The potential scope of B2B e-commerce businesses can not be ignored. It is as huge as the B2C component of e-commerce, if approached in the right manner. Several guides out there on the internet talk about B2C models often ignoring the tremendous share of B2B businesses and their vast scope. Buyers in the B2B model are more tech savvy and do not have the luxury of time, a proper ecommerce website design can be very helpful in targeting some prospective customers in this domain.
Increasing online sales in such businesses can be tricky and an intuitive strategy is needed to achieve this target. Website design is a major component of this strategy among several other important factors that must be considered. Recognizing the importance and the need for effective strategies for online B2B businesses, we bring you some tips and tricks that will help you hit the mark:
Use your website to build trust: Every e-commerce website design whether it is for a B2B or a B2C business should enforce building trust and credibility through the website. There are several trust building pages like the ‘about us’ page, privacy policy, case studies page or the legal (terms & conditions) page. These ‘trust signifier’ pages shouldn’t be ignored as they help establish legitimacy of your enterprise. These pages carry a high value when it comes to e-commerce.
Customer/client review & feedback: When you think like a customer, you realize how important reviews and feedback are. These should be curated properly on the website where clients can easily see them as they influence prospective clients in their decision making process. Positive reviews from similar businesses confer assurance among clients and propel them towards choosing your services.
Disclose shipping costs at the start: Customers may abandon carts if the shipping costs are added towards the end. This keeps the customer aware of the fact and does not come to him as a surprise before checking out or at the last moment. This can be very effective in international shipping where shipping costs are significant. Let customers check out with ease.
Follow up vigorously: A major component of successful online selling is following up. Allow customers to do their research and collect information as they may not make their purchase in the first interaction with your website. This can help to prevent those early signs into conversions.
Incentives, offers and discounts help: Just like in B2C commerce, customers in B2B business models too are looking for discounts on the purchases. Clearly, in B2B models purchases often involve bulk quantities and clients expect offers, incentives and discounts on purchases.
Explore the Power of Social Media: Do not underestimate the power of social media when it comes to B2B marketing. Social media can be used as an effective tool for online marketing. Platforms like Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn etc. are great for digital advertising and reaching out and targeting industries and professionals.
Product descriptions matter immensely: Each product should have proper product description to inform technical experts about the product in a detailed manner. Specifications, usage, and detailed reviews help decision makers make their decision more easily.
The above ways if proactively used can enhance B2B e-commerce businesses. There are some other tricks to use website design to effectively maximize sales. These other steps are mentioned below:
There is high competition in B2B online sales and your website is the first point of contact with the customers. Ensure that your website design corresponds with the requirements of customers. Be found where your customers are looking for you, an intuitive website design that provides information in minimum clicks helps customers make a quick decision.
Just like so many other complex things in a business, a B2B marketing strategy should be well thought and planned and website design is an important component in it. In time you will achieve profits and boost your business in unprecedented ways.
