The right mix of B2B digital technology engages customers

There are many ways to deploy B2B ecommerce technology. But it pays to learn what customers need and design a digital commerce ecosystem that wins their business and keeps them loyal.

And meeting the needs of B2B buyers can be a complicated endeavor. Customers often want to purchase complex products configured with thousands of attributes. Getting the correct configuration at the right price is critical to the buyer’s job performance and their company’s success.

In addition, the purchasing company often needs to share order details with multiple departments for purchase authorization, request split orders shipped to various destinations, and let several teams track orders and shipments. Finally, the sellers must share that information and more with their sales reps, distribution channel partners, and customers.

Moreover, with the broad trend in online marketplace sales, B2B sellers must extend the customer experience they provide on their ecommerce sites to any third-party marketplace where they also expect to engage customers.

‘A Blueprint for B2B Technology’

That’s why the companies in the Digital Commerce 360 B2B November Strategy Insights Report — “A Blueprint for B2B Technology” — have deployed ecommerce platforms and extended ecosystems designed to suit their sales reps, channel partners, and, of course, their customers.

Take Rotochopper Inc., which manufactures heavy equipment designed to turn massive logs into mulch. Its truck-size “horizontal grinders” are available in thousands of configurations and can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. So Rotochopper has deployed on its website a configure-price-quote application that streamlines and expedites the ordering process. It saves customers valuable time in ordering the correct equipment and producing more sales and profit for the manufacturer.

“It’s really about speed and accuracy,” says Rick Bauerly, CEO of Granite Partners, a holding company that owns Rotochopper.

Bradley Corp., which manufactures commercial washroom accessories and industrial safety equipment, has deployed an ecommerce platform that integrates well with multiple technology applications. It fosters commerce by sharing critical information on inventory, pricing, and order status with its sales reps, channel partners, and customers.

What to expect in the report

Digital Commerce 360 B2B’s November Strategy Insights Report on technology and the customer experience includes the following articles, written by Digital Commerce 360 editors:

• “Forging profitable technology plans for B2B ecommerce,” a cover story that details the technology deployments and strategies of manufacturers Rotochopper and Bradley. It explains how their commerce platforms help their customers as well as their sales teams and channel partners.
• “Getting the right mix of technology to grow through a marketplace” reveals why and how Callisons, a century-old, family-owned global supplier of mint oils and other ingredients, is expanding its market reach through a marketplace linked to its ecommerce site.
• “How Caterpillar sells $10 million in dealer online parts daily” covers how global heavy equipment manufacturer Caterpillar Inc. invests in digital technology to upgrade the customer experience on its mobile app and multiple websites.
• “How a packaging supplier upgrades its CX” reveals how manufacturer WestRock Co. worked with its digital commerce technology agency to enhance its branding while also upgrading the customer experience on its website.

Download the free report here.

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Sign up for a complimentary subscription to Digital Commerce 360 B2B News, published 4x/week. It covers technology and business trends in the growing B2B ecommerce industry. Contact editor Paul Demery at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @pdemery.

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