A survey of 560 B2B buyers worldwide found that a personalised eCommerce offering would persuade a third to buy from a specific vendor. Nearly half of B2B buyers want customer-specific pricing as part of the buying experience. A further 38 per cent of respondents felt tailored offers, and shipping options would make the purchasing process more personalised, and an additional 36 per cent also want personalised payment methods, according to research undertaken by Sapio on behalf of Sana Commerce.
The survey, which identified what B2B buyers want, found that when it comes to how B2B buyers evaluate vendors price is still king. 33 per cent evaluate offerings on price, just under a third evaluate on payment terms, with delivery and stock availability coming in third and fourth.
B2B eCommerce sellers have however closed the gap on their B2C counterparts, and in some cases even overtaken them in terms of delivering good customer experience. Respondents felt that the use of new technology, such as online portals and webchat functionality was better in a B2B environment. Buying through new sales channels, such as social selling, voice ordering, mobile commerce, predictive ordering and easy checkouts, however, were still considered slightly better in B2C eCommerce.
Automation is also increasingly important for B2B buyers, the research found. Automated payments and purchases have already had an impact on the buying role in the past five years, and will continue to grow in importance with buyers listing them as the top two factors that will have the biggest impact on their role in five years time.
Michiel Schipperus, CEO and managing partner at Sana Commerce comments, “Understanding buyer preferences is vital if organisations are going to successfully compete in such a volatile marketplace. Our research found that the list of B2B buying requirements is long and businesses need to ensure that they’re able to meet buyers’ KPIs through eCommerce to help drive efficiencies and deliver the best experience. Ensuring that you’re systems are integrated with your ERP system so that you can offer your customers accurate stock levels, personalised pricing, and even complex buying scenarios will help brands stand apart.”
So what would make buyers more likely to buy? Great service (39 per cent), low prices (37 per cent) and product features are the top three wish list for B2B buyers.
The majority of buyers want to buy online. 85 per cent of respondents buy half of all purchases via eCommerce. And 57 per cent buy three-quarters of all purchases online. You shouldn’t get rid of your sales teams just yet though, according to respondents. Being able to make a purchase offline is still crucial within the B2B marketplace.
Over half (57 per cent) of respondents still want their quotes delivered by email, a third (34per cent) would like someone to call them with a price and another third (36 per cent) would prefer access to quotes online. Email is considered to be one of the most important B2B channel for buyers (41 per cent) closely followed by eCommerce (28 per cent) and phone (25 per cent). Delivering a personalised omnichannel experience is more important than ever if suppliers want to retain customer loyalty.
Share