Best examples of B2B e-commerce: Companies winning the game
B2B buyers have changed. How are companies keeping up? Here are five brands that provide shining examples of B2B e-commerce.
Within half a year, online sales and strategies experienced about five to 10 years of growth acceleration. Let’s examine the 2021 e-commerce trends that are moving from the “trend” category to the “must-have” classification.
E-commerce trends reflect a society that’s forever changed. Brands must focus on DTC, mobile, social as a search and selling tool, and data.
Though businesses are happy (and eager) to watch many of their pandemic challenges disappear in the rearview mirror, experts agree that companies shouldn’t abandon their digital strategies as lockdowns come to a close.
For many businesses and their customers, 2020 was marred by the stresses of living and working through a global pandemic. But Dan Gingiss, CX guru, notes there’s a lot of good to come out of 2020 – namely, innovations in e-commerce and the customer experience that helped digital shopping experiences mirror in-person experiences as much as possible.
B2B buyers have changed. How are companies keeping up? Here are five brands that provide shining examples of B2B e-commerce.
A crucial element to be aware of when it comes to 2021 e-commerce trends is that the siloed environments of sales, marketing, opps, IT, etc. are over.
To create the experiences that draw in new customers and retain present ones, mindsets within organizations have to pivot.
E-commerce growth jumped during the holidays. Can brands sustain the momentum in the future? Here are three predictions.
In the premiere episode of the new LinkedIn Live series, “Keeping Up with E-Commerce,” host Dan Gingiss said he hopes to focus on positive discussions of such experiences:
Martin Newman, also known as “The Consumer Champion” for his expertise in customer experience, reflected on the pervasiveness of online shopping and, more specifically, the likely permanence of offerings such as curbside pickup. Customers who enjoyed their first time buying their groceries online and picking them up in the store are likely to continue doing so in the future.
In her experience, Maria Morais, global industry director of SAP Customer Experience, said that it was – and continues to be – important for companies to set their e-commerce options up for success.
It’s often as simple as featuring curbside pickup in an easy-to-find location on a retailer’s online homepage.
Many businesses that couldn’t offer same-day pickup saw success starting with next-day pickup and eventually narrowing that window as they perfected their e-commerce strategy. And this year, there’s plenty of room for perfecting.
Flexible fulfillment is a requirement for retailers today. Ship-to-store, ship-from-store, and BOPIS (buy online, pickup in store) options rule the retail experience.
“I interview consumers all over the world,” Newman said, “And when I ask them what’s frustrating about online shopping, they all say the same thing – and it’s what drives them into the store to buy fashion. They say, ‘I still like to touch the feel of the products. I don’t get the same experience online that I get in the store.’
I think there’s a real opportunity for retailers and brands and CPG businesses going direct to consumer to up their game and leverage their content more effectively within the transactional journey within that path to purchase.”
On top of that, Newman said, companies need to be where customers are. For Paul Smith, global industry principal of consumer industries at SAP, that means social selling.
“The historical dominance where people searched for products was always Google and Amazon. Last year, 8% more product searches started in a social network.
That’s a significant shift, and that’s only going to continue this year. So, I think we’re going to start seeing this convergence of media and commerce coming together,” Smith said.
Social commerce is the use of a social platform for e-commerce sales, and it's huge: By 2027, it's projected to drive $604 billion in sales.
“I think we’re also going to see significant growth from things like live video selling as well, to bring that human element and human interaction back into it.”
With data privacy affecting marketing, the ability to scale and build storefronts quickly, and competition being fierce, most 2021 e-commerce trends will remain a reality well into the future.
Interested in hearing the experts’ other predictions for this year? Watch the replay of the first episode now.