Still Trying To Decide If B2B E-commerce is Necessary for Success?

B2B ecommerce is nothing new but it has recently become a hot topic in the business software world. Why? Because what was once an ugly, clunky, stand alone system is now an attractive, integrated, and powerful tool for manufacturers, distributors, and other B2B’s who wish to sell online. Many companies are on the fence as to whether or not they want to adopt B2B ecommerce which completely understandable. For those of you who have been waiting and weighing your options, recent studies have found that B2B ecommerce is here to stay and the time has come to jump on board before you lose your customers to your competitors.

The increase in B2B’s making the decision to focus on ecommerce was made evident in a report from Oracle “B2B E-Commerce Survey: Results and Trends,” which found:

• 28% said they have over 50% of their revenue coming from their online channel.
• 31% stated direct sales are driving a majority of their revenue but they see this changing as their ecommerce sites are beginning to catch on.
• Only 5% of respondents predict no growth in their online business in 2013

Those results, coupled with Forrester’s findings earlier this year that B2B ecommerce has become twice the size of B2C, prove that online selling is a perfectly viable option for B2Bs who wish to sell online.

The report from Oracle also found that customer experiences and increasing customer satisfaction has become a crucial strategy for B2B’s in our increasingly competitive world.

• 57% said customer acquisition is a top metrics used to measure success.
• 42% said customer retention is their most important metric.
• 62% said they have a customer experience initiative in place.

What does this have to do with B2B ecommerce? Companies who have utilized ecommerce have seen significant improvement in customer satisfaction. The ability for customers to login 24/7, see inventory levels, view special pricing, order history, order status, and their other pertinent information has made B2B purchasing faster and easier than ever- why wouldn’t they be happy?

Still not convinced that B2B ecommerce is the right move to make? Consider this…

A recent study from Acquity Group reports that 71% of B2B customers said they would leave their current supplier if they found a new supplier with identical pricing with an ecommerce option!

Looking for more information on why you need to buy B2B ecommerce, how to make a case for it, and how to buy the right solution for your company?  Check out our new white paper which covers some of the most important topics to consider while evaluating your Business to business ecommerce options.

About e2b teknologies:

e2b teknologies operates three business units – e2b anytime apps , e2b enterprise, and e2b calibration. e2b enterprise develops custom cloud-based business applications and resells leading ERP accounting software, CRM, HRMS, and other enterprise business software applications from Sage Software, Epicor, Intacct, Sugar CRM, and other publishers. e2b anytime is the publisher of Anytime Collect, Anytime Assets, Anytime 500, Anytime Commerce, and related Anytime brand products. e2b calibration is an ISO/IEC 17025 accredited calibration and repair laboratory providing a full scope of services (traceable to NIST) for most popular calibration, test, and measurement instruments.

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