If the past few years of eCommerce innovation has taught us anything, it is that the online experience must be customer centric. Interestingly, focusing efforts on streamlining transactions, checkout and pricing is not sufficient. It is definitely not sufficient enough to modernize the customer experiences, business needs and build strategies around the wholistic user experience. However, out of the box eCommerce solutions on their own do not deliver engaging user experiences that span the entire customer journey. Regardless, innovative businesses now recognize integrated digital solutions can achieve this. They can combine powerful digital experience features with commerce in order to efficiently deliver up to date B2B eCommerce experiences. B2B and other models of online business must elevate the whole customer journey by looking for a platform that includes certain capabilities.
Executing Personalization
Accenture notes that 73% of B2B buyers require a personalized customer experience similar to the B2C model. Moreover, many companies are not delivering this personalized online customer experiences their customers need. It is fair to say, many existing eCommerce platforms lack the digital experience functionalities needed to satisfy the expectation of the modern B2B customer base. AI enabled personalization can have significant business benefits as it is useful in many aspects. For example, it can increase sales through product recommendations. It also shows online customers relevant content based on customer interest and history. Usefully, search results can be displayed according to customers’ previous search history.
Transform Data Into Insights
To execute sound personalization strategies effectively, businesses must be equipped to track and collect data. Then turn this data into insights that can be leveraged to drive these strategies with actionable intelligence. These days online platforms can track and leverage a robust data load. This is difficult for traditional commerce to do. A strong eCommerce solution can offer data reporting features that track performance metrics. Additionally, they provide real-time analysis of online traffic patterns, customer insights and site performance. This reveals what the customers are doing and makes clear what is effective on an online store. However, the centralized data advantage of eCommerce allows managers to use insights to power personalization efforts. It also allows them to discover new business opportunities and identify problems.
Uniting Content
Content management is key to having a customer centric digital experience. Online stores often have problems reusing content they have previously created on a content management system (CMS) within certain eCommerce platforms. To mitigate this and deliver consistent online experiences across all touchpoints, businesses need platforms that bring content and eCommerce systems together. An eCommerce solution with the ability to aggregate all content on one platform is useful to companies.
They can leverage a unified online solution that has the ability to create a single all encompassing customer experience. A customer experience that is easier for the manager to manage. One that delivers better value to the customer in the end. Managers have the flexibility to create marketing pages and improve product pages by adding videos content and guides. Businesses can do this without the need to integrate disparate systems together.
In conclusion, managers must be able to put this all together. B2B customers expect modern, online experiences similar to Amazon which many use in their personal time. They essentially want B2C style customer interactions. Businesses must assess their digital infrastructure to evaluate if preparedness to deliver this to their customer base. Manager must ask key questions. Is the system sufficient to handle modern customer needs? Is it time to look for a more appropriate solution equipped to handle the complexities of B2B purchasing? Does the system keep customers from purchasing from other more user friendly sites?