Year 2020 is almost over and it has taught us a lot about e-commerce industry. For years to come, the B2B e-commerce sector is going to continue its tremendous growth. No matter if you are already running a successful e-commerce portal or planning to launch, there’s always something to learn for potential growth and tapping into unseen opportunities.
As the survey undertaken by eMarketer reveals, the past two years has witnessed a humongous jump in retail e-commerce sales around the globe. US alone has witnessed a 14% change over 2018 and 2019. A whopping 586.92 billion dollars in sales was undergone in 2019 in the US alone. It has marked itself as a market that won’t stop expanding, even in the coming decade or so.
Often it’s hard to conclude the average growth rate of individual B2B e-commerce companies. E-commerce sector is completely dynamic and the picture changes in a single night. It means some companies grow exponentially than their rivals. Success rate highly depends upon careful execution of the blueprint that’s made in the planning stage.
Following are some helpful tips to make your B2B e-commerce venture, highly rewarding and satisfying:
#1 Press the Launch Button at the Right Time
One of the biggest mistakes that many entrepreneurs do is to launch the e-commerce portal before it’s ready to cement its place in the market. “First Impression is the last impression”. Don’t mess with your chances by launching a website without loaded guns. Nurture it with right tools to prepare ground-breaking strategies. Meanwhile, write ‘Coming Soon’ on the website, and try not to reveal much. It interests visitors to stay tuned for more information.
#2 Test Every Minute Detail
Don’t hesitate to spend time in testing and analytics of the website before, during, and after launch to continue to strive for perfection. Customers love smooth shopping experience, and if you give them what they demand, they are likely to convert into sales and probably will end up as a long time loyal customers.
In a B2B arena, especially, testing is crucial because of the huge implications it can have on a business. Your clients are not only a one-time investment, but tend to return for bigger work assignments if they are happily served. Thus, test thoroughly before you even consider launching.
#3 Strengthen Social Media Presence
Social Media is the heartbeat of any successful business. Most businesses commit the mistake of delegating its social media to digital agencies and lose the direct touch with their targeted audience. By doing this, you are blocking valuable information streaming right from your valuable customers. Having a manager to oversee social media accounts is absolutely fine, but it’s important to engage in the process, too.
If you are catering to top-notch businesses, your social media should reflect your achievements. Contrarily, if you find yourself having clients from all walks of life, your social media should become a hub of networking and interacting with your business clients to help them in growth and further development.
#4 Linking Social Media Accounts and Installing Plugins/Add-ons
Incorporating social media elements to the website bring customers to different social media pages that ultimately helps in user engagement. Moreover, installing social media add-ons in different posts enable readers to share it to their profiles – and it reaps benefits for the business.
More than anything else, linked social media accounts speak of a unified brand voice that is easy to trust. Your client-firm will willingly trust you with their work; it also serves as a badge of genuineness. Plug-ins are helpful in providing additional information about your business in as seamless a way as possible.
#5 Regard Handheld Devices as Crucial Elements to Success
Handheld devices like tablets have already taken the place of laptops on the shelves of electronic shops. Now, they are moving forward to grow the virtual business, significantly. Customers that are spending via small screen devices will jump considerably in the coming two to three years. Test your website on the mobile platform and make it working flawlessly smooth.
The search metrics of recent years prove that mobile surfing has now transformed into mobile necessity where people utilize their free time to look for opportunities and collaborations online. They also prefer to look for services via their hand-held devices, which makes the need of responsive designs urgent. Bear this in mind while putting investment into a good web designer.
#6 Stay Ahead in SEO
SEO brings traffic and credibility to a business. Right now, B2B e-commerce is becoming a crowded space and it’s truly important to hire SEO experts and stand out from the crowd. Undeniably, crowd means tough competition in SEO, too. Skilled SEO experts can help you in strong link building and remain ahead in the game.
Be mindful of the process taken by the clients in approaching you. Unlike B2C marketing, clients in B2B marketing are dead serious about you. It becomes even more important to optimize your website so that you can garner better-rewarding traffic on your links and advertisements.
#7 Collect Valuable Information
Collecting customer information and building databases aids in launching a website successfully. Every piece of information helps exponentially in running successful business campaigns. “The More the Merrier” – and the information is seamless to gain.
Especially for your B2B venture, you need to be crystal clear about your objectives and the kind of service you will offer. It not only builds trust in your organization, but also achieves a better understanding in the marketing sector. When you are catering to businesses, it is important to build a solid foundation of goodwill to reap long-term rewards.
Conclusion-
B2B E-commerce is filled with seamless opportunities, don’t let it slip away from you. There’s no right time for success other than NOW. React! No pain, no gain. Keep on working towards your goals.