When an online business begins to ramp up, they often run into limitations with their current online store. Although this is typical, it’s not something that has to be accepted. In fact, simply moving to a B2B Ecommerce platform that supports your growth is a competitive edge in itself.
Everyone wants to be the next Amazon, but Amazon is only easy to work with because we all have used it, so we’re familiar. Why not strive for modern, streamlined capabilities that make ordering easier for your buyers and easier to manage for your own team, without a massive getting to know you period?
Here are just a few features and capabilities that key decision-makers should look for in an Ecommerce solution in order to take their online store to the next level.
1. Consider Scalability
Your Ecommerce solution should conform to your business needs, not the other way around.
For any online store to reach its full potential, it’s foundation needs to be scalable. One of the most serious issues that a business may run into as it succeeds and grows is that its existing operations are simply not capable of accommodating a broader customer base without compromising quality or performance. The online store is no exception to this rule.
Companies need to ensure that every aspect of their online store – from the website itself to product tools to inventory tracking to payments systems to shipping capabilities – is made for growth. A standard, base-level online store won’t be able to offer this level of performance, but by upgrading to a platform that is specifically designed to be scalable, businesses can focus on growth.
When selecting a SaaS Ecommerce platform like Zoey, scalability is built in in part because the infrastructure is managed by the SaaS company. And when you buy a fully-fleshed out solution like Zoey, you also will have access to features that may not be critical today, but can support your business in the future.
Questions to ask yourself:
- Is my current solution made for businesses like mine?
- Am I spending more time setting up and managing my online store than growing my business?
- Are my products set up the way I want or the way my platform enables?
2. Leverage Self-Service Features
Even B2B buyers are increasingly seeking a simple way to place orders and reorders.
Historically the B2B space was a bit more handheld by salespeople. While buyers in some industries could order out of catalogs, via mail or fax, or over the phone, salespeople were directly involved in many purchases.
Self-service order portals and websites can unlock value by allowing your buyers to place orders unassisted for purchases that don’t require help. For your sales team, it frees them up to work on driving sales from leads that have gone quiet, or help new buyers get acclimated to your product lines.
The net result will be more sales, coming from a mix of assisted and self-service avenues, as long as you properly educate your buyers to the existence of a self-service ordering option, and how to use it.
Questions to ask yourself:
- How do my buyers order today?
- Are the products I sell something buyers can ultimately order on their own?
- Can I make purchasing more self-sufficient for a segment of my buyers?
3. Perform an Ecommerce SEO Audit
Look for ways to make your online store more SEO-friendly. It’s easier than you think.
Search engine optimization for Ecommerce is a critical factor for any company’s website today. Without a high-level focus on SEO, it’s unlikely for a business to appear near the top of Web searches, and such prominence is essential for gaining new potential customers.
There are simple, low hanging fruit changes you can make such as optimizing your titles, shortening your URLs, and getting more links to your site. These don’t have to be time consuming, but when kept up as a regular part of your site activities, can be highly beneficial in showing up more often in search results.
Questions to ask yourself:
- Does your platform have a reputation of having solid SEO tools?
- Is your checkout hosted under your domain or your Ecommerce providers?
- Is your website mobile friendly? This has a major impact on SEO.
4. Mobile
More and more customers shop on mobile devices. Don’t miss out on reaching them.
Another straightforward, but exceedingly important, aspect of an upgraded online store is the ability to cater to mobile shoppers. Mobile is quickly becoming the preferred method of online shopping for many buyers, B2B and B2C alike, and yet numerous companies’ online stores are not optimized for the mobile experience. As a result, tablet and smartphone users may run into awkward and confusing layouts that compromise their ability to explore the companies’ offerings and make purchases.
By upgrading to a mobile-friendly online store, businesses can not only prepare for the increasingly mobile-heavy future, but also gain a significant advantage over their less flexible competitors today.
Don’t forget about your salespeople as well – they’ll value having a mobile app to take orders and look up information wherever they may be working on a sale at the time.
Questions to ask yourself:
- How are my salespeople selling in the field today?
- What percentage of my buyers would appreciate ease of buying on their phone?
- Does my current site allow for mobile browsing of information or making purchases?
5. Deploy Custom Online Store Design
If you need a public website, making it stand out is increasingly important.
Finally, B2B businesses should consider the brand image they’re presenting to their existing and potential buyers. If you choose a self-service experience that’s open to the public, or build a full website with Ecommerce functionality, design is important.
It used to be in the B2B space that simple, structured (and dare we say it, boring) sites were acceptable. While you don’t necessarily need bleeding edge design, modern, appealing sites will certainly be appreciated by your buyers, who shop on sites like that as a consumer when they head home from work.
Zoey’s Visual Design Editor, for instance, offers a mix of modern elements but also a level of control over the design that can provide benefits without needing a developer.
Questions to ask yourself:
- Do I need my Ecommerce solution to be a fully public website?
- What sort of image would I like to present to prospective and existing buyers?
- Does my current solution allow me easy access to update design elements as needed?
Select Zoey as Your Next Ecommerce Solution
If the above ideas have got you thinking that it’s time to explore new alternatives, we encourage you to chat with us. Zoey’s helped businesses just like yours navigate improving online stores by moving to our Ecommerce solutions. Click the button below to request a call with our team:
