B2B Ecommerce Stores: What You Need to Know to Scale Sales

In B2C, the priority is attracting as many end customers as possible. In B2B, one of the most important goals is building strong, long-term relationships with repeat customers. That means a B2B ecommerce store has to be built around this goal, for example with volume-based discounts on larger orders, customer satisfaction surveys, requests for feedback on how to improve service, and similar tools.

What makes B2B different is right there in the name: business to business. This segment is about transactions between companies, so a B2B online store has to be designed to handle deals between many different types of business buyers.

A B2B ecommerce store typically serves the following types of customers:

• authorized representatives;
• company branches and departments;
• dealers;
• distributors;
• dropshippers;
• independent wholesalers.

Why you need a B2B ecommerce store

A store of this type is built for wholesale orders as well as retail sales of specialized products, such as software, gear, workwear, equipment, tools and consumables for specific industries. Buyers can find everything their business needs in a single catalog. For the supplier, the benefit is less time spent on each customer interaction and more time freed up for the customer service and sales teams.

Working with partners and repeat customers becomes much faster and more automated thanks to these advantages of a B2B ecommerce store:

• fast processing of orders of any size;
• easy catalog updates;
• an automated system of discounts, rewards and special offers;
• a website that takes orders 24/7;
• simple document management;
• inventory tracking;
• customer-specific pricing;
• automated workflows for representative offices, departments and branches.

Another major advantage of a B2B ecommerce store is a private, login-only area for authorized users. Each customer registered under a specific account type (dealer, dropshipper and so on) sees a catalog built specifically for them. This lets you segment your customer base and set prices and product assortment for each segment separately.

Experience with B2B ecommerce platforms shows that these features are essential for building flexible business processes on the supplier side.

Personalized pricing also helps you:

• set different prices for each product depending on order volume, discounts and other factors;
• structure and segment your customer base and create separate catalogs for each buyer group;
• roll out price changes accurately and on time;
• keep track of promotions, discounts, promo codes and more.

How marketing a B2B ecommerce store is different

In both structure and technical requirements, a B2B ecommerce store is different from a B2C store. It is a separate system that works on different principles. That is why it is important to clearly define your target audience at the very start of ecommerce development.

Marketing this kind of business also calls for a completely different approach. B2B marketing involves a longer sales cycle and puts more emphasis on building long-term relationships with repeat customers and partners.

In B2B, buyers almost always need to talk to a real sales rep. At the same time, if you know the market from the inside, it is easier to find your way in your niche, build a detailed customer profile with all of their needs and research the competitive landscape.

You can attract new B2B customers and partners with the following tools:

1. SEO. Optimizing a B2B website starts with high-quality content. It should be written in language your target audience understands, while being substantive and genuinely useful for potential customers and partners. It is best to create this content in-house or work with a skilled copywriter who has experience in your specific industry. To write the SEO brief and build your keyword list, start with market research: it will show you how much your audience already knows and what information they find most valuable.
2. Email marketing is just as useful and effective in B2B as it is in B2C, but it calls for a different approach. Your emails should tell readers as much as possible about your company, your products and how you can solve the specific problems of potential customers and partners. Useful tips, ideas and other interesting content related to your product can be the hook that wins a customer over.
3. Call tracking. This service lets you analyze sales calls and pinpoint the moments that contribute most to closing a deal. You can then use these insights to write more effective call scripts and keep track of every detail you agreed on with each customer.
4. Press releases and media commentary make your company more visible to potential customers and partners. The same goes for industry events such as trade shows, conferences and roundtables. Most of the key players in your niche usually attend them, and they are always a chance to exchange business cards for future contact and collaboration.
5. Chatbots that handle initial inquiries are a source of insight into what your target audience needs. You can use this data to build a sharper marketing strategy.
6. Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is considered an effective paid channel in B2B, but on one condition: your ads must be carefully targeted to the most relevant search queries.
7. Managing reviews. In B2B, customer reviews and referrals carry special weight. In this segment, what matters most is building the reputation and authority that lead to strong, long-term partnerships. So make a habit of staying in touch with your customers and asking them about the quality of your service.

Conclusion

To scale B2B sales, choose a system that is built and configured for working with business customers. That means support for larger order volumes, customer segmentation and a dedicated system of discounts and rewards.

The priority in B2B is working with repeat customers and partners, as well as building your company's reputation and authority.