As technology shifts how businesses operate, a strategic approach to B2B eCommerce becomes essential to stay in the game. From improving brand and site visibility in Google Search to enhancing user experiences, a well-planned and well-executed strategy is vital for driving growth and building strong relationships. Let this article serve as your roadmap. It outlines ten strategies businesses can implement to increase growth and success in B2B eCommerce. Leverage these B2B eCommerce strategies to empower both you and your business to adapt in an evolving eCommerce world — regardless of your industry.
What is B2B eCommerce?
B2B eCommerce, or business-to-business eCommerce, refers to the online trade of goods and services between businesses. B2B eCommerce is powered by digital platforms or marketplaces where manufacturers can sell, wholesalers can purchase, and distributors and retailers can procure products for end consumers. B2B eCommerce, unlike B2C eCommerce, usually involves large order volumes, longer sales cycles, and more complex purchasing processes. That’s why B2B eCommerce calls for unique strategies to accommodate the specific needs of business buyers. Strategies might involve different pricing approaches, dedicated salespeople, and distinct platforms to cater to businesses’ needs.
What is a B2B eCommerce strategy?
A B2B eCommerce strategy refers to the roadmap a business takes to market, sell, and deliver their products via B2B eCommerce. Businesses choose strategies that will optimize their processes, enhance customer experiences, and promote business growth by using different digital channels, technologies, and practices. A well-defined B2B eCommerce strategy considers factors like identifying target customers, product assortment, pricing models, customer engagement methods, and online infrastructure.
A B2B eCommerce strategy aims to streamline acquisition processes, expand market reach, and foster long-term relationships with your business’ customers by aligning all of these elements with your business objectives.
What is the difference between B2B and B2C eCommerce?
The key distinction between B2B and B2C eCommerce is how transactions are made and how businesses interact with their target customers. Even though they both involve online sales, B2B focuses on transactions between businesses. These transactions span wholesalers, distributors, retail, etc.
On the other hand, B2C eCommerce is focused on transactions between businesses and individual consumers. In B2B eCommerce, transactions often include large order quantities, extended sales periods, and complex procurement procedures. Compared to B2C transactions, B2C typically involves smaller order sizes and shorter decision-making timelines. B2B transactions often require unique pricing, negotiation, and contract management features to accommodate the needs and preferences of businesses, whereas B2C transactions are typically more straightforward.
10 Best B2B eCommerce Strategies for 2024
Now that we've established the groundwork of B2B eCommerce, it's time to dive into ten strategies for thriving in B2B eCommerce. These strategies will help you and your business navigate the online marketplace and excel.
Search Engine Optimization
Search engine optimization (SEO) is a crucial strategy for enhancing online visibility and driving organic traffic to your website. SEO involves optimizing your website content and structure to ensure it ranks higher in search engine results when potential customers search for relevant keywords or phrases. This heightened visibility not only increases website traffic but also improves brand credibility and trust among buyers.
Businesses can focus on key strategies, starting with keyword research to identify terms and phrases your target audiences use to optimize SEO. Once you’ve found the most valuable keywords for your business, incorporate them into elements of your website — like product descriptions and blog posts. Through this process of including these keywords, you’ll improve your chances of being discovered by potential customers seeking your products or services.
Prioritize creating high-quality content that addresses customers’ interests and needs (more on this in the next section) to strengthen both SEO and visitors’ impression of your website. Aim to provide insights and solutions to common challenges faced by different consumers within your industry. Be sure to create a positive user experience through easy navigation and fast loading times. This not only improves your SEO, but encourages visitors to spend more time on your site and engage with your content. Try building authoritative backlinks and address technical aspects like site speed to communicate your authority and site strength to search engines. Be sure to regularly monitor key metrics using tools like Google Analytics and always look for new places to optimize.
Content Marketing
Content marketing is a B2B eCommerce strategy businesses use to engage potential customers. Content marketing can improve search engine visibility and drive organic traffic by increasing consumer brand awareness. Businesses need to build credibility with their target audiences to compete. Customers resonate with brands that understand their problems and challenges. By creating content such as articles, case studies, and blog posts that offer solutions to these common challenges, businesses demonstrate their value. After a customer forms a connection with the brand, content marketing can be leveraged to further nurture relationships with those customers.
Self Service
Self service can help businesses streamline the purchase process for their customers. It enhances buyer satisfaction, and increases efficiency and convenience for customers. This can be achieved by providing intuitive online platforms that allow buyers to browse products, place orders, and easily manage their accounts.
Businesses can help consumers find and purchase their products easily with features like online catalog browsing, simple reordering, and real-time inventory transparency. Self-service portals can offer tools for account management, order tracking, and invoice management, simplifying the purchasing process. When businesses prioritize user-friendly, self-service capabilities, they can reduce the burden on their sales and support teams. This creates a seamless, efficient buying experience that increases customer loyalty and encourages repeat business.
Conversion Rate Optimization
Building upon the concept of SEO, CRO (conversion rate optimization) is another way to improve your site to help drive sales. Conversion rate optimization focuses on increasing the number of site visitors who take certain actions, such as making an order or filling out a contact form.
Your business can improve conversion rates and promote more sales by optimizing the right elements of your site. Focus on features like your call-to-action (CTA) buttons, product pages, and checkout processes to optimize CRO. You can also do A/B testing, where different versions of a webpage are compared to determine which performs better. Personalization techniques can also help improve your CRO as a B2B eCommerce strategy. Try tactics like displaying different product recommendations or customizing your content based on the site visitor’s behavior. It can help increase conversions via a tailored experience for every buyer. Continuously test and refine different website elements to improve conversion rates to maximize your CRO efforts.
Email Marketing
Email marketing helps businesses foster leads, engage with customers, and increase sales effectively. Businesses can use emails to tailor their messaging to resonate with specific audiences.
It’s a great idea to separate your email lists based on buyer personas and preferences. Also opt for personalized email campaigns featuring relevant content, promotions, and product updates. This can help you increase engagement and strengthen relationships with buyers over time.
Finally, email automation allows businesses to send targeted campaigns at key stages of the customer journey. This might include such emails as welcome sequences for new subscribers or re-engagement campaigns for inactive customers. When you deliver valuable content directly to subscribers’ inboxes, you can stay top of mind for buyers while promoting repeat purchases.
Account-Based Marketing
Account-based marketing (ABM) lets businesses target key accounts and buyers with personalized marketing campaigns unique to their specific needs and interests. By focusing efforts on high-potential accounts, businesses can optimize their marketing resources and achieve greater success in driving growth and profitability. Identifying high-value accounts in conjunction with their ideal customer profile (ICP), businesses can develop custom strategies and content to engage with each account effectively.
Personalized email campaigns, targeted advertising, and tailored content are just a handful of ways to develop a B2B eCommerce strategy. Each approach is designed to address specific accounts’ unique challenges. In turn, it can help drive conversions and build lasting relationships. ABM lets businesses engage with key stakeholders across multiple avenues for greater customer satisfaction and more repeat business.
User Experience
User experience (UX) connects back to every previously aforementioned strategy. Similar to SEO, CRO, and self service, UX optimization aims to improve customer satisfaction and conversions through more positive browsing and purchasing experiences.
UX centers on creating a seamless and intuitive online environment for business buyers. Businesses investing in responsive web design, intuitive navigation, and mobile optimization, are able to guarantee their websites will be user-friendly and accessible across different types of devices. Clear and intuitive layouts, coupled with streamlined checkout processes and personalized account management tools, contribute to a smooth buying journey. Just as SEO aims to increase visibility and CRO maximizes conversions, UX optimization ultimately aims to improve overall website performance.
Social Media
Social media offers businesses opportunities to connect with prospects, engage customers, and drive traffic to their sites. Like email and content marketing, social media is another platform for sharing relevant and helpful content to your audience. This helps foster relationships between you and your target audience. Businesses can raise brand awareness, showcase thought leadership, and attract followers from their industries. This can be achieved by creating compelling content specific to each social media platform along with paid advertising. When you launch paid advertising on social media platforms, you can target specific audiences and drive that targeted traffic to your sites. Actively engage with followers, respond to comments and messages, and participate in industry discussions to build relationships with your prospects and customers.
Marketplaces
Marketplaces enhance visibility and brand exposure among potential buyers. Expanding your presence on B2B marketplaces helps your business reach a broader audience while capitalizing on new sales opportunities. And when you join an industry-specific marketplace, your business can gain access to a large pool of buyers who currently seek products just like yours. Optimize product listings with detailed descriptions, high-quality images, and competitive pricing to help attract buyers and propel sales on different marketplace channels. Actively manage marketplace listings and monitor performance metrics to refine your approach and maximize visibility and the potential for higher sales.
Reviews and Ratings
Advertise customer reviews and ratings to establish social proof for potential customers. Then highlight these ratings to build trust and credibility. Finally, share customer feedback to engage and persuade potential buyers.
When you actively encourage satisfied customers to leave feedback and respond promptly to reviews, both positive or negative, your business can demonstrate an unwavering commitment to customer satisfaction and transparency. Businesses provide valuable insights into the quality and reliability of their products or services by showcasing positive reviews and ratings from satisfied customers. Choosing to integrate customer reviews and ratings into your eCommerce platform can enhance the overall shopping experience for your customers — not to mention help buyers make more informed purchasing decisions.
Use B2B eCommerce strategies to offer a comprehensive framework for digital success. Implement approaches like SEO, content marketing, and user experience optimization to boost your visibility online, engage your target audience, and create conversions. Leverage tools like email marketing and social media to cultivate enduring relationships and foster trust with buyers over time. These strategies not only enhance brand recognition and interaction but also lay the groundwork for sustainable growth and competition in B2B eCommerce.
Launch a B2B eCommerce Strategy with NuOrder
NuORDER provides a global B2B commerce platform that empowers businesses to drive more sales, achieve higher sell-through rates, and reduce markdowns. With features such as a fully-branded B2B online store, account-specific pricing, and integration with ERP and POS systems, NuORDER streamlines the wholesale order management process and presents personalized buying experiences at scale. Supported by a dedicated team of professionals offering onboarding, integration, and ongoing support, NuORDER serves as a valuable partner in helping businesses thrive in the evolving retail landscape. Unlock the full potential of your B2B eCommerce strategy with NuORDER — request a demo today.
