B2B wholesale platform choices have evolved quickly in recent years. New options have popped up, existing solutions have gotten better, and businesses like yours benefit the most.
However, not all options are created equal. SaaS solutions like Zoey have the benefit of being easier to manage and maintain. They can also save you money through both business process improvements and overall cost of ownership.
Here are ways modern B2B wholesale platforms can help you succeed through improved costs and reduced efforts:
- Reduced Labor Costs Per Sale
- Self-Service Sales
- Less Friction for Sales-Led Orders
- Reduced Printing/Mailing Costs
- Data Entry Overhead
- Manual Entry Into Order Systems
- Manual Copying of Data Among Systems
- Stop Maintaining Old/Outdated Systems
- Lower Total Cost of Ownership
Let’s review each of them and how they’ll help you.
Reduced Labor Costs Per Sale
We sometimes speak to potential customers who fear technology for their business. “It gets in the way! It hurts our salespeople!” are examples of excuses we’ve heard from inquiries we’ve spoken with over time.
The reality is quite the opposite. Modern solutions can strengthen your sales ability, by shifting the level of effort and ensuring salespeople can work on recruiting more new customers, not just servicing the ones you have.
Self Service Sales
One way this happens is through providing a self service option, like an order portal or website. Some buyers know what they need, and are happy to place orders themselves without being required to work through a salesperson. In fact, some are demanding this. Businesses who force their buyers to leverage a salesperson may be hurting themselves.
Aside from giving buyers what they want, this frees up your sales team. They can work on acquiring new buyers, or helping ones who are stuck. In a modern Ecommerce world they don’t need to handhold easy orders.
This even works for manufacturers. New data from Digital Commerce 360 confirms a healthy and growing Ecommerce base as a percentage of sales for B2B manufacturers.
Less Friction for Sales-Led Orders
A B2B wholesale platform doesn’t have to be in competition with your sales team either. It can be a tool to assist them. For example, Sales Quotes can let salespeople send a draft order to their buyers for approval and instantly convert them into a sale.
Salespeople can benefit from tech to help with order placement and management. Buyers can be assured that things look good before orders proceed.
Reduced Printing/Mailing Costs
Were you a business that was heavily reliant on catalog sales or regular mailers? A website and email list can provide a digital replacement that doesn’t require to spend money printing and mailing pieces to each existing and potential buyer.
So, your website or order portal can provide product information and allow for faceted searches for easier finding of products than a catalog. Meanwhile, your email list can allow for targeted marketing at a granularity printing simply doesn’t allow.
Data Entry Overhead
A core value derived from a B2B wholesale platform is the reduction in manual data entry. This works out in a couple of ways; both offer the benefit of less mistakes and time wasted around data entry.
Manual Entry Into Order Systems
Former ways of taking orders, like receiving phone calls, faxes or emails, or writing orders down on paper and processing them when back in the office, create unnecessary double work that a B2B wholesale platform resolves.
Between an order portal for your buyers and a mobile app for your sales team, everyone has an easy way to enter information directly into the system. This also helps with order accuracy, and ensures orders can be processed faster.
Manual Copying of Data Among Systems
More data entry mistakes and overhead can come from situations where your order system isn’t linked to other mission-critical business systems. This can be resolved through linking systems through integrations.
Whether APIs are used or existing pre-built integrations are leveraged, bridging systems further reduce data entry requirements. They also reduce data mistakes and speed up data flows.
Stop Maintaining Old/Outdated Systems
Some B2B businesses out there launched technology solutions earlier on. Many were custom-built, or shoehorned into less than adequate solutions. There’s no need to be reliant on them any longer.
Modern B2B Commerce options can roll out quickly, and offer a return on investment faster. Retiring old systems will save businesses money, and streamline the technology stack in the process.
Lower Total Cost of Ownership
A SaaS solution like Zoey costs less over time than homegrown solutions. We maintain hosting, software updates, bug fixes and new feature releases. You get the latest and greatest automatically, and pay one bill for the privilege.
Get Started with Zoey
Zoey has helped many businesses like yours migrate to a modern, fully-featured solution. Why sit on the sidelines? Contact us to see how we can help your business thrive:
