10 B2B eCommerce DOs and DON'Ts for Manufacturing

eCommerce giants Amazon and eBay, have changed the game for business, allowing B2B and B2C companies to sell more products to a wider audience 24/7 online. Manufacturers today need to have a powerful eCommerce website to continue to be successful, especially in the Business-to-Business (B2B) space.

Building a successful B2B eCommerce website is not simple. Several factors can affect results and need to be considered in all website development and evolution. Industry-specific ERP software, such as Acumatica Manufacturing Edition supports eCommerce success.

Here are 10 Dos and Don'ts of building your B2B e-commerce website to help manufacturers build a successful revenue-generating eCommerce website, including:

• Identify Your Target Audience
• Write Content
• Launch Your Site
• Build Brand Loyalty
• And more...

1. Ease of use

DO: Make checkout as simple as possible: Complex checkout is a major reason for cart abandonment.
DONT: Forget that your business buyers are consumers are heart. INSTEAD: Your buyers are accustomed to buying personal products online; make their buying process as easy as buying consumer products and you'll have them for life

2. Audience

DO: Optimize your site for mobile users: Nearly half of all buyers use a mobile device while researching a product. And most of these are looking for pricing information.
DONT: Just focus on the C-Suite. While the C-Suite (CEO. CFO, Owner) may have buying authority, junior staff, many of whom are millennials, often perform the research and influence the purchase. INSTEAD: Make sure you're speaking their language.

3. Content

DO: Make sure you can be found by search engines. In addition to product listings, include meaningful content (blogs, how-to articles, etc.) so search engines, and potential customers, can find you.
DON'T just focus on your brand. INSTEAD: Provide content that explains the product and what it does. Most online purchases start with a generic search engine query about a product category, not for your brand specifically.

4. Launch

DO: Get buy-in from your sales team. Explain how eCommerce frees them from routine, time-consuming tasks so they can spend more time prospecting and nurturing clients.
DON'T: Try to build the complete site all at once INSTEAD: Start by building a simpler site that offers the most popular products along with just the functions you need. A limited site that has most of the features you want is better than nothing at all.

5. Diligence

DO: Make security a top priority. Keeping financial transactions secure will help you build trust and retain your customers.
DON'T: Set it and forget it. INSTEAD: Always test to see which layouts, descriptions, and headlines are most effective.

6. Intuitive

DO: Simplify the buying experience. Give customers the option to purchase online and pick up in the store or warehouse.
DON'T: forget to monitor user behavior. INSTEAD: Use Google Analytics and other website tracking tools to track user engagement a measure successful marketing campaigns.

7. Usability

DO: Offer multiple payment options. If you have agreed to a credit line with your customers allow them to use that account credit when buying from your website.
DON'T: Expect your customers to know what they are looking for. INSTEAD: Make browsing and navigating your site easy. Your customers expect faceted search, advanced search engines, and informative content. Give them what they expect and make them happy, loyal customers.

8. Transparency

DO: Show your customers their prices. You have a relationship with each of your buyers. Make sure they say the negotiated prices you have agreed to when they log into your site.
Don't: keep your wholesale prices hidden. First-time users will not see the benefits of your services and search engines can't find you. INSTEAD: Choose samples of your offers and provide easy sign-in access for first-time users to see your products and prices.

9. Loyalty

DO: Make your website their purchase management tool. Your customers need to buy the materials they need in the most efficient and cost-effective manner possible. Give them the tools they need to make a difference at their company.
DON'T: Think B2C strategies don't apply to be B2B. INSTEAD: Choose email marketing, social media engagement, and content marketing to your advantage. Chances are your competition is in there yet. Beat them to the opportunity and build that relationship with your customer online.

10. Value

DO: Keep them informed. Keep your customers up to date about shipping status, inventory levels, promotions, new products, and any other information that will give them a competitive edge.
DON'T: Ignore the power of videos. INSTEAD: Add access to product demonstrations and how-to videos to enhance the customer journey.