Creating a simple, flashy eCommerce site can be easy, but crafting a B2B eCommerce platform, designed with the functionality and features that are right for your buyers, requires careful planning and design.
We have specialised in eCommerce since 2006!
At Yoma, we believe that there are key success factors to consider when building your B2B eCommerce store.
To get tradespeople to buy online, what do you need to consider to ensure your eCommerce solution meets your buyers’ expectations, drives sales and improves retention?
How to get your tradespeople to buy online?
Make it easy to use
Do you have a category structure that is easy to navigate? Not being able to find products easily can cause users to bounce off your site. Why not create personalised product areas that display products the customer buys often?
Be specific in your descriptions
Give as much information about your product specifications as possible but keep it clear and concise. Eradicate the need for FAQs with the right details that are well presented. Go beyond the facts and explain how your product solves your buyer’s problem.
Craft compelling content
Create search engine optimised (SEO) text to help you be found in search. Support your text with appealing photography and/or multimedia that brings your products to life. Finally, go beyond just the facts and explain how your product solves your buyer’s problem.
Convince them with social proof
Give your buyers content that convinces them to purchase through detailed case studies and testimonials. Instead of constant promotions, demonstrate your value, understanding and insight with useful content on your social media accounts.
Make it mobile friendly
Make sure your buyers can use your eCommerce platform from wherever they are. Offer a mobile friendly solution that can be easily accessed from a van, project site or warehouse and on any device.
Don’t let them forget
B2B purchases can take time and consideration. Buyers like to ensure they have done research before committing to buy, but don’t let them forget. Set up forgotten basket reminder emails and help them progress their order. Remind them how fast it is to complete their purchase online and track their order.
Show them the right price
Prevent abandoned carts by getting the selling rules right for each buyer. Make sure they can see they are getting the right deal. Your bespoke eCommerce solution can ensure that standard pricing is displayed but that once logged in, the buyer will see their specific pricing. Consider configuring order minimums or bulk deals for specific customers.
Offer multiple payment options
Offer customised pay options, custom specific pricing and credit limits. Provide flexibility for buyers who may run out of store credit by making sure they have another way to pay, like PayPal or Debit Card.
Don’t cut the conversation
Moving your buyers online doesn’t mean severing that human connection. Move conversations with your tradespeople online with live chat facilities. Why not take the personal touch to a new level with highly tailored and personalised content for each buyer.
Make being online cost effective
Make it more cost effective for your buyers to order online until it becomes an ingrained habit. Your platform could reduce initial search costs and provide time savings on repeat purchases.
Offer frictionless self service
Increase efficiency by offering self service functionality for buyers. Enable them to obtain copy invoices, statements of accounts, check order status, reorder, request quotes and pay online. All these low value tasks free up the buyer and your sales team to focus on more value-add services.
Provide Added Value to your Buyer
With a B2B eCommerce platform, you can provide functionality like, end customer quote functionality. This allows independent tradespeople to produce quotes online for their end customers that they can easily convert into an order.
Target buyers with the right promotion
Configure intelligent email campaigns to offer discounts to your best customers. With automated email marketing and segmentation you can engage with customers at the right time and in the right way to drive repeat business.
Optimise your site for search engines
Ensure your site architecture is enhanced for SEO and designed to attract your ideal customers. Use a combination of on-page and off-page SEO strategies alongside local and mobile SEO tactics. Consider using a paid media strategy to increase your visibility and drive conversions.
Consider change management
Work with specialised B2B integration teams that can support not only the design but deployment. Create an effective communications plan that helps convey the change. Get on-site support your team needs to make your B2B eCommerce platform a success. Ensure you have repositories for code and roll back plans in place and 24/7 service support.
Encourage offline customers to buy online
Be sure to communicate your move online as soon as possible with customers. Consider implementing a communications strategy to inform and support your buyers in parallel with your launch. Offer guides, demos, videos as well as well as live chat support.
Make being online cost effective
Make it more cost effective for your buyers to order online until it becomes an ingrained habit. A well designed eCommerce platform could help reduce initial search costs and provide time savings on repeat purchases.
Be strategically social
Drive customers to your site from your social media accounts. Create strategic, engaging and captivating content that goes beyond simple broadcasting to generating conversations with prospects and engages brand advocates.
