Is your web store a partner in your success or a saboteur hindering your growth? Your buyers expect accuracy, flexibility and a seamless purchase experience, yet order errors are a leading cause of frustration for B2B buyers. In fact, according to recent data, 68% of B2B buyers are discouraged from ordering online due to order errors.
Today, having a web store is not a supplementary project but mission-critical. Recent B2B buyer reports illuminate this necessity, with two-thirds of B2B buyers stating a preference to carry out all their supplier transactions online. B2B commerce is a primary channel through which customers make purchases and an integral tool in establishing trust.
The Challenge of Meeting Customer Demands
Why are B2B sellers struggling to keep pace with customer demands? The answer lies in the inherent complexity of their business processes. Manufacturers, distributors and wholesalers have developed sophisticated consultative sales processes and provide exceptional customer service. Yet these intricate systems, encompassing thousands of SKUs, complex product assortments and customer-specific pricing take time to digitize effectively.
The result is a significant gap between what buyers expect and what sellers can deliver online. Key issues include inaccurate pricing, stock availability and delivery time information. B2B buyers experience order errors on one-third of total orders they place via web stores. For many B2B customers, just-in-time delivery of critical products is essential to maintain smooth production. Therefore, precise, up-to-date information is not just a preference but a necessity.
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Win Your Buyers’ Trust
When we think of building trust in our digital realms, we often focus on the security of online transactions. Companies invest in cybersecurity measures to safeguard customer data and instill confidence in online transactions. Trustmarks, secure payment gateways and transparent privacy policies reassure customers and reduce cart abandonment rates. Every organization understands that reliability and security foster customer trust.
However, there is another aspect to cultivating trust. Transparency and accuracy are among the most important differentiators B2B buyers consider when choosing between your web store and your competitors. B2B buyers experience order errors on one-third of total orders they place via web stores. These order errors are frustrating for buyers and costly to them and you. Common errors include:
- Inaccurate information on stock levels. Customers should be able to trust that they can order the stock and quantities they need. Inaccurate information can lead to returning an order out of frustration.
- Inaccurate information on delivery times. Your buyers must be able to trust that your delivery time is accurate. If a buyer needs an order fulfilled by a certain deadline and you misinform them, they may switch to a supplier that can meet their needs.
Many Roads, One Source
Errors can cost you and your buyers time and money, so you must prioritize accuracy. Real-time syncing ensures that you always deliver accurate information and a seamless purchase experience. Having a single source of data will facilitate accuracy but also give you greater insight into your buyers, enabling you to customize the experience.
Integrations are also advantageous. When you integrate key business systems like your ERP, product catalogs, shipping providers and CRM, you reduce manual input that can lead to human error by pulling data into one central location. This also allows you to automate data imports and free up time for your internal teams to work on higher-involved tasks.
Eye on the Future
Gartner predicts that by 2025, 80% of B2B sales interactions between suppliers and buyers will occur via digital channels. While you may already have a web store today, it’s worth the effort to truly optimize the customer experience. Low web store adoption translates directly to less ROI and more strain on your commercial teams, and leaves you less focused on capturing new demand.
In other words, a poorly used online sales channel has negative implications across almost every function of your business, hurting progress on key business goals, including growth and profitability. A low share of revenue on your web store leads to higher cost-of-sale, thanks to customers relying heavily on your sales or customer service teams for order processing. Optimizing your web store to meet and exceed buyer expectations today ensures readiness for the future and long-term profitability.
Sebastiaan Verhaar is the CEO of Sana Commerce, a ready-to-use commerce platform engineered for B2B.
