The essential peculiarity of the B2B market is that the seller and the buyer are partners. The seller earns by selling goods or services, and the buyer also gets some benefits from buying goods to resell or use in production, and services help improve both business processes. Let’s discover some significant trends in b2b e commerce that may help benefit in the future.
B2B ecommerce trends to look out for
Here’s the list of the most sought after trends for the future of b2b e-commerce as of 2023 that will enhance business success if applied appropriately.
Personalized experiences
Personalization is the key to B2B brand success. Businesses need to build stronger relationships with their customers and increase conversions. By providing a personalized shopping experience, businesses can make customers feel valued and understood, leading to greater loyalty and repeat sales in the future.
AI & AR
Artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR) can be used in many ways to increase B2B sales. Here are some examples. In 2021 and 2022, B2C brands such as Hyundai, Samsung and Gucci have created virtual reality to enhance the shopping experience. 2023 will be the year when B2B brands begin to actively attract and develop these cutting-edge technologies. The first cases using ChatGPT are already appearing and so much more.
Leadgen
Artificial intelligence can be widely used to identify potential customers through the analysis of customer behavior and interests. With AI, sales teams will increase their chances of closing successful deals. All of these innovations aim to expand the potential for experimentation in the search for greater ad effectiveness and generate more traffic. Soon, systems that let marketers download briefs, link to websites, specify budgets, and download briefs will be available. The platforms will handle the rest, optimizing results in real time or even more.
Companies lean into sustainability
As public awareness of climate change and other global problems grow, an increasing number of businesses are developing sustainability-related projects. These objectives are excellent for the environment, but they are also excellent for business. Utilizing environmentally friendly packaging is a fantastic method to demonstrate sustainability in your company. This strategy is used by label manufacturers and ecommerce B2B brands to make sure clients are happy with the manner their orders are delivered.
Selling through third-party online marketplaces
A third-party marketplace is a web-based platform that connects sellers and buyers, such as wholesale firms and end users, using a variety of features. In 2023 and beyond it’s a new trend. This year the pace of their development will only increase. One of the key benefits of entering marketplaces is access to a whole new set of customers. In this uncomplicated way, companies have opened up new markets for themselves. In addition, marketplaces allow B2B companies to evaluate their competitors: their number, identify direct ones, and at the same time expand the range and improve product quality control processes.
2022 Amazon sales from third-party sellers increased up 13% compared to the same period in 2021. So, the figures speak volumes.
Market and sell through social media
Social networks are typically seen as a B2C strategy, however they are increasingly developing a strong B2B strategy. By 2026, it’s anticipated that there will be more than $2.9 trillion in e-commerce ventures active on social media. We’ll probably see active B2B social media activity in 2023. B2Bs are experimenting with marketing strategies that have historically been employed in business-to-consumer (B2C) sales across all industries.
Approximately 46% of B2B buyers use social media to research potential solutions, 40% to compare options, and 35% to gather information they must have before making a purchase, according to Gartner.
Omnichannel sales
B2B businesses stand a decent possibility of growing transactions and sales by providing customers with different options for buying goods and services. The ability to choose always appeals to customers. In addition to the advantages of raising the average check, omnichannel sales will give you a detailed picture of your consumer. Businesses may better understand their audiences and make defensible decisions by collecting data from several platforms at a time.
Going headless
Headless technologies are one of the powerful automation tool. Headless B2B marketplace editions offer comprehensive B2B capability to B2B merchants, streamlining both client and merchant online B2B operations in a better way. B2B brands can separate the front end and back end of a website using headless commerce architecture. Retailers now have more leeway to create and alter anything they want thanks to this arrangement. A standard ecommerce platform would not give B2B sellers as many tools to reach their expanding audience as a headless platform would.
Mobile-first websites
A responsive mobile website or downloadable mobile app should be prioritized by businesses. Next, B2B e-commerce firms may think about implementing one-click checkout on their websites in the upcoming year. Another excellent method to enhance the mobile consumer experience is to provide mobile wallets as a payment app option, etc.
Faster fulfilled orders
Shorter delivery times are being pushed because customers want their purchases more quickly. Another method B2B firms can entice customers is via quicker order fulfilment. To simplify their fulfilment process, B2B firms can use third-party fulfilment (3PL). Businesses can reduce their fulfilment and inventory business management costs by utilizing 3PL technology.
Facing supply chain disruption challenges
Retailers are all too aware of supply chain problems, in addition to increasing inflation and shipping delays. B2B companies are figuring out new methods to interact with them. Supply chain resilience has been a big trend since preventing any form of disturbance in the supply chain is crucial to keeping customers loyal, including:
- Utilizing neighboring or regional distributors to exert additional control over the supply chain is known as nearshoring.
- Using a variety of distributors as a backup in case any are unable to provide is known as multisourcing.
It is easier to establish resilience and make sure your business always has access to new inventory when your suppliers are close by and you have a variety of options available in case a disruptive event occurs.
Better inventory management
Ecommerce companies need to keep a tighter eye on how goods travel through the system while supply chain problems persist. They will be better able to meet client expectations regarding what is in stock and when it can be delivered if they do this.
Self-service customer portals
Buyers are growing more at ease making purchases with little to no support as B2B firms embrace online product sales. A McKinsey poll found that in 2021, about two-thirds of corporate purchasers worldwide choose digital or remote human service.
Currently, 67% of B2B buyers make their purchases online. Additionally, when interacting with B2B businesses, 18% of buyers prefer remote self-service purchasing channels (i.e., the ability to make a purchase without speaking with someone).
Upgrading legacy systems
For 36.6% of distributors, leaving behind old adtech systems will be a major difficulty in 2023. However, you’ll need to have the appropriate procedures in place as B2B firms become aware of the need to provide clients with a more polished B2C-like experience in their B2B companies.
Inspired by Shopify
Future of B2B E-commerce
The B2B e-commerce industry is expected to continue to evolve in 2023 with a focus on marketplaces, omni-channel sales, personalization, and social media commerce. All these trends are aimed at the growth of the business and its rooting in the minds of customers. To start managing the growth of the efficiency of online retail sites and marketplaces, there are many tasks ahead:
Turn B2B marketplaces into the real MVP
Marketplaces, which are online platforms that link buyers and sellers of goods, are one of the major developments in business-to-business (B2B) trade for both large corporations and small- to medium-sized companies. Businesses that use marketplace technology to add more sellers and provide products from third parties that are connected to their core offerings can greatly increase their customer base.
Digital Supply Chain Management
An operator of a digital marketplace can focus on sellers who have products at the local distribution point, or at least in the same country, in international markets where supply chain and distribution influences vary. Customers will experience quicker delivery and a better overall product as a result.
Mobile Wallets
Users can easily complete transactions by holding smart phones close to a payment terminal without touching currency or entering a PIN. Mobile wallets are a trusted and highly secure way to conduct transactions. All of the financial information that customers store on their mobile devices is protected against theft by digital wallets.
Automated B2B transactions
The automatic exchange of money-based value for the supply of goods or services from buyer to the supplier is gaining momentum. Depending on the terms of the contract signed by the customer and supplier, B2B payments may be one-time or ongoing or even other types depending on the technology and other factors.
Augmented reality to visualize purchases
Nowadays, full product specifications can be added through AR. Additional product information that your clients might not easily find in physical or online stores can be superimposed using augmented reality (AR) in no time. The processing of product information is the key factor that most significantly affects a customer’s purchasing decision.
Brand Strategy in the Metaverse
The next five years will undoubtedly see a rise in metaverse ads. Major brands are consequently actively exploring the potential of this channel. Of course, algorithmic thinking, personalization, and data manipulation will receive a lot of attention in a digital field as digital as this.
Demand for Fast B2B Order Fulfilment
In the nearest future, better order management solutions, which sit between the ordering platform and the warehouse, will be more widely used to enable order fulfillment routing to the best location with sufficient inventory, enabling businesses to deliver wholesale orders as quickly as their B2C orders.
FAQs
Which is the current trend in B2B eCommerce?
Which B2B eCommerce trend is now especially popular? In 2023, the B2B ecommerce market is anticipated to continue to develop, with an emphasis on social media commerce, omnichannel sales, third-party marketplaces, and personalization. Amazon Business and other third-party marketplaces give B2B firms the chance to expand their audience and enhance product curation. Also, the development of B2B online marketplaces, voice search, and automated order management systems are some of the current trends.
Why is B2B eCommerce growing?
It is popularised because your sales team will have better access to orders, pricing, and client history with a b2b eCommerce website, even while they are away from the office or working remotely. Your users get what they need online with a click of a mouse. In this way, people may work without being called to the office, even answer calls while they’re out, purchase goods within seconds, pay up through mobile applications, and do so many more things.
What are the major trends in eCommerce?
Like we’ve said before, today, many firms employ b2b e-commerce trends like AI-powered targeted marketing, customer assistance, smart search, and automation on a regular basis. They plan their marketing around AR/VR, rewards programs, social commerce, and subscription models to increase eCommerce sales.
Conclusion
Financial instability and other global issues are affecting companies across many industries. Cost-cutting marketing and sales measures are currently a top priority and some of the top B2B ecommerce trends business may apply in their B2B strategy will assist. Using the right commerce trends and strategies can help the B2B industry leaders take advantages of more digital channels and newer tools lead to growth no matter what as your customers can easily find a product. The fastest way to sell and buy is to be available 24/7 from anywhere.
Understanding every channel our clients use and how they want to utilize them throughout their whole journey is the power of genuine ecommerce marketing. To begin applying these B2B ecommerce trends, keep them in mind. Also, feel free to consult the development specialists if there are any questions left. In addition to our own cases, we follow general trends and the best practices of domestic and foreign technology leaders.
