Far from it. For business customers, the shopping experience is becoming a key selection criterion in procurement – even ahead of product and price. For example, Accenture predicts that the shopping experience will be the key differentiator for companies in B2B eCommerce by 2020.
B2B eCommerce is all about the lowest price?
McKinsey also points out the advantages of an optimally designed customer experience: A consistent focus on customer needs leads to higher customer satisfaction scores, revenue increases of 10 to 15 percent, and cost reductions of 10 to 20 percent – plus increased employee satisfaction. So the crucial question is: How can the shopping experience be optimally designed?
A shopping experience is created through a wide variety of contact points
The shopping experience encompasses all of a shopper’s interactions and experiences with all touchpoints before, during, and after the purchase. Contact points include products, vendors, sales channels (e.g., online store, eCommerce app, print catalog, brick-and-mortar store), and other consumers.
A top shopping experience starts with the provider’s commitment to focusing on what is important to the customer and delivering exactly that at the point of contact. To do this, it should look in particular at the following dimensions:
- Quality and emotionality of product presentation and assortment
- Quality and interactivity of product search and advice
- Design and function of the distribution channel
- Contact with service personnel and other consumers
- After-sales service
The B2B eCommerce app – a point of contact that inspires
With a B2B eCommerce app, suppliers can make use of an innovative sales channel that offers all the technical foundations for the dimensions of quality of product presentation, interactivity and quality in product search, as well as design and functionality of the sales channel. The dimensions of contact and after-sales can also be mapped in a B2B eCommerce app in a particularly customer-friendly way. A B2B eCommerce app is a contemporary touchpoint that absolutely delights customers – provided it is professionally designed and user-friendly. To do this, it is essential to first understand the expectations of the target group and then implement them specifically in the app.
What do B2B eCommerce app users basically expect?
On the technological side, customers expect maximum convenience first and foremost. Convenience arises in particular when the app is easy to use and the information and products sought are displayed immediately. Speed and intuitive usability of the app are key success factors. Sophisticated synchronization technology is fundamental to speed: B2B users are thrilled by the certainty of receiving the desired product in the shortest possible time and having an extensive selection available at the same time. A clear and coherent interaction design as well as the consistent implementation of relevant usability tests are essential so that the user understands the app intuitively and uses it immediately.
True user experience is more than just design and technology
But that’s not the end of the story: focusing solely on beautiful design and intuitive user guidance would be too little. The requirements for a user-friendly eCommerce app for business customers are more complex. The topic of user experience should therefore be approached jointly by marketing and sales as well as the relevant specialist department. Technically complex requirements should be taken into account from the outset in order to map product specifications or areas of application in the eCommerce app with the necessary level of detail and quality.
A successful practical example is the eCommerce app of Winterhalter + Fenner from Switzerland. A combination tool was specially developed for this purpose. This special socket configurator makes it easier for the customer to arrange and compose the individual elements and thus place the correct order. A real added value for the customer that pays off.
The integration of digital catalogs with detailed product descriptions in the eCommerce app provides users with another easily accessible source. The possibility of ordering directly from the digital product catalog increases the frequency of orders. If you enable your users to quickly place a new order based on their order history or display frequently purchased items and quantities, you will notice that they place repeat orders more frequently.
Often the purchase decision in the B2B environment is multi-layered, requires decisions from different departments and extends over a longer period of time. This process should be supported by the eCommerce app by providing for different user profiles, taking into account higher-level framework and discount agreements, and buffering order processes that have not yet been completed for further internal reconciliation processes.
Stay competitive with a top B2B eCommerce app
If B2B companies want to stay ahead of the competition, they must see the eCommerce shopping experience as a central component. In the future, the customer’s shopping experience will increasingly determine whether a store is a top or a flop. A professionally implemented B2B eCommerce app sustainably enhances the shopping experience. Especially for B2B customers, a simple and fastest possible “search-find-buy” process is important. With a user-oriented B2B eCommerce app, his business partner puts a work tool in his hands that works reliably, easily and quickly at all times.
