The Osservatorio Fatturazione Elettronica & E-Commerce B2B (Electronic Invoicing & B2B E-Commerce Observatory) of Milan Polytechnic School confirms over half of big companies and 26% of SMBs already use B2B e-commerce tools.
Last year the Granarolo & Zero4 team won the SMAU Innovation Award by presenting their omnichannel platform, where several sales channels co-exist and B2B is offered as a dedicated section which covers from invoicing management/filing, therefore available to customers anytime they might need them, to specialized e-commerce.
In April, on GooglePlay & AppleStore, Gruppo Dac made its sales application available for the Ho.re.ca. and Normal Trade world.
Others, like Gruppo Gottardo (Tigotà stores), complete their physical presence (over 500 shops) with their virtual channel, allowing customers to gain access to their offers any time, anywhere.
1. It works in a simple way
By means of a password, the customer can access a Reserved Area, where he will be able to find customized prices and offers, select the products he intends to buy and send the order or add it to a wish list he will share with the Sales rep who normally deals with his order.
2. Active 24 hours a day, worldwide accessibile
Any time of the day or night, anywhere, from their smartphone or tablet, customers can consult their product catalogue, visualize all the necessary information: from orders (on any sales channel) and their state (processed or to be delivered), access every order detail and reorder the same products.
Customers can also check which orders have (or not) already been paid and their related payment conditions.
If necessary, they will be able to directly contact the same Commercial contact-person who deals with their orders in the “physical” channel.
3. A better service that increases sales
Orders become practically automatic: thanks to a dedicated functionality, it is possible to visualize which products are sold better – and therefore reorder them -, check commercial conditions, etc. A simple, fast and “comfortable” shopping experience, which leads consumers to make non-valorized orders, that is, orders where the price is not expressly indicated. For many companies we work with, in fact, the amount of non-valorized orders is much higher than that of valorized ones: this proves how an accurately developed B2B e-commerce can contribute to increase customer loyalty.
In conclusion, on-line sales by now represent a channel which completes physical sales and therefore, not having that possiblity means losing market share or giving advantage to competitors who have already understood its strategic importance.
So has your Company already got B2B e-commerce?
Why not adapt it as Sales channel?
