Without a doubt, business-to-business (B2B) online trading is crucial for modern factories. Everyone in a business may reap the rewards of B2B eCommerce, from those in customer service and IT to those in sales and even the buyers themselves. Because B2B eCommerce streamlines your business processes, clients will most appreciate the convenience.
But here’s the rub: not all factories capitalise on B2B eCommerce to its fullest potential.
Suppose your B2B eCommerce solution does not have a prebuilt SAP ERP interface. In that case, you cannot take advantage of the most significant advantages (which are difficult to quantify).
The advantages of any platform are discussed in this article. After that, we’ll discuss the unique features of an SAP-integrated application.
All B2B eCommerce platforms have a core set of advantages.
Adapt to the digital era.
You can reap the benefits of B2B eCommerce regardless of your chosen platform if your main objective is to create a digital foothold and counter your rivals. SAP connectivity may be unnecessary if your only goal is to launch a web store.
Of course, you’ll perform much better with real-time SAP connectivity, giving you access to helpful tools like up-to-date pricing and stock levels, but we’ll get to that in a moment.
Any B2B eCommerce solution worth it’s salt should provide a means for you to showcase your wares online. That’s certainly preferable to having no B2B online store at all.
Expand into untapped markets.
This advantage is yours to enjoy if, and only if, your B2B eCommerce catalogue is available to the general public. If your B2B eCommerce catalog is optimized for search, you may be able to attract new clients without paying for advertising.
Of course, if your company relies heavily on SAP ERP, the situation is more complex. There needs to be a system in place to ensure the new customer is legitimate when they sign up. Again, if your B2B eCommerce solution is connected to SAP, you will enjoy this advantage more fully.
After that, find out what your clients want.
This advantage in B2B eCommerce can be obtained without SAP connectivity.
Analytics tools should be standard on every serious platform.
Integrating a system like Google Analytics into your B2B eCommerce solution allows you to track valuable data about your customers’ actions and preferences.
- The Best Sellers
- Your site’s most valuable visitors take the paths
- Effects of Advertising on product sales as time passes
- Maximize the typical purchase value
This is a perk of establishing B2B eCommerce for current clients that don’t get enough attention. In contrast to orders placed via phone, fax, or email, the merchandising features of B2B eCommerce typically result in a higher AOV (average order value).
Why?
So the customer is in charge during the self-service process. You may increase your share of wallet and delight your customers even more by showcasing complementary goods in your B2B eCommerce solution (also known as cross-selling and upselling).
SAP integration is required to reap these benefits.
Provide individual customers with the information they need to make purchases
We’ve finally reached the juicy advantages.
With a B2B eCommerce solution that fully integrates with SAP, you can provide your clients with pinpoint accuracy in all aspects of their individualised experience. Services like contract pricing, individualised stock, and error-free order placing are just the beginning (assuming the integration is comprehensive).
This is the most important factor in B2B online sales.
Why? Because in B2B eCommerce, erroneous pricing and other data will be presented to customers without this SAP-driven customisation. Customers still need to place orders by a phone call with customer support.
Including B2B eCommerce order placement and self-service account management
B2B eCommerce is more than just looking around, putting together an order, and sending it to manufacturers. That’s just the first step in the customer service process.
Customers require significantly more than basic ordering capabilities in B2B eCommerce due to the intricacy of manufacturers’ OTC (order-to-cash) cycles.
Using the B2B eCommerce portal, they should be able to monitor the status of their orders and invoices and manage their accounts with self-service payment options.
You can get this benefit in business-to-business electronic commerce (B2B eCommerce) with a full, real-time SAP integration.
Better the client experience without giving IT more to do.
This is another advantage of B2B eCommerce that may be difficult to measure.
Compared to traditional ordering methods like phone, fax, and email, the B2B eCommerce experience is superior. This type of service is provided through a managed, SAP-integrated solution, which means less extra work for IT and better results for the customer.
Improving the customer experience can boost earnings in the long run. You’ll be in a wonderful position with B2B eCommerce if you can do so without seeing a corresponding increase in expenditures, and SAP integration is essential to obtaining this benefit.
Streamline your data infrastructure while still making online sales.
Your data environment will get more complicated without an integrated B2B eCommerce solution that works with SAP. SAP logic and data must be replicated in two new locations: B2B eCommerce and your integration platform. There will be sync issues if the copies don’t match. This can be detrimental to your B2B eCommerce success.
This issue can be remedied by using a platform with an SAP connection. All of your company’s information and logic are kept in SAP ERP. Without any further work on your part, your B2B eCommerce store will reflect the correct tailored data for each user.
This is the most important advantage of B2B eCommerce. And you can’t get it unless your platform supports SAP.
Conclusion
According to the findings, the top 8 benefits of B2B e-commerce include higher productivity, cost savings, access to a wider pool of consumers and suppliers, enhanced communication, 24/7 availability, better data management, greater flexibility, and a better customer experience.
With these benefits, organisations may boost their sales engagement, customer service, customer-centric experience, and digital strategy for conversion, all of which can lead to long-term success and increased profits.
