How can an eCommerce platform help B2B retailers thrive in these  uncertain times?

How can an eCommerce platform help B2B retailers thrive in these uncertain times?

One of our main focuses at Greenlight Commerce is helping B2B CIOs and CTOs to evolve away from the traditional, face-to-face sales model and to serve their customers more effectively via a fully integrated eCommerce platform. One that supports the complex needs of the B2B customer with features like click and collect, multi-currency pricing, international payments and delivery.

The B2B retail industry has been inching towards providing a more advanced eCommerce buying experience for some time. But the recent events and the new normal has certainly expedited the need for digital transformation in this sector. Most B2B retailers are now moving to an eCommerce platform that will enable them to serve their customers better and to adapt quickly in these uncertain times.

The flexibility to scale and pivot

Groceries, healthcare and health products businesses were inundated with demand during the peak of this crisis. Having eCommerce sites that could easily scale enabled them to easily meet the increasing customer needs.

We’ve seen some B2B retailers pivot during the pandemic into a direct B2C model because their systems were flexible to allow them to adapt quickly. One company was originally selling food to bars and restaurants and, after lockdown hit, had stock rotting in their warehouses. Within a week they were trading directly with the end consumers via their SAP eCommerce platform.

Make it personal

By making any online engagements more relevant, your customers will return to your webstores more and their order values will naturally increase.  A good eCommerce platform can make it easy for you to upsell and cross-sell items tailored to the specific customer, as well as provide personalised messaging and even temporary discounts and extended credit terms to help out those who need it.

Each customer should be able to easily access their individual product range and pricing online, set up repeat orders and view their delivery progress, invoices and current levels of credit and spending limits.

Everyone is dealing with disruption and no one knows what the future holds. What we can be sure of is there will always be some changes to cope with, and so it’s essential to have a flexible system that enables you to adapt to whatever comes your way.

How to evaluate which eCommerce platform is best for you

With the current social and physical restrictions, clearly, it is essential to have an eCommerce platform which allows you to sell remotely, and to facilitate customer self-service wherever possible.  A platform with the inherent flexibility to support you in evolving with the market’s changing needs so that your business (and your customers’ businesses) can not just survive, but also really thrive in the ‘new normal’.

A good eCommerce solution will consolidate all your inventory, contracts, customer information, content and orders; allow B2B and B2C pricing configurations across multiple sites and not only enable distance selling but also actively drive sales through functions such as Amazon-style recommendations based on past purchases.

As experts in both B2B and B2C, we know what today’s customers expect and need. We have already helped many B2B retailers increase sales digitally and create a B2C shopping experience for their customers.

We’ve produced an infographic highlighting the key features we feel are essential for any B2B retailer considering a new eCommerce platform: 7 ways to boost your B2B retail revenue with an eCommerce platform

Hylight Commerce

Designed to meet the needs of the B2B retail sector, we created Hylight Commerce so you can deliver the same quality and intuitive online shopping experience as the big B2C brands and increase online revenue for you and your customers.

To give you predictable business outcomes for a fixed price and timescale, this SAP Qualified Partner Package combines pre-configured SAP Commerce Cloud technology with our industry knowledge and specialised services. We can get you live on Hylight Commerce within 18 weeks.

For more information, visit the Hylight Commerce web page.

Contact us and find out what’s possible for your business

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