Manufacturers in the modern selling market are finding themselves at an intriguing crossroads: consumerized buyers are flooding online sales channels, meaning there are more potential sales opportunities than ever before. But, with the increase in buyer volume comes an increase in buyer expectations.
To stay competitive and earn the patronage of these discerning buyers, manufacturers need to be intentional about both the eCommerce experience they provide and a tech stack that can support top-to-bottom operations.
It may seem like a lot to take on, but the reality is that there are three simple prescriptions manufacturers can follow to supercharge eCommerce and stay in buyers’ favor: embracing personalization and customization options, optimizing sales for an omnichannel market, and leveraging automation to take pressure off buyers and administrators in equal measure.
1. Embrace Personalization
Personalization in sales doesn’t just refer to a buyer’s ability to modify a given product to their specifications, but also to the process of recommending and displaying just-right products throughout the shop based on their needs and preferences.
When it comes to eCommerce sales, personalization is that much more important, as buyers can’t benefit from the in-person guidance of a sales representative or floor associate.
Guided selling modules can gather input from shoppers to create a base path for them to follow through your website, making sure they’re aware of and exposed to products that will satisfy their overall needs.
Machine learning algorithms can analyze a customer's previous purchases, if applicable, as well as browsing history, and make recommendations based on that unique behavior. For example, if a customer frequently purchases a specific type of product, the system can recommend similar items or highlight new additions to that category.
Another way to personalize the shopping experience is by offering dynamic pricing based on a customer's previous order history or current cart selection. By analyzing a customer's purchase history and identifying their buying patterns, manufacturers can offer custom pricing or discounts.
If certain products are placed into the cart, personalized bundle options can also be presented before the final checkout.
By offering personalized experiences to customers, you can build stronger relationships with buyers and increase their likelihood of making repeat purchases.
2. Optimize Omnichannel Operations
A well-architected omnichannel approach to sales is important because it allows you to provide a consistent and seamless experience for customers across all touchpoints, online or offline. With an omnichannel approach, customers can interact with a brand on their preferred channel and still receive a consistent experience, regardless of where they are in their buyer journey.
If your retail website feels like an afterthought to your traditional sales channels, buyers are automatically going to enter the eCommerce experience with low confidence. Creating a welcoming, brand-consistent environment with interactive features makes the experience that much more rewarding for buyers.
Providing real-time inventory and delivery information through your website is crucial to ensure that customers know exactly what their order will be and when it will arrive. This can be achieved by integrating your inventory management system with your eCommerce platform, keeping all product data in a consolidated and accessible place and deploying updates with lightning speed.
You can also get ahead of common questions or obstacles by incorporating clickable icons that answer FAQs, provide in-depth selection explanations, display ratings and reviews, or otherwise add value to the shop.
3. Leverage Automation
Automating eCommerce processes can help streamline operations and increase efficiency, saving internal time and resources manufacturers can re-invest into further eCommerce and product development.
From solution recommendation to inventory management and order fulfillment, identifying where your tech stack can and should be providing more lift helps you determine where you can start with automation.
Reducing the amount of manual processing required to facilitate a sale alleviates pressure on buyers to research and pick solutions with the skill of a trained professional, and keeps internal back-end talent free from grueling manual upkeep.
Use Case Scenario
Let's take a look into the case of a B2B manufacturer that specializes in industrial equipment such as compressors, pumps, and valves, and their journey through an eCommerce update.
When they first started to explore online sales, their website had a standard layout with a basic product catalog, and no personalization or automation features. Customers could only place orders via phone or email, and mobile formatting was not considered when launching.
Not satisfied with the amount of revenue coming in, the manufacturer was able to significantly improve their eCommerce environment by embracing personalization, optimizing for omnichannel, and leveraging automation.
They incorporated a commerce logic engine with guided selling that recommended products based on customer input, location, browsing and purchasing history. They no longer asked buyers to manually review pages of catalog-style entries, and started collecting data related to successful purchases.
To optimize their omnichannel presence, the manufacturer added a mobile-responsive design to their website and integrated their eCommerce platform with their social media pages and other online channels. They also began using targeted email campaigns to promote new products and provide discounts to returning customers, and instructed phone line representatives to mention the updated website before closing out any calls with legacy customers.
Finally, the manufacturer incorporated automation features into their eCommerce platform, such as automatic order processing and tracking. Rule reusability on the back-end meant quicker response times when generating quotes and cart displays, saving buyers valuable time and increasing confidence in the retailer themselves.
As a result of these changes, the manufacturer saw a significant increase in website traffic, customer engagement, and sales revenue. They were able to provide a more personalized and streamlined online shopping experience for their customers, leading to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty.
In today's fast-paced, digital world, B2B manufacturers need to prioritize modernizing their eCommerce approach to stay competitive and meet the evolving needs of consumerized buyers. By embracing personalization, optimizing their omnichannel approach, and leveraging automation, B2B manufacturers can provide a seamless, personalized, and efficient eCommerce experience that meets modern demands.
Download The State of B2B eCommerce for Manufacturers
If you’re looking to better understand the reality of eCommerce for B2B manufacturers and how the Logik.io commerce logic engine can help you kickstart a new era of sales for you, head to our resource library to download your free copy of The State of B2B eCommerce for Manufacturers, with exclusive data from a survey of 250 manufacturing websites.
