Your business is unique, so there isn’t a simple answer when you’re looking for the best business to business (B2B) ecommerce software to meet your needs.
Here are five steps we recommend you take to make the best possible choice.
- Specify your business requirements
You know that B2B ecommerce is a necessity if you want to grow your business and keep ahead of your competitors. It’s important to define exactly what you expect it to deliver for your business.
You probably already know what return on your investment you are looking for, but you also need to define how your ecommerce software will deliver it. More traffic is a starting point, alongside with conversion rates and order values. However, you will achieve the best results when your choice of solution is fully aligned with your overall business strategy.
- Understand your customers’ needs
Alongside your business needs, you must also be confident that your choice will effectively meet the needs of your customers.
Your customers’ businesses are as unique as your own, so taking time to understand them is an essential part of the process.
If possible, avoid defining the solution before you have a full picture of their needs and expectations.
- Take a coherent approach
If your business is established then you probably have a number of enterprise-wide systems in place already. To realize the best possible results from your ecommerce software it will be important to understand all the touch points it will have on your business.
Significant improvements in efficiency and customer service can be achieved if you integrate systems and information effectively. You can also dramatically improve your decision-making when you have a more complete understanding of the processes within your business and the data that you capture during every transaction.
- Look for common solutions first
Because you are immersed in your business you will probably feel that it is unique. This could well be true, but you might find some surprising matches between your requirements and those of other businesses, even outside of your sector.
To find a really powerful solution, focus on the things other businesses might also need and assess whether these will suit your requirements too. A program of customization could be time-consuming and expensive, so only do this when it is really necessary and beneficial.
Ideally, you will find a solution that is designed to comprehensively meet the wide-ranging needs of B2B ecommerce that also has scope for fast and effective customization.
- Choose a partner, not a supplier
To really optimize your ecommerce results, you should expect to have long-term working partnership with your chosen provider. To find the right solution, we recommend that you look beyond technical expertise.
Professionals who can work closely with you and your team will make a significant difference to your business. They should not only have extensive experience of B2B ecommerce but also a wide skill set in marketing and business development.
Compare and contrast
We always encourage our clients to review carefully what is available to meet their requirements and their budget. Comparing the strengths and weaknesses of each option against the criteria we have outlined here will help you make the right choice.
We believe that, once you have been through the process, Cloudfy will be on your shortlist. We would welcome the opportunity to discuss your requirements and demonstrate how our scalable Cloud-based software can deliver a fast and effective solution for you.
Cloudfy been specifically designed for B2B ecommerce and offers integration with major business systems and powerful application programming interface for customized requirements.
We will be happy to answer your questions at any stage of the process, so please get in touch.
