As recently as a few years ago, brands and wholesalers only had a few sales channels to consider: they sold directly to retailers, or to distributors who in turn sold to retailers. This is still the case, but as consumers started to shop online, they now want the same in their business lives – retailers and distributors are looking to shop online for the goods and products they sell.
B2B wholesale businesses have had to rethink and realize that a wholesale e-commerce platform is essential to their business.
Why do you need a wholesale e-commerce platform?
Your B2B customers are also consumers, and B2C commerce is leading the way with companies like Amazon and Ebay way out in the front.
They’re accustomed to the same shopping experience, whether they are shopping from a desktop, mobile device, by telephone or in a bricks and mortar store.
You can be sure your competitors are using a wholesale e-commerce platform. Forrester estimates that B2B e-Commerce will top $1.1 trillion and account for 12.1% of all B2B sales in the US by 2020. You need to have an online presence so you don’t get left behind.
How will a wholesale e-commerce platform benefit your business?
Here are some examples of the benefits a wholesale e-commerce platform will bring to your business.
1. Increased sales.
A wholesale e-commerce platform is open 24/7. Your customers can make an order at their own convenience, wherever they may be in the world. They can shop from home or work unrestricted by time differences or location without waiting for opening times.
A recent Forrester report states that 51% of B2B digital professionals said their customers increased their spend when they bought via omnichannel. In addition, B2B customers increased their online spending overall when they began to buy online. Which proves that the availability of an e-commerce platform will bring increased sales.
2. Improved customer relationships.
From their experience in the B2C world, your customers have high expectations. Primarily, they want a user-friendly site that saves them time. A good e-commerce solution will make it easy for them to find the products they need; show them their past orders; provide clear and consistent pricing and campaign information; an immediate purchase confirmation, and tracking, so they know exactly when to expect their order.
All of which leads to a seamless buying experience encouraging your customers to return again and again.
Let’s not forget your sales reps. Rather than being pushed out of the selling process by e-commerce, their role will change. With your customers ‘self-serving’, your sales reps’ valuable time is freed up to focus on consultation. They can make new product suggestions, help with queries and more. Up-selling and cross-selling means new revenue opportunities.
In addition to keeping your existing customers satisfied, a wholesale e-commerce platform will attract new customers. SEO (search engine optimization), PPC (pay-per-click) and content marketing are all tools you can use to let people know about you and your products!
3. Cost savings.
SAP, the ERP company, estimates that the cost of entering and servicing one order manually is $150 per order. Using e-commerce reduces that cost to $25 per order, a huge cost saving.
Get on board – a wholesale e-commerce platform is the essential change you need.
