It’s a new year, which means it’s time to make your resolutions. Each year you find ways to advance your personal growth and development by creating goals like exercising more, cutting out sweets, or perhaps expanding your knowledge by reading more books. But what about your business resolutions? What goals do you have in place to help grow and develop your business so you can remain relevant, competitive, and increase profits?
Goal-setting strategies are key to B2B success because, as the goal line continues to move in the marketplace, your business must be agile and ready to move with it. With the competitive pool widening and customer expectations rising, now is the time to tackle these challenges with the help of product content, technology, and tools that power deeper customer engagement and elevate your ability to sell. If you’re ready to make a positive impact on your business this year, here are six New Year’s resolutions to include in your business strategy:
1. Provide better product data across channels
Great product content goes well beyond a product image and description. Today’s buyers want multiple product images, detailed product attributes and feature benefits, as well as supporting content such as user manuals, MSDS sheets, and product videos. The more information buyers can access about a product, the more likely they will make a purchase, which is a good argument for displaying your product catalog and content online. Here’re further proof you need an eCommerce site: 62% of B2B buyers say they can make a purchasing decision solely based on digital content.
Another benefit of better product content is it can drive traffic to your website and physical stores. Search engines like Google continually look for high-quality content on web pages. Search engine-optimized content like relevant keywords in product titles and descriptions, URLs, meta descriptions, and meta tags draws Google’s attention, which then ranks your content pages higher in search results, leading more buyers to your site and creating more opportunities to convert their visits to sales.
2. Ensure seamless integration between eCommerce and your ERP
Deep system connectivity is the only way to build a 360-degree view of your customers, your business, and all the transactions in between. The backbone of any enterprise is its ERP system, which manages every aspect of a business – from inventory management and order processing to customer relationship management and finance. System connectivity with your ERP ensures your applications work in concert to better support your business, serve your customers, and improve your operational efficiency. Your eCommerce platform is no exception. If you want to deliver an eCommerce experience your customers can trust, ERP integration with your eCommerce platform is paramount.
Deep connectivity between your eCommerce site and ERP ensures consistent and accurate data across your systems, which supports an omnichannel experience for customers. This means when a customer logs onto your website or accesses your mobile app, they’ll see current contracted pricing and availability displayed for your items. Your customer account portal will give them access to up-to-date information like their purchase history, order status, and account balance. None of these self-service options and product details would be available without a seamless ERP and eCommerce integration.
3. Create more personalized experiences
One of the top goals of wholesale distributors today is to better serve their customers. Customer service is an important differentiator that can give small to medium-sized businesses a competitive edge over online giants like Amazon Business and Alibaba. One way to better serve customers is by providing a more personalized experience, particularly online. An eCommerce site enables B2B organizations to attract new customers, build deeper relationships with current customers, boost their brand recognition and, ultimately, their revenue.
According to a recent survey by Adobe and Digital Commerce 360, 63% of B2B executives say they are investing in new site features around personalization and customization. Furthermore, two-thirds of B2B sellers say they are successfully driving online conversions with features like tailored site search results, customer-specific promotions, product recommendations, and suggested cross-sell solutions. Web analytics tools enable businesses to track customer behaviors and preferences in order to provide more relevant, personalized products and experiences to make their path to purchase easier.
4. Expand your shipping and delivery options
Be sure your value-added services include multiple shipping and delivery options for customers. COVID forced many businesses to provide alternate shopping and delivery options in order to continue serving customers. Those who implemented an eCommerce site with convenient curbside pickup and delivery options prevailed while those without an online channel struggled to stay afloat.
Now that alternative shipping and delivery services are a buyer expectation, meet their needs by allowing customers to order products online and pick them up at one of your nearby branches or have their order delivered directly to them. Implement mobile messaging to send digital alerts to customers that confirm order receipt, shipment, and delivery, and consider offering premium delivery services for those in need of product fast.
5. Empower your sales staff with tools and resources right at their fingertips
Help your teams work smarter, not harder, by providing essential tools to answer customer questions, build quotes, and configure solutions for their complex needs. Your eCommerce platform can become a great resource for both sales and customer service members. It’s there they can quickly find detailed product information, access spec sheets and product manuals, and confirm pricing and availability. They’ll also find valuable insight about their customers, like their buying behaviors, ordering cadence, and page visits, so they can gain a deeper understanding of their needs, discover potential missed opportunities, and provide better solutions. Check out our blog post, 5 Ways eCommerce Benefits Your Sales Team, to learn more.
Your employees can also help streamline the sales process and serve customers with supplemental tools such as a vendor-managed inventory tool with sales rep feature, which allows your sales reps to log in as their customer and manage their inventory for them, if desired. There’s also a product selection and presentation tool that enables users to build everything from line-item quotes and specialized product catalogs to professional project submittals in minutes.
6. Add social media as a sales channel
Perhaps most cost-effective and least time-consuming way to boost your business is by turning your social media channels into supplemental sales channels. Social media platforms like YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook are where B2B buyers spend a lot of their time, so make your social pages a place they want to visit and engage with you. According to a Wpromote/Ascend2 report, half of B2B marketers say social media is their top revenue-driving channel because that’s where their customers are.
When used in conjunction with your eCommerce site, your social media channels can help you increase engagement and brand awareness, generate more leads, learn more about your customers, create an alternate channel for customer service questions, and improve your search engine rankings by linking content back to your website. Not sure how to get started? Check out How B2B Companies Can Leverage Social Media Marketing for a seven-step plan to make your company a social media influencer.
Get Started on Your Resolutions Today!
Having so many resolutions can seem overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. All of these goals can be achieved with the help of a connected product content and commerce solution from Unilog called the CX1 Platform. Our connected suite of products and services combines a flexible eCommerce solution, unmatched product content, dynamic information management, and the system connectivity you need to create memorable customer experiences and grow your business. Built with your business and industry in mind, our CX1 Platform offers the versatility and features that fit your needs today while providing a platform for your growth into the future. We want to help your business develop and grow in 2024, so contact us today to get started!