Shift4Shop eCommerce Blog | B2B eCommerce

The global B2B eCommerce market is worth over five times more than the B2C market and is valued at nearly $15 trillion USD.

Reports state that B2B eCommerce resulted in only 9% of total B2B product sales in the US. However, the COVID-19 pandemic changed this scenario by revolutionizing buyer preferences.

Additionally, the closure of brick-and-mortar stores helped B2B eCommerce gain momentum. 

From search engine optimization (SEO), content, and social media to email, lead generation, and customer experience, a lot goes into successful B2B marketing.

B2B eCommerce is a rapidly growing industry, with businesses of all sizes looking to capitalize on the benefits of online sales and distribution. In order to be successful in this highly competitive environment, it is essential for companies to have well-defined and efficient standard operating procedures (SOPs) in place.

B2B marketing is a dynamic and ever-evolving phenomenon. Marketers in the B2B domain are always on the lookout for new and effective strategies because they understand that acquiring business clients happens both in the online and real world. Despite the stellar advances made by digital marketing in the last decade, B2B is one field where offline marketing is an equally important aspect of the overall marketing strategy. Traditional forms of offline and outdoor marketing constitute a sizable[...]

Business-to-business (B2B) eCommerce might not be as popular as the business-to-customer (B2C) space, but it is blooming. 

B2B, or business to business, is a form of commerce that involves businesses directly selling to other businesses, rather than a business selling direct to consumer. This key difference calls for a different approach to traditional eCommerce, with more advanced functionality necessary to keep things running. B2B customers simply have different needs than B2C, or business to consumer, customers do when it comes to shopping online. Often, B2B customers are employees shopping for equipment or[...]

While eCommerce may be seen as one universal market, there can be some stark differences between the world of B2B & B2C eCommerce. Whether you’re an established business owner or an aspiring one, it’s important to know how both forms of eCommerce differs when it comes to decision making, pricing, marketing, and other business practices.

Keeping up with the latest trends is vital for anyone running a business. Dedicated entrepreneurs and online store owners should always be vigilant of the newest developments in technology, as well as the most recent research on customer behavior. If you are aware enough and quick-witted enough, you can make more informed decisions about everything related to your overall strategy: which innovations to use, which directions to take, and which updates to make on your website. Watching the trends[...]

Building a website for your B2B store may require a significant amount of planning, brainstorming, and design work. Newcomers in particular may find themselves unsure of what they should focus on when creating the website. Naturally, each business may need to emphasize different aspects depending on their industry, size, and other factors. With that said, there are quite a few features that can be of great assistance to any B2B enterprise. Here is some information on ten of the universal[...]

No two businesses are alike. The needs of your online store may differ greatly from others, and that can even include competitors in the same industry. That is why when you are trying to choose the right eCommerce solution for your site, you must always consider how well the solution meets your business’s specific needs.

This is also something you should keep in mind if your business caters to other businesses. In fact, B2B stores may need some very different features and services than B2C ones[...]

When people think of online stores, most of them think specifically of business-to-consumer retailers, also known as B2C stores. It only makes sense, as the largest shopping sites in the world generally follow this particular business model. When you visit and make a purchase on Amazon, Wal-Mart, or eBay, you almost always do so as an individual consumer. This may explain why the majority of eCommerce websites mimic these online giants and operate as B2C enterprises.

However, B2C is not the[...]

You probably don’t need us to tell you that the future of B2B is in eCommerce.

For one thing, the modern B2B buying process is becoming more and more digitally-focused as time goes on. Simply put, today’s B2B customers expect to be able to conduct business online—and it’s the company’s duty to make it happen.

But, this isn’t to say that these companies don’t stand to gain anything from “going digital.”

The truth is, the B2B companies that take full advantage of everything the world of eCommerce[...]

Business to Business (B2B) eCommerce can be extremely profitable, but faces an additional set of challenges on top of typical retail. Bulk orders, variable pricing, freight management, and other B2B essentials can present endless difficulties for an unprepared business, so specialized tools are crucial for smooth operations. And of course, B2B buyers have a strict set of requirements you'll need to anticipate in order to recruit them as customers.

Managing all this can be an incredible drain on[...]

So, you’ve worked hard, been a great business owner, and have managed to build a successful eCommerce business from the ground up. But, for one reason or another, you feel like it may be time to sell. For some business owners, the ultimate goal for starting a business is to make it successful and then sell it. For others, selling their business is a last resort. Whatever your reason for wanting to sell your business, the process is not as simple as you may think. Let’s dive into the actual[...]

There’s been a lot of fuss about personalizing your customers’ experiences.

MarTechAdvisor found that a personalized web experience can increase sales by 19%. And more people crave personalization too.

Studies found that 73% of B2B buyers want personalized experiences, similar to the B2C-like customer experience. Additionally, 71% of B2B buyers believe customers increasingly crave B2C-like experiences with faster response times and 24/7 availability—however, nearly half (49%) believe that[...]

In November 2018, Apruve released its 2018 E-Commerce Apruval Rating Report, detailing the state of B2B companies within the world of e-commerce.

As we surveyed a variety of B2B companies and their customers, we focused on answering more than a few questions, such as:

• Who is the modern B2B consumer?
• How do they act when engaging with B2B companies? What do they want from these entities? Why?
• How are most B2B companies faring in terms of providing for the needs of their customers? What are[...]

The landscape of eCommerce is always changing, and it's important to be aware of the emerging trends that make up its overall evolution. B2B merchants in particular need to pay close attention to new information that can help them develop their sales and marketing strategies, since the higher stakes of B2B mean a smaller margin for error.

If you sell B2B, you're already targeting a market that's more difficult in quite a few ways, e.g. dealing with more sophisticated buyers and sometimes an[...]

Marketing. When we talk about marketing, we usually specify whether it’s business to consumer (B2C) or business to business (B2B). The tactics and way we approach a marketing strategy hinge on this distinction.

Are your customers people or businesses?

It’s a trick question. Your customers are always people, even if they’re buying something for a business – and that’s where a lot of us get lost in the B2B world. We get caught up on that second ‘B.’ Here’s the reality: B2B marketing is still[...]

Digital natives, or those that grew up in the age of the internet and smartphones, are taking over the workplace. According to research by the Merit Group and ThinkWithGoogle.com, 73 percent of B2B decision-makers and about 50 percent of all B2B researchers are millennials.

As is customary of this demographic, they initiate the buying process with a generic web search. By the time they’re ready to contact a sales rep to schedule a meeting, request a demo, or[...]