
With a robust order management and tracking system in place, sales representatives will have more time to personalise the customer experience.
#3 Get Deeper Insights
Advanced technology, data and analytics are becoming increasingly central to driving B2B sales. Before the age of data, business decisions were made with the combination of opinions and gut instinct, which can be far-off. By going digital, the data derived from B2B e-commerce allows brands to understand consumer behaviour and tailor content or sales strategies. This way, brands can accurately meet customers’ needs and ensure personalisation.
Make sure your B2B e-commerce channel is equipped with analytics to provide insights on customer behaviour. This way, you can keep track of the best-selling products, average order quantity and most-searched items to better forecast demand. With this information, brands can offer a targeted and valuable service to customers.
A data-driven approach doesn’t just help with personalisation, it also allows brands to improve their supply chains as they can accurately anticipate inventory volume. Overall, brands can better allocate resources and cut down on unnecessary tasks.
Start Digitising to Boost B2B Sales
By following these three steps, businesses can more closely align with customers’ evolving preferences and drive revenue growth. There are more strategies you could implement to drive B2B sales but building an online presence now is imperative to keep up with the changing times.
Want to capitalise on e-commerce opportunities? Dropee can help you get a headstart in digitising your business with our e-commerce solutions. Get in touch with us for a free consultation!
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