Shift4Shop eCommerce Blog | B2B eCommerce (2)

Digital natives, or those that grew up in the age of the internet and smartphones, are taking over the workplace. According to research by the Merit Group and ThinkWithGoogle.com, 73 percent of B2B decision-makers and about 50 percent of all B2B researchers are millennials.

As is customary of this demographic, they initiate the buying process with a generic web search. By the time they’re ready to contact a sales rep to schedule a meeting, request a demo, or[...]

The business world is changing. Every year, more and more business turns to ecommerce – a market that grows rapidly. Many of us think of ecommerce and picture big, consumer brands like Amazon, but the B2B ecommerce opportunity is a whopping $7.7 trillion.

Business buyers aren’t far behind. There’s a growing expectation within many companies that demands access to faster, more convenient ecommerce buying options. Winning and retaining those customers depends on meeting their ecommerce[...]

The snow is melting, the days are getting longer and the birds are outside singing again. It’s springtime. Many of us are waking up from our long winter naps and we’re outside on the porch in the morning drinking our morning cup of tea. As you sit there and enjoy the warmth of the early morning sun, a small little bee lands on the rim of your mug. At first, you’re tempted to swat at it and run away with your arms flailing to avoid the probability of feeling the wrath of the bee’s sting. But at[...]

For all of the effort, time, and money we pour into marketing and sales, how do we define success? It’s easy to point to revenue or customer acquisition, concrete metrics that boost your bottom line in a measurable way.

But there’s one thing your website has to do really well before we get there: build trust and credibility. No matter what you sell or who your customers are, without trust, there’s no sale. Every sale, every customer relationship depends on the customer’s willingness to trust in[...]

Is your business making use of the ecommerce opportunity at your fingertips?

When we talk about ecommerce, most of us imagine retail powerhouses like Amazon or Wayfair – but the B2B ecommerce potential is even bigger. In fact, the business ecommerce market topped $7.7 trillion in 2017. That’s a huge opportunity.

Why the popularity of ecommerce for B2B transactions? There are a lot of reasons for ecommerce’s growth in B2B sales, but the biggest reason isn’t so different from the B2C world:[...]

If you sell business-to-business, it's in your best interests to make every step of the purchase and checkout process as smooth and easy as possible. B2B buyers rely on a streamlined experience — that's why they prefer to make their purchases online in the first place. Keep in mind, too, that B2B buyers are often pressed for time and working within a strict budget, which makes it even more important to nurture the relationships you've formed with them. Think of it this way: if you're always[...]

When it comes to marketing a B2B ecommerce website, it can be hard to know where you should start. You want to meet potential customers where they are – but where do other businesses hang out online?

It’s a trick question. Even though we call it “business to business,” there’s still a regular old person doing research and making purchase decisions for that business. That’s why you’ll see a lot of overlap in the way B2B and consumer ecommerce websites are promoted.

There is a key difference,[...]

Worldwide business-to-business (B2B) ecommerce sales may reach nearly $7 trillion USD by 2020, accounting for a significant percentage (perhaps a fifth) of all manufacturing and wholesale B2B trade, according to some estimates.

Companies that launch effective B2B ecommerce solutions now could deepen customer relationships, attract new customers, stave off competition, and become more profitable.

Our team has compiled some essential features any B2B website should be offering in this great[...]

Smart business-to-business (B2B) companies pay attention to trends, listen to customers, and take actions to improve their business.

In the coming year, for many in the B2B world this will mean developing a B2B ecommerce strategy that provides a great, omnichannel customer experience.

This article presents the  five B2B ecommerce trends you'll want to watch in 2018.

Selling business-to-business (B2B) has changed. About a half of B2B buyers — your customers — will make professional purchases over the internet in 2017, according to estimates from Forrester Research.

Business-to-business (B2B) ecommerce may be a huge opportunity, unless, of course, your company is making one of these seven mistakes and killing your chances for success.

Whether you sell business-to-customer (B2C) or business-to-business (B2B), an online store can be a great benefit for your company. But what makes eCommerce so vital for B2B, and how can you better meet the needs of B2B buyers?

When you think of an eCommerce platform, what kind of businesses do you associate us with? Do you think of online stores that sell consumer products like clothes, jewelry, and candy?

We can’t deny that eCommerce has quite a niche in consumer product stores. While B2C brands make up much the online retailers space, the business-to-business customers represent some of the most successful online businesses.

B2B brands need eCommerce software just as much as consumer stores. Wholesale websites and[...]