Must-have features in B2B e-commerce
E-commerce is growing in size and popularity every day. And not only B2C e-commerce. B2B e-commerce is growing as well, as businesses are beginning to discover the many benefits of digitizing their sales and order processes.
To make the most of the growth in B2B e-commerce, you need e-commerce software that encompasses must-have features for optimizing your online sales. In this blog post, we are going to share seven of these must-have features in B2B e-commerce.
7 Must-have features in B2B e-commerce
The seven must-have features for B2B e-commerce we are going to discuss in this blog post are:
- Multiple Pricing
- Real-Time Inventory Levels
- Integrations
- Bulk Order Discounts
- Minimum Order Quantity
- Mobile-Friendly Design
- Customization
#1: Multiple Pricing
Firstly, it is crucial that your B2B e-commerce software can handle multiple pricing.
Differentiated pricing in B2B and wholesale is customary. Different customer groups will be paying different prices for the same products. The price level is typically based on the average order size of the B2B customer. The more they order the, better the prices.
#2: Real-Time Inventory Levels
Another key feature in B2B and wholesale e-commerce is real-time inventory updates.
First of all, ensuring that your inventory is updated automatically and immediately will help you overcome the risk of selling non-existing products.
Furthermore, keeping track of your inventory using software will allow you to have an overview and enable you to react fast to changes in demand and supply.
#3: Integrations
While you can certainly enjoy many benefits of a B2B e-commerce platform without integrations, integrations are a big time-saver for you and your team.
There are a lot of options for integrating your B2B e-commerce. The most common ones are integrations to accounting systems, ERP systems, B2C webshops, and various shipping software.
By doing these integrations, you save time not having to input the same orders into multiple systems. At the same time, it reduces the risk of errors which saves additional time and frustration.
You can read more about the benefits of B2B e-commerce integrations in this blog post.
#4: Bulk Order Discounts
As mentioned in must-have B2B e-commerce feature #1, differentiated prices for different retailers are customary.
But sometimes, you want to offer additional bulk order discounts to further encourage your B2B and wholesale customers to order additional units.
You, as well as your customers, benefit from larger orders following from a bulk discount. They boost your sales without much additional need for shipping costs. And your customers get a higher purchase value. It’s a win-win situation!
As such, you want to make sure that your B2B eCommerce software includes functionality that supports bulk order discounts.
#5: Minimum Order Quantity
Being in the B2B and wholesale business, in most cases, you want to avoid shipping small quantities. Handling a small order takes almost the same time as a large one but brings in way less revenue.
A simple tool to obviate small orders is setting up a ‘minimum order quantity – typically in the form of a minimum value that the order needs to reach, for the customer to complete it.
So make sure that your B2B e-commerce platform includes such a feature. Also, make sure that the minimum order limit is stated clearly, to avoid disappointing your customers at the end of their ordering process.
#6: Mobile-Friendly Design
Obviously, the philosophy for your B2B e-commerce shop should be to create an easy-to-navigate experience for your customers. This goes for customers ordering via their mobile devices as well.
An increasing number of people are using their phones for purchases rather than their computers. And yes, that goes for B2B customers as well. Therefore, you need to make sure that you are following the “mobile-friendly rules”.
#7: Customization
Being able to customize your B2B e-commerce shop is the last must-have feature on this list.
So why is it so important that you can customize your B2B e-commerce shop?
You spend a lot of time building your brand and its identity. You want to make sure that your customers feel that identity when visiting your B2B webshop. You don’t want them getting the sense that they are ordering from some random webshop that could be selling whatever generic product.
It is a must that you can customize the design and colors of your website and build your own customized B2B login page.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, reading through this blog, you will find that your current B2B e-commerce platform already includes most or all of these features. If not, hopefully, you will realize that the time has come to upgrade and optimize.
Ultimately, your e-commerce website could influence whether you succeed or fail. So if your current solution is not up to standard, it’s time to look for a new one.
At Turis, we deliver B2B eCommerce solutions that encompass all of the seven must-have features listed in this blog post. And many more, of course!
You can sign up to Turis for free today. Simply use the link below.