There are many distinct challenges in B2B ecommerce that mean lessons from more developed B2C ecommerce won't translate directly. Here are some in our recommendations to help you avoid mistakes.

Product information for people

Your online content should be written for people first after which optimized for search engines like google (SEO) – not the other way around. SEO is important to make sure your site is going to be found, but if the content isn't immediately relevant and interesting, visitors will quickly move on.

Product descriptions written together with your buyers in mind and high-quality images that show them what they desire to see will make a positive change for your conversion rate. Your buyers will want to make an informed choice as well as your content should provide them with confidence.

Depending in your market sector, including model or part numbers, weight, size and relevant legal or regulatory details all will be valuable to your site's visitors. Ideally, you should also include availability and lead time.

Value-added sales support

Even with outstanding product descriptions, your buyers will still need ask more detailed questions. This gives an opportunity for your sales and marketing teams to improve their understanding of your buyers' needs.

At every location of contact your staff must fully understand your web content and be able to add value and suggest complementary products. Capturing why people call will help you improve your online content and make sure that the teams are ready to help.

Integration with other systems

Many from the benefits of B2B ecommerce are lost if information has to be manually transferred to other business systems or downloaded overnight. This can cause delays and add to the chance of errors that will affect customer satisfaction.

Integration with major business systems doesn't have to become difficult or expensive. A Cloud-based system such as Cloudfy, for instance, comes with many integrations as standard, and a strong application programming interface (API) for anything extra which you may need.

Making the most of mobile

Mobile devices are an ever more important part of the purchasing process, so through an impressive desktop site isn't enough – it must be responsive for cellular devices.

Your site will have to load quickly and you'll likewise need content specifically for mobile, like video or podcasts. Potential customers won't hesitate to move onto another supplier that provides a better mobile experience.

Take an extensive approach

Your website and mobile platforms are just two channels. E-mail marketing, SEO, social networking, an internet-based advertising have the ability to roles to experience. Your B2B strategy should clearly identify the part all these tools will have.

Designing a coherent strategy that uses the very best channels available to meet the unique requirements of the business will allow you to differentiate yourself clearly. To help make the much of your opportunities, make sure you include customer retention, cross-selling and upselling inside your plans.

Focus on user experience

If your ecommerce website is many years old, difficult to use, and only partially integrated together with your other business systems you will not be delivering the standard buying experience your customers are searching for. Keep in mind that buyers are continually influenced by their consumer purchases, so their expectations will always be expanding.

Buyers need B2B ecommerce sites to create their lives easier. They will be looking for powerful on-site search facilities, product catalogues that they can filter to meet their needs, personalized pricing and simple purchasing workflows that include electronic payment options. Make full use of powerful analytics tools to identify pain points for the customers and improve their experience.

Room to grow

As your online business succeeds, you will want to make sure your site can cope with demand. A sluggish or unavailable site could really damage your reputation. However, you don't want to pay for resources that you simply just have at peak times.

This is where Cloud-based software like a services (SaaS) solutions like Cloudfy might help. With a scalable service proclaiming to offer you the flexibleness to respond easily when demand is high.