B2B Archives

Common B2B Mistakes, Part 3: Shopping Carts, Order Management

May 14, 2019 • Gagan Mehra

This post is the third in a series in which I address common mistakes of B2B ecommerce merchants. For this installment, I’ll discuss mistakes related to shopping carts, checkout, and order management.

Common B2B Mistakes, Part 2: User Management, Customer Service

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Common B2B Mistakes, Part 2: User Management, Customer Service

April 10, 2019 • Gagan Mehra

This post is the second in a series in which I address common mistakes of B2B ecommerce merchants. The first post addressed B2B mistakes in catalog management and pricing. For this installment, I’ll review mistakes related to user management and customer service.

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Essential Guide to Ecommerce Punchout

March 22, 2019 • Shawn Arnold

B2B ecommerce merchants that facilitate punchout make the purchasing process easier for their customers. In this article, I will share my experience with punchout, including what it is, how it works, and how B2B merchants can deploy it for success.

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Common B2B Mistakes, Part 1: Catalog Management, Pricing

March 10, 2019 • Gagan Mehra

This post is the first in a series in which I address common mistakes of B2B ecommerce merchants. For this installment, I'll review errors related to catalog management, pricing, and user experience.

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Amazon Business Is Winning. Here’s Why

March 7, 2019 • Lori McDonald

After only four years, Amazon Business hit $10 billion in sales in 2018. If you sell to companies, Amazon Business should get your attention. In this article, I will address what B2B sellers can learn from Amazon Business — and how Amazon Business impacts them.

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7 Digital Marketing Channels for Apparel Wholesalers

February 11, 2019 • Viktoria Kanevsky

Apparel wholesalers don't typically devote money and effort to online marketing. This is a huge mistake. Marketing online can expose those products to thousands of potential customers every day, worldwide.

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How to Optimize B2B Landing Pages for New Leads

January 24, 2019 • Shawn Arnold

B2B products and services are often complex. Closing the sale frequently takes time, with multiple interactions. Landing pages can capture leads and start the conversation. In this post, I'll address eight ways to generate the most leads from B2B landing pages.

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B2B Ecommerce Helps Sales Teams (and Customers)

January 9, 2019 • Lori McDonald

Many B2B executives believe that ecommerce cannot fit their business. But B2B companies that don’t embrace digital will lose opportunities. A digitally-savvy competitor could disrupt the market and cause large sales decreases for legacy companies, those that do not evolve.

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6 Ways to Improve Ecommerce Site Search

November 23, 2018 • Shawn Arnold

Site search is arguably the most important area when it comes to user experience. Buyers don’t have time to hunt for products. In this post, I'll offer a few practical action steps for improving site search on your ecommerce site — B2B and B2C.

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Skeptical about B2B Ecommerce? Try a Proof of Concept

October 25, 2018 • Lori McDonald

Your B2B company leadership is skeptical about changing business and sales methods. How can you make a case for ecommerce? A proof of concept is a good way to test the digital commerce waters, to learn. Ideally, the project can be completed quickly and has a quick return on investment.

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A Simple Method for Tracking B2B Ecommerce Performance

September 21, 2018 • Shawn Arnold

Measuring B2B ecommerce performance should be straightforward. Too often, however, measuring means having a complex strategy with confusing key performance indicators aimed at presenting data just for its appearance. In this ...

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B2B Ecommerce: Managing Product Data Sheets

September 12, 2018 • Lori McDonald

B2B merchants know that producing product literature can be a lot of work. Examples include specification sheets and safety data sheets. Both take time to create and keep current. In this post, I'll address how to streamline the process.

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5 Tips for Merging B2B Customer Data into B2C

September 11, 2018 • Anna Kayfitz

How can a merchant add B2B info to an established B2C database? Mapping all of the data and its use is the first step. Beyond that, follow these five tips for a smooth addition.

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4 Expectations of B2B Ecommerce Customers

July 26, 2018 • Shawn Arnold

It’s easy to fall into the trap of assuming that a compelling B2C experience will be sufficient for B2B users. For me, it took sitting face-to-face with 50 B2B customers and learning what really matters to them. In this post, I'll share what I discovered.

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3 Reasons Why B2B Ecommerce Projects Fail

July 16, 2018 • Lori McDonald

Business-to-business ecommerce projects range from changing an entire platform to adding features and improvements to the current one. Unfortunately, failed B2B ecommerce projects are common. In this post, I'll address three reasons for the failures and how to avoid them.

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8 Approaches to B2B Dealer Locators

June 7, 2018 • Lori McDonald

Business-to-business companies frequently sell products through dealers. But it’s not always obvious to would-be customers how to locate a dealer, to inquire. In this post, I’ll review eight examples of ...

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Does WooCommerce Fit B2B Companies?

April 24, 2018 • Lori McDonald

WooCommerce is among the fastest growing platforms. We've addressed it many times. B2C merchants, especially, value WooCommerce's flexibility and plugin options. My expertise, however, is with B2B companies. In my experience, companies with meaningful B2B sales should not choose WooCommerce.

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6 Impressive B2B Ecommerce Sites

March 14, 2018 • Lori McDonald

Offering a compelling ecommerce experience to B2B buyers requires a process of continuous improvement. It can be helpful to examine other B2B ecommerce sites, to learn. Grainger and Amazon Business are often cited as leading examples. But there is also value in learning from smaller, innovative B2B companies. In this post, I'll address six impressive, independent B2B sites.

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Driving B2B Revenue through Personalization

February 5, 2018 • Lori McDonald

Shoppers want a personalized experience. It used to be that ecommerce sites offered what shoppers asked for. Now, thanks to personalization, ecommerce sites do that, and more. They know what shoppers want or need even before they ask. Personalization adds value. It builds a relationship.

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How to Set Ecommerce Goals for 2018

December 31, 2017 • Lori McDonald

Now is the time to set ecommerce performance goals for 2018. To do this, know where your business stands now. Be clear on past performance before you set goals for the new year. Create a spreadsheet with the key metrics to track for 2018. Fill in those metrics from 2017. You may even want to insert 2016 as well. This scorecard creates good visibility and accountability for you and your team.

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B2B: How Manufacturers with Distributors Use Ecommerce

November 24, 2017 • Lori McDonald

I often speak with manufacturers that want to sell their products online directly to retailers or even end users. But they have an established distribution channel that they don’t want ...

Using Ecommerce to Attract New B2B Customers

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Using Ecommerce to Attract B2B Customers

October 17, 2017 • Lori McDonald

B2B merchants often consider ecommerce as a tool for existing clients. Acquiring new customers is expected to happen through the sales team, not the Internet. The website becomes a way ...

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9 Critical Skills to Build a Robust B2B Ecommerce Site

September 5, 2017 • Lori McDonald

Building a B2B ecommerce site requires a breadth of skills. It’s important to look not just at people or roles, but the expertise to accomplish the job. In this post, I’ll ...

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3 Ways to Simplify B2B Ecommerce

August 3, 2017 • Lori McDonald

Business-to-business ecommerce can be complex. There are often restrictions on who can purchase products. Frequently buyers need assistance in finding the right item. But a key to success in B2B ecommerce ...

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Pros and Cons of Selling on Amazon Business

June 21, 2017 • Lori McDonald

Amazon Business, the B2B marketplace, has more than 45,000 active sellers and more than 10 million products with bulk purchase options or business discounts. Many B2B merchants aren’t sure whether ...

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5 Payment Options in B2B Ecommerce

May 8, 2017 • Lori McDonald

Many B2B merchants have avoided ecommerce because they believe their customers will not do business in that manner. Merchants often have concerns about payments, as B2B customers pay in different ...

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Tips for Migrating B2B Ecommerce Platforms

April 10, 2017 • Lori McDonald

I recently presented “How to Change Ecommerce Platforms,” an Essential Skills online seminar for Practical Ecommerce. I kept the content relatively general for all merchants — B2C and B2B. I didn’t ...

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How to Integrate B2B Ecommerce with ERP Systems

January 4, 2017 • Lori McDonald

Integrating a B2B company’s ecommerce site with internal systems can streamline operations and simplify customers’ buying experiences. Integrations offer significant benefits, but they are often difficult to get right. One of ...

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Strategic Planning for B2B Ecommerce

December 6, 2016 • Lori McDonald

With the end of 2016, many B2B companies are reviewing this year’s ecommerce performance and planning for next year. All too frequently, B2B ecommerce development is short sighted. Companies frequently ask,

Does B2B Ecommerce Eliminate a Sales Team?

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Does B2B Ecommerce Eliminate Sales Teams?

November 3, 2016 • Lori McDonald

The success of many business-to-business companies was built through a strong sales team. This causes B2B owners and managers to often resist ecommerce because they see it as competing with ...