Common problems in B2B eCommerce you can already solve

I’ve spent a lot of time lately researching the most common B2B eCommerce pain points, and it got me thinking about you, my delightful customers. My internet trawling highlighted several features that got repeated mentions…  and I’m happy to report that you can already implement all of them!

With this in mind, I thought I’d give you a digest of what the internet claims are the big ticket items for B2B, and arm you with a quick reference guide to help on-board some of those eCommerce laggards. Feel free to quote/paraphrase/adapt to your heart’s content!

Let’s hear from your example B2B customer, and show them that your website can meet their needs:

I like calling my rep because they know my pricing.

                The web does too! Yup, even those special contract rates. It also knows your quantity breaks. And your prior purchases (just in case, for example, you forgot which size bin liner you bought last time). As a bonus, the web is never busy. So whether it’s 2pm on a Monday, or 10pm on a Saturday, it’s ready. Which means you can spend more time talking growth strategies with your rep and less time clarifying details.

My purchasing officer needs to run orders by me before they’re placed.

                Order approvals is absolutely possible! In fact, you can do them three different ways depending on your needs:

1. Approval By User
   • A very simple 1-to-1 relationship. User A's orders are approved by User B if they exceed User A's dollar limit.
2. Approval By User and Account
   • The most widely-used mode. User A's orders can be approved by any user on the same account who has the required Approval Limit for that order. 
3. Advanced Approval By User and Account
   • For organisations with complex approval hierarchies and approval groups. Offers advanced options for multi-person approval.

My purchasing officer shouldn’t see financial information unrelated to the immediate purchase.

                No problems. It’s easy to set up specific roles for users so the experience is tailored and certain functionality (like the ability to see the balance outstanding) is not available to all team members.

I make purchases across multiple accounts.

                Done and done. Simply select the account you want to order against when you login and away you go! Any account specific pricing or contract items will show up for you straight away.

Sometimes I need a quote rather than to place an order. 

No worries at all! That’s also possible on the website. So whether you’re looking at your next order or need a quote on a bulk purchase, the web can do the leg work for you so your reps know exactly what you need the second they walk in the door.

What are the common requests your customers cite (that they may not be aware the web can handle)? Are your customers already across everything our example customer mentioned? Let me know!