Growing competition calls for matching up with the ever-growing demands and B2B ecommerce is no exception either. Your ecommerce store must be able to keep up with the procedures and processes of your company, rather than the case being the other way around. Many B2B companies have already realized the potential of setting up a B2B ecommerce store, while many are still running their business via phone calls, emails or personal visits which puts them way behind in the competition.
If you wonder what makes an online b2b ecommerce software or online store comprehensive, you must go through the must have features and their benefits.
- Customer Groups & Profiles
Unlike a B2C scenario, where mostly all customers are treated equally, in B2B eCommerce wholesalers deal in large volumes and apparently that varies from customer to customer. Proper segmentation of clients becomes important here. Whether it is price settings, minimum order quantity, shipping, promotion, payment options or discount, your ecommerce store must be able to streamline the process with segmentation.
Segmentation of B2B customers can be on the following grounds:
- Order Volume
- Geographic location/Demographics
- Order Frequency
- Catalog
- Order Volume and Discounts
In B2B eCommerce products are purchased in large volumes or bulk and hence bulk discounts are applicable. B2B eCommerce Software chosen by you or the ecommerce store you are looking to get developed must be able to find a way to apply bulk discounts according to various order quantity tiers.
- Customer Specific Catalog & Pricing
Since B2B clients require a customer specific product catalog and pricing, your online store must be able to create a completely unique setup of products and a pricing structure that’s visible or applied to a specific bunch of clients.
- Minimum Order Quantity
Minimum Order Quantity, also commonly abbreviated MOQ, specifies the minimum quantity of a particular product it can be ordered for. This is a very commonly followed phenomenon in the B2B wholesale industry. To put it simple, if the quantity chosen by the buyer doesn’t comply with the minimum order quantity you have specified for a particular product, the order cannot be placed. Your ecommerce store must be able to set minimum as well as maximum order quantity.
- Reordering
Your clients must be able to see their purchase history. By facilitating a seamless one-click reorder you can save their time and enhance customer experience manifold. This also nurtures customer loyalty and increased profits in the long run.
- Flexible Payment Options
Multiple and flexible payment options add to your customers experience and more value to your business. Mostly in B2B, provision of a 30 days credit is facilitated. In online B2B ecommerce online payment methods are provided, but you can also choose to have offline payment methods in place for more flexibility.
- Inventory Updates
Well managed inventory is the backbone of any well-performing ecommerce store. When you hire an ecommerce development company and discuss about the best B2B ecommerce solutions for wholesalers, you can discuss about how you want the inventory to be managed. By having a good inventory management in place, you can provide your customers with accurate information about the availability of the product which in turn enhances customer experience and builds brand loyalty.
- Tax Exemption
Tax is one of the most complex bits in any business and especially in B2B business. Since certain products are exempted of tax and others are not, you need a seamless tax exemption and calculation feature in place.
- Great UI and UX
Clear navigation and powerful search are essential for a delightful customer experience. Since we all are pressed for time nowadays, a time consuming and confusing buying process is enough to drive off your customers. A good B2B eCommerce software makes the checkout process simple, fast, intuitive and secure.
- Mobile Responsive
Last but not the least! Infact the most important of them all, is to have a mobile responsive website. The number of mobile users have already outnumbered desktop users and hence it is essential to have a mobile responsive website that works seamless across all devices such mobiles, tablets, phablets, iPads and and operating systems such as Windows, iOS and Android.
Conclusion: After going through the list of the must have features of an appealing B2B ecommnerce software or online store, you may have understood the underlying reasons. Since every business is unique, you may not necessarily need all the features mentioned above, but keeping these features in mind while getting your website developed will help you a huge deal.
