B2B companies everywhere are continuing to see staggering growth in eCommerce as not just another viable sales channel, but as a strategic imperative to meet modern buyer expectations and boost revenues in the digital era. But as we know, B2B companies are all at different stages of maturity with their eCommerce. Companies generally fall into one of four levels of the New B2B eCommerce Maturity Model: Basic, Intermediate, Advanced, or Customer-Centric.
This four-part blog series explores each level and provides guidance on how to leap ahead with your eCommerce. This is the first post in the series, which is focused on Level 2: Intermediate eCommerce.
Understanding Level 2: Intermediate eCommerce
The second stage in our B2B eCommerce maturity model is Level 2: Intermediate eCommerce. In this level, a company has enabled some self-service purchasing by making simple or easy-to-sell products and/or parts available for customers to buy online. But what exactly characterizes Level 2?
The Hallmarks of Intermediate eCommerce
In Level 2, a company has taken the important step of making some simple products and parts available for online purchase. However, for more complex, intricate, or customizable products, as well as re-orders or additional services, there is still a significant dependence on engaging with sales representatives or submitting a “request a quote” form.
While Level 2 brings self-service transactions to the eCommerce experience, buyers still require substantial product knowledge to navigate and, in some cases, complete their purchases. Although this level builds upon the groundwork laid in Level 1, the purchasing process may still feel cumbersome or disjointed for buyers because they can’t configure or self-serve for more complex products.
Key Attributes of Intermediate eCommerce
- There are some simple self-service transactions and purchasing options available.
- The experience is generally requires the buyer to know which products they are looking for.
- There are no product configuration options for buyers.
- There is a heavy reliance on sales representatives to complete complex purchases.
- The overall experience is focused more on enabling simple transactions than on full-scale eCommerce.
Leaping from Level 2 to Level 3
The advancement from Level 2: Intermediate eCommerce to Level 3: Advanced eCommerce involves a major leap in B2B eCommerce maturity. At Level 3, companies have moved from simple and transactional to offering a comprehensive catalog of products and services that can be configured and purchased online. But what does it take to make this leap?
A Comprehensive Digitized Catalog
Enabling full-scale eCommerce relies on the completion of a company’s digital catalog, so it’s critical to invest in the data and resources to make this leap. Of course, this can be a challenging process, especially for B2B companies with an extensive list of products, parts, and services, not to mention all the possible configurations of the underlying offerings.
Buyer-Friendly Configuration Capabilities
Level 3 will give your buyers the opportunity to self-serve the whole purchase process, including your most complex products. To get to the Advanced level of B2B eCommerce, you will need an advanced yet buyer-friendly configurator to power your full-catalog eCommerce experience.
A Deep Understanding of How Your Buyers Buy
Part of the leap to Level 3 requires a deep understanding of not only your full set of product data, but of how your customers buy (and want to buy) from your company. Advanced eCommerce is about more than products; your buyers may look to your digital channels to re-order, change subscriptions, sign service agreements, and manage the transactional elements of their relationship with your company.
To learn more about Logik.io’s B2B eCommerce Maturity Model and determine your current level and next leap, download our guide today.
Looking for Level 1? Read about Basic eCommerce here.
Looking for Level 3? Read about Advanced eCommerce here.
Looking for Level 4? Read about Customer-Centric eCommerce here.
