Last updated on August 10th, 2016 at 11:39 am
A hot topic in the B2B world on social this week was e-commerce. And quite frankly, this should be a hot topic for B2B businesses for years to come. Why? Forrester Research recently forecasted that it will be a $1.3 trillion market by the year 2020. That should be enough to make any B2B business pay attention. We gathered some of the most useful and thought-provoking conversations about e-commerce happening on social this week and have compiled them here for you in another edition of B2B Trending Conversations. Enjoy!
The evolution of B2B e-commerce
The Evolution of #B2B#eCommerce: What it Means for Your Business by @ShellyKramerhttps://t.co/aaMfp519yA
— Marsha Collier (@MarshaCollier) August 1, 2016
In this blog post, Shelly Kramer from V3B looks at how B2B is changing, what the new B2B buyer looks like, and what that means for businesses looking to stay competitive when it comes to e-commerce. As Kramer points out, a recent report from Forrester Research states that average conversion rate for B2B e-commerce sites is a whopping 7.3 percent (compared to 3.0 percent for B2C). Not taking full advantage of the opportunities presented by this new world is something no B2B business should be missing out on.
B2B vertical e-commerce
#B2B Vertical #Ecommerce: The strategy for smart survival https://t.co/6Ta3irLLyhpic.twitter.com/BggasHCHMF
— YourStory (@YourStoryCo) August 1, 2016
We all know B2B businesses have different customers with different than their B2C counterparts, and pleasing them requires unique selling strategies. One of these strategies is vertical e-commerce. Vertical e-commerce, as defined in this post by Vertika Gupta on YourStory, is “one goal and multidimensional audiences; one category and multiple product variations; one client and multiple customisations.” Though Gupta focuses on the B2B industry within India in this post, many of the benefits of vertical e-commerce she presents—including a deeper range of products and specialization—could benefit B2B businesses in many other countries as well.
An interview about B2B e-commerce implementation
How to Get a B2B E-Commerce Implementation on the Right Track [Interview] https://t.co/SPcJhh4M2O#Marketing#B2B#ecommerce
— Jose Javier Garde (@jose_garde) July 30, 2016
Setting up or enhancing a B2B e-commerce platform is no easy task. The software requirements alone can be daunting but in this post, Nancy White from KoMarketing speaks with Greg Moser from Slatwall to get insights into how B2B businesses can overcome these challenges and implement a successful e-commerce platform. Moser also provides some useful best practices for using a B2B e-commerce platform overall.
Lessons in B2B ecommerce from Amazon
B2B E-Commerce Should Take a Page From Amazon’s Book by @omni_is_retailhttps://t.co/EiUwsXlhPn#digitalmarketing
— CMSWire.com (@cmswire) August 2, 2016
Although B2B businesses are starting to generate some serious revenue through their e-commerce efforts, there’s still a lot of room to grow. In this post on CMS Wire, Bill Davis covers what B2B businesses can learn about e-commerce from Amazon, including why they shouldn’t hide their product info behind a gate, neglect information architecture, or leave out detail on their product detail pages.
For a glimpse into what people are saying about gamification in the B2B world, check out last week’s post from Brett Wilkins here. As always, if you have any B2B content or ideas you think we should focus on next week, let us know via @b2bnewsnetwork. We love hearing from you.
