In a survey of 300 business to business (B2B) companies around the world, Sapio Research found that 95% were planning to implement digital transformation (DX) for their business.
Digital transformation (DX) is a strategy whereby businesses integrate digital technology into all aspects of the business, including the products, solutions, operational process and customer interactions. This involves major change and the creation of new business models. More and more organizations that are adopting DX are reaping the rewards and pulling away from the competition.
B2B companies are now seeing DX as an essential part of their drive to remain competitive. It will allow them to respond to new and potentially disruptive technologies and to meet ever-higher customer expectations.
To implement DX successfully, technology needs to be embraced and operations, products, marketing, culture and future goals all need to be redefined. One of the keys to success will be a really effective online B2B portal.
Why is an online B2B portal so important?
More than 8 out of 10 businesses in the research group said that easy online purchasing was one of the important factors behind DX. This will be the driver for reduced sales costs and improved customer experiences.
Here are five key things to consider when you’re implementing an online B2B portal as part of your DX. We explain how Cloudfy has them covered.
- ROI
It’s important to be confident that you will achieve a good return on your investment (ROI) in DX. There isn’t a single solution that will meet everyone’s needs, but the right solution for you will depend on your existing technology and your approach to change.
Cloudfy was created to meet the needs of B2B wholesalers, distributors and manufacturers, so many of the solutions you will be looking for are available, straight out of the box. That will reduce the need for customization and make the implementation of your online portal much more straightforward, saving you time and money.
- Strategy
You might be planning to keep your existing enterprise, finance and other business systems or thinking about a complete overhaul of your technology. Whatever your DX strategy, Cloudfy provides easy integration with all the major systems, like Sage, SAP and Microsoft ® Dynamics NAV. With a powerful application programming interface (API) there’s also plenty of scope for customization and innovation where you need it.
Integration with back-office systems supports information sharing and streamlines processes to improve all-round efficiency. It will also allow you to improve your customers’ experiences with access to order histories, easy reordering, personalized catalogues and information about stock availability and delivery.
- Cost of ownership
One of the big hurdles for many businesses is the overall capital investment needed to achieve DX. This includes not only the initial purchase costs but also ongoing operations and maintenance, compared with existing systems.
Cloudfy is a Cloud-based software as a service (SaaS) solution that is available on a monthly subscription basis. This means you can be up and running with leading-edge technology quickly and without major capital investment. With regular updates delivered in the Cloud, it’s also a very efficient way to stay right up to date.
As a Cloud-based solution, Cloudfy is also scalable. You can easily accommodate peak demand periods without the need to maintain costly additional capacity. And, as your business grows, you can be confident that your Cloudfy solution can grow with you.
- Security
Defending against cyber crime and keeping your own and your customers’ data safe is a top priority.
Hosted in the Cloud, Cloudfy meets the highest standards of security and intrusion detection and prevention. Security is just as essential to our business as it is to yours, so you can be confident that you will have high availability and top-grade security at all times.
- Continuous updates
Another major challenge for a lot of B2B businesses is that once they have implemented an online B2B portal, staying up-to-date with the latest features and market updates can be difficult. This could lead to the competition overtaking you and can prove to be detrimental in the long run.
With selecting Cloudfy as your B2B portal this is not something you have to worry about. We provide monthly updates to continuously improve the platform as well as releasing major platform updates at least 4 times a year. Be sure to also view the full list of the many key features of Cloudfy.
Because ecommerce is our business, you can also be confident that a Cloudfy solution will meet all payment card industry (PCI) security requirements.
Don’t take our word for it – book a free Cloudy demonstration and see for yourself.
