In my opinion, B2B should no longer resort to such justifications when it comes to digitizing its business processes<\/u><\/a> and refining the customer experience. In recent years, many reputable companies in the B2B space have indicated that best practice B2C tactics can move the needle in B2B. And yet, B2B companies are still slow to adopt these approaches due to the absence of analytical reports and relevant examples indicating their effectiveness. <\/p>\n Collaborating with BECK Ecommerce<\/u><\/a>, Bloomreach<\/u><\/a> was able to surface this exact type of invaluable data in our survey report, \u201cAre B2C Best Practices the Future of B2B Ecommerce?<\/u><\/a>\u201d Based on a combination of quantitative and qualitative data, we\u2019ve collected responses from B2B distributors, manufacturers, and wholesalers to answer the following critical questions: <\/p>\n Before we get into the report, let me just acknowledge that it\u2019s easy to see why it\u2019s typical for a B2B sales team \u2014 from Chief Revenue Officers to Account Managers and Executives \u2014 to turn their nose up to B2C strategies. In the ecommerce space, most technologies were not built with B2B products, merchandising<\/u><\/a> or marketing efforts, and sales practices in mind. Plus, the disjointed nature of the purchasing process in B2B makes it difficult to measure the true impact of a B2C blueprint. <\/p>\n Having spent years consulting on B2B digital strategy, the failure to show proper examples ultimately forced my clients to extrapolate how the technology would work for their unique product line and target audiences. B2B decision makers always viewed this lack of representation as validation of their rationale to not invest in digital for their business buyers.<\/p>\n In their eyes, a case study illustrating the capabilities of a relevant ecommerce solution doesn\u2019t exist because these technologies simply will not cater to their products. As much as I understood the reasoning that B2B products are inherently more technical and complex<\/u><\/a>, I also knew that commitment to digitization would dictate a business\u2019 success down the road. And in today’s overly competitive commerce landscape, you simply cannot let other businesses get ahead of you.<\/p>\n In answering the question posed in the report\u2019s title, the first result suggested that B2C approaches do<\/em> work for B2B and are more effective than most would expect. Among the most popular tactics were omnichannel prioritization, content marketing, and organic search<\/u><\/a> (i.e., search engine optimization). This just goes to show that the customer journey means everything in ecommerce. Your B2B brand wants to curate an experience for your potential customers that is as seamless as it is effective.<\/p>\n The second finding showed that many B2C features deliver <\/u>immediate<\/u><\/em> results once they go live<\/u><\/a> (see? B2B marketing and merchandising can work!). Even though these digital approaches are seen as less effective by ecommerce newcomers, seasoned businesses that used these digital strategies observed momentous impacts in little time. It helped these brands generate leads, make sales, and develop meaningful relationships with their customers.<\/p>\n Finally, the respondents, who have already implemented such tactics and experienced highly favorable results, expressed that they were not<\/em> considering specific B2C approaches for future use. As I thought there would be more specified planning around these positive outcomes, this conclusion notably struck a chord with me. Why wouldn’t this faction of the business world be satisfied with merchandising and marketing strategies that guaranteed results?<\/p>\n Despite the last response to our survey, it\u2019s most certainly time to bridge the gap between digital implementation and your company\u2019s innovation roadmap. If these B2C tactics are successful for B2B, then shouldn\u2019t we wholeheartedly embrace them and plan for the inevitable future of tech adoption?<\/p>\n Here are specific takeaways that B2B companies can \u2014 and should \u2014 start thinking about: <\/p>\n As demonstrated by the rich research in BECK Ecommerce and Bloomreach\u2019s report, the B2B companies that continue rejecting these significant shifts will suffer negative effects on their businesses. B2B businesses need to streamline the online journey with ecommerce technology<\/u><\/a> and make it easier for prospects to find or learn about a single item, a replacement part, or even a complete system in an online setting. Only then can you effectively manage your full product offering, speak as an expert across diverse audience segments, and create cohesive channels to communicate with both expert and non-expert customers about technically complicated products.<\/p>\nBloomreach’s Survey Report With Beck Ecommerce<\/h2>\n
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<\/a><\/p>\nThe Major Takeaways of Our Survey Report <\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nThe Next Steps B2B Needs to Take Toward Business Growth<\/h2>\n