The blurred lines between B2B and B2C eCommerce have become even more obvious of recent months. The digitization of our economies is causing a uniformity in customer expectation across the board. This is clear all through eCommerce. From B2B, B2C to B2B2C operations, customers demand a more similar user experience. The amazonification of the customer online experience is in full swing. eCommerce users are demanding this type of customer experience across the board. In short, the online shopping experience is dictated by consumer commerce. In the post COVID era systems integration will likely be geared toward this type of customer experience. It is more focused on increasing customer engagement and replicating the B2C experience across the board. This is part of the objective and is an ideal part of a larger omnichannel strategy.
Today’s users
The pandemic means sellers are in a rush to satisfy today’s end user , business or consumer. Especially in the context of compulsory digitization most businesses will undertake. The pandemic has made businesses realise the importance of having a digital infrastructure robust enough to handle high traffic. The pandemic saw record online sales and many businesses unfortunately just could not cope. Managing inventory and stock was a big challenge. Especially to many small or quite traditional businesses with less mature digital infrastructure. Many saw up to 20 times increase in normal business. B2B and B2C customers, the desire for a seamless online shopping experience remains. This is beyond, simple online checkout. They both expect access to product catalogues and even third-party service integrations.
Differences
Regardless of the convergence in user habits, B2B and B2C eCommerce in many ways remain quite different. Yes all businesses should aim to please users similar to the consumer to business context. However, understanding the clear differences between the two is what gives businesses that strategic edge. The buying process in B2B is usually more sophisticated than B2C. This is due to the higher stakes involved in the process from a personal vs business point of view. There are often more decision makers with their own objectives which can make the process longer.