B2B ECommerce Platforms From Leading Vendors to Optimize Operations

Simply put, B2B eCommerce, or as some marketers like to call it, wholesale of Commerce is eCommerce between separate business clients, rather than between a single business and a single customer (C2C). The advantages of B2B eCommerce offer several distinct advantages to merchants, including the ability to reach an entirely new set of potential clients (wholesalers), streamline your selling processes to create a more cost-effective business model, and reduce or eliminate any risk inherent in online sales.

In short, you can sell to multiple customers in a single setting. However, this type of business transaction setup comes with a few challenges and concerns that need to be addressed before jumping into the B2B eCommerce space. Fortunately, following a few simple tips can help you overcome these obstacles and successfully manage your wholesale eCommerce business.

Manage Your Entire Wholesale Business

When you decide to manage your entire wholesale business through a b2b ecommerce platform, it is important to understand your exact needs. For instance, are you looking for a complete suite of services, or are you interested in a basic payment gateway, a customizable selection of promotional gifts, and other general solutions? One way to determine your unique needs is by understanding your audience and potential customers. For example, if you are interested in creating a gift marketplace and accept credit cards, then it would make sense to have a suite of services that include this functionality. If you are instead interested in accepting debit cards only, then your suite would not include a payment gateway or any other available tools.

eCommerce Platform Provider

Before signing on the dotted line with a b2b eCommerce platform provider, you should be very clear about what services you are looking for. By breaking down the services you require into a clear, concise list, you will ensure that your vendor has the knowledge required to help you realize all of your goals. As an example, you might want a full suite of service tools to help you manage your inventory, but if you only need a payment gateway, a shopping cart, and an order fulfillment service, then your vendor could easily fill that need. This is the beauty of working with a large, reputable company – they can help you achieve your goals without having to spend thousands of dollars.

The types of site-commerce tools

Another way to ensure that your B2B commerce platform provider provides the types of site-commerce tools that you need is to ensure that they implement successful integration solutions. With integrated inventory management and order fulfillment, you can save both time and money, which will ultimately give you more time to focus on building your brand. Integrations with customer service software and marketing automation software can also save you money because they can help you to track and manage all of your customers within your organization. The more integration options that your vendor has, the easier it will be for you to manage your inventory, your orders, and your supply chain, which will result in higher levels of customer satisfaction.

eCommerce platform tools and the ability to manage your CRM

If you find a vendor with multiple tools for accounting, marketing, and other business processes, then you have a winning combination. Look for a company that offers a full range of integrated solutions, including b2b eCommerce platform tools and the ability to manage your CRM, accounting, and marketing data with one unified interface. Bigcommerce comes with the Bigcommerce E-commerce application, which is a popular program for managing your e-commerce data. Other popular tools offered by Bigcommerce include the Bigcommerce POS software and the Bigcommerce Enterprise Solutions. Software such as these is designed to help you manage and optimize the operation of your e-commerce website.

To take advantage of all of the capabilities offered by a b2b eCommerce platform, you need to be able to manage your customer profile, create, and modify merchant information, and complete payments online. OpenCart, a popular e-commerce solution, does all of these functions for free and with no technical skills or experience required. Bigcommerce is another provider that provides a complete range of tools and functions for free.