How to break the mould and build a sharp B2B e-commerce experience that sells like B2C

B2B e-commerce is growing fast, but the customer experience is lagging behind. 70% of buyers want to buy digitally, but only 36% think it works well. It’s not hard to see why. Many B2B sites are clunky, slow and uninspiring. At Viskan, we know B2B doesn’t have to feel rigid and overly technical. At its core, all e-commerce is about people buying from people, whether that happens via a company invoice or a payment card. People want an engaging buying experience that is fast, slick and simple. Buying online for work shouldn’t be more complicated than shopping from your sofa at home. Based on our experience, we’ve put together a few tips to help you create a better experience for your B2B customers.

Simplify the buying process and give your B2B e-commerce the same smooth experience as B2C

Don’t listen to anyone telling you B2B and B2C are fundamentally different. Yes, there are some differences, but that doesn’t mean the B2B experience has to be more complex and dull. Automate and simplify the buying process, and you make it easier for your B2B customers to buy from you. Reorders are a good example. The aftermarket is an important part of B2B. Learn from B2C order history and buy-again functionality, and give your customers the same easy way to repeat orders for spare parts and consumables that they’re already used to from B2C.

Viskan E-handelsplattform lets you tailor the B2B customer experience with repurchase functionality that cuts a long and complicated process down to a smooth repeat purchase that takes no more than 30 seconds. When your customers log in, they get easy access not only to order history, but also to previous invoices, agreements and other customer history that simplifies and improves their experience.

Present your products and prices in a more compelling way

Buying should be enjoyable, even in B2B e-commerce. With a capable platform like Viskan, you can build a B2B site with the same easy-to-navigate B2C feel. With spacious design, simple menus and search fields, appealing product imagery and clear product information, you make it easier for customers to find and order what they need.

Whether you already have a PIM or want to use the PIM built into Viskan, you create this engaging B2B experience by producing really strong product information where technical details are combined with persuasive descriptions, attractive product images and helpful product guides. Add a quote request button that is just as simple and intuitive as “add to basket”, and you’ve created a buying experience where both simple and complex purchases can happen as smoothly as in B2C.

The next step in improving the B2B experience is to present tailored pricing in a simple way. Viskan’s efficient pricing management in the customer portal lets your B2B customers instantly see their own price list, get the discounts they’re entitled to under their agreement, and receive the correct price based on the quantity they buy. Without having to go through “contact us for pricing”. It’s a smoother experience for your customers and saves your sales team time, because they don’t have to produce pricing for every purchase.

A more personal experience with Viskan B2B E-commerce

According to Forrester, 66% of B2B customers expect the same personalised treatment as in B2C. When they log in to your e-commerce site, they want to see relevant products, the right prices, and get personalised campaigns and recommendations based on their profile and purchase history. That’s exactly what you can give them with Viskan E-handelsplattform. You can also personalise and improve the B2B experience with features for order status, delivery tracking and automatic order updates.

As well as tailoring product ranges and prices for each B2B customer, Viskan E-handelsplattform makes life easier for businesses where the purchasing process involves several decision-makers. This is handled through a feature for multiple user accounts with customised permissions. In practice, that means the buyer logs in with permission to place an order, while the manager with approval rights logs in to approve it, creating a smoother buying process.

Take inspiration from the B2C flow for your B2B e-commerce

Here are a few more tips on how your B2B business can create an appealing, user-friendly experience that showcases your range, your expertise and your brand in the same inspiring way as B2C.

· Build a responsive, fast site that always gives users the same seamless experience. Above all, you need to test your B2B e-commerce continuously. The optimised user experience in B2C is built on measurement, A/B testing and customer feedback. Track how your B2B customers navigate and complete their purchases, where the bottlenecks and obstacles are, and so on. That gives you the insight you need to optimise your e-commerce for a more engaging experience.

· Create more engaging product information. Product descriptions in B2B tend to be heavy, detailed and often PDF-based. Make your product presentation more engaging and accessible with shorter, more persuasive descriptions, video, guides, 3D views and more.

· Make the buying process easier with features customers already appreciate from B2C, such as shopping lists, saved favourites, product recommendations and more.

Create engaging B2B e-commerce with Viskan E-handelsplattform

It should be easy for you to give your B2B customers the same smooth customer experience they know from B2C. That’s why we’ve designed our platform so you can build the flow, content and simple buying process that makes customers choose your e-commerce. Without needing to code or bring in outside help. Get the control you need to bring the B2C experience into your B2B business. Get in touch if you want to know more about how to give your B2B customers a more engaging experience.