Real-time personalization still presents challenges for many brands, even though the majority of customers expect customized products to be a part of a brand’s offerings. The problem isn’t just the logistics of personalization, but having the right tools to solve the challenges presented by personalized product offerings.
KBMax’s Strategic Account Director, Kris Goldhair, sat down with Kristina Knight of BizReports to talk about evolving customer expectations in the B2B eCommerce space.
Goldhair shares, “Overall, B2B for ecommerce is in its infancy for many manufacturing companies. You go to a B2B commerce website and it looks like you are paging through a paper catalog. It looks old and dated, and there aren’t a lot of visuals. It doesn’t feel like the modern experience that buyers desire, such as shopping on Amazon. In general, sellers want to make those B2B buying experiences and customer journeys feel more B2C. Customers want the ability to do research, shop around, and view images of a product all in one place online. Shoppers can really explore and get to know the product well without having to go through a typical B2B sales process. That’s happening somewhat on a macro-level, but there are still miles to go for most B2B businesses.”
B2B businesses can hope to meet and exceed customer expectations by embracing the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR). 4IR comes with a host of new technologies and an increased emphasis on a modern customer journey that is achieved through dissolved internal silos and a simplified sales and manufacturing process. Embracing next-gen business-to-business eCommerce tools with these goals in mind will lead to increased customer satisfaction and business growth.
B2B sellers aren’t doing it all wrong; many have started to embrace B2B ecommerce, which is a big step in the right direction. For more advice on improving B2B ecommerce through visualization and streamlined processes, read Kris Goldhair’s interview with BizReport.
