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5 signs your B2B ecommerce website needs an upgrade

5 signs your B2B ecommerce website needs an upgrade

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In the competitive world of wholesale distribution, having a functional B2B ecommerce website is no longer enough. Today’s B2B customers expect the same seamless, efficient, customized experiences they get in the B2C world. Did you know that 64% of B2B buyers are millennials or Generation Z, tech-savvy professionals used to Amazon-like shopping experiences? A well-maintained, user-friendly, and intuitive B2B ecommerce website can help wholesale distributors streamline operations, boost sales, and enhance customer satisfaction. However, as technology advances, it’s easy for a B2B ecommerce website to become outdated. An outdated platform can hold your business back, making it challenging to meet evolving customer expectations and industry standards.

So, how can you tell when to invest in an upgrade? Here are five signs that your B2B ecommerce website might be due for a revamp.

1. Outdated user experience and interface design

a) Poor navigation and clunky interface

A user-friendly interface is the cornerstone of any successful ecommerce website. If customers struggle to find products, view details, or navigate the checkout process, they’re likely to abandon their purchase. In the B2B realm, where buyers often need to make quick, bulk purchases, a complex or poorly structured website can lead to frustration, lost sales, and, ultimately, a damaged reputation.

Modern navigation elements for B2B ecommerce websites

  • Categories and collections: Simplify navigation by grouping products into categories and collections to simplify product discovery. 
  • Advanced search and filtering: Implement a search function that auto-completes queries and suggests products based on popular searches and past user behavior. Implement dynamic filters that allow users to browse products easily by categories, price ranges, and other factors.
  • Product variants: B2B product lines are much more complex than B2C. It is essential to showcase variants efficiently to provide customers with a seamless experience

b) Lack of mobile optimization

According to recent studies, over 70% of B2B buyers use mobile devices to research products and services during their purchasing journey. Moreover, nearly 50% of B2B inquiries now originate from mobile devices. If your B2B ecommerce website isn’t mobile-optimized, you’re missing out on a significant portion of your audience. A mobile-responsive design ensures your site adjusts to different screen sizes, providing a consistent user experience across all devices. Without this, buyers on mobile will likely struggle with distorted layouts, slow load times, and an awkward checkout process, leading to abandoned carts.

Action step: Upgrade your website to include a responsive design with mobile-optimized layouts, modern navigation features, and enhanced functionality to meet the demands of today’s mobile-first world.

2. Limited customization and personalization options

a) No account-specific pricing or custom catalogs

Wholesale distributors often serve a wide range of customers, each with unique needs, pricing, and product preferences. If your website lacks the ability to offer customer-specific catalogs or price lists, you’re missing out on an opportunity to enhance customer relationships and improve sales. Buyers expect a personalized experience that reflects their negotiated terms and preferred products. There are specific B2B ecommerce website features that can address these issues. 

Solutions for customization:

  • Customer-specific pricing: Allow different customer segments (such as retailers, designers, etc.) to view customized pricing based on their agreements. This 
  • Customer-specific catalogs: Restrict access to specific product categories based on customer account settings, ensuring that each buyer sees only relevant products.
  • Volume-based discounts: Offer dynamic discounts based on order volume tailored to individual customer accounts

b)  Absence of personalized product recommendations

B2B buyers, like B2C customers, have started to expect personalized product recommendations. This enhances the shopping experience and increases the likelihood of upselling and cross-selling, driving higher average order values and fostering customer loyalty.

Key B2B ecommerce website features you should consider:

    • AI-driven product suggestions: Leverage artificial intelligence to analyze purchase history and buying patterns and recommend products tailored to individual customer preferences.
    • Abandoned carts: Use behavior-based triggers, like abandoned cart reminders or follow-up emails after a purchase, to re-engage customers and drive repeat sales.
  • Lead scoring: Use AI to gain insights into which customers are most likely to purchase and proactively reach out to them with recommendations based on previously purchased items, personalized recommendations, and so on.

Action step: Invest in a platform that offers robust customization and personalization capabilities. This will enable you to provide a tailored shopping experience that meets each customer’s unique needs.

3. Lack of real-time information for customers

a) No visibility of real-time inventory

Inventory transparency is crucial for wholesale distributors. Customers want to know which items are available and when they can expect their delivery. If your B2B ecommerce website doesn’t offer real-time inventory visibility, it can lead to stockouts, backorders, and customer dissatisfaction. Modern B2B ecommerce platforms can integrate with your inventory management system, providing real-time updates on stock levels and order status.

Key B2B ecommerce website features for real-time inventory

    • Inventory integration: Sync your B2B ecommerce platform with your warehouse or inventory management system to ensure accurate stock levels.
  • Detailed breakdown: The best way to achieve complete stock transparency is to have a detailed view of inventory with line items available, in stock, reserved, back ordered, in transit, and on order.
  • Low stock alerts: Set alerts for low stock, allowing for timely reordering to prevent stockouts.

b) Lack of self-service tools for customers

Empowering your customers with easy access to crucial data like previous orders, order statuses, and invoices can significantly enhance their experience while reducing the burden on your sales reps and customer service teams.

Self-service features for B2B ecommerce websites

  • Order history: Give your customers visibility of their previous orders, order source (B2B ecommerce website, ERP, sales rep app, etc.), and past invoices right on the website.
  • Order status and shipment tracking: Save customer service hours by offering real-time updates on order statuses and shipment tracking links directly through the B2B ecommerce website. Buyers can independently track the progress of their shipments without having to rely on phone calls or emails.
  • Automated notifications: Set up automated email alerts to notify customers at key stages—such as when an order is placed, shipped, or delivered. Sending timely updates on invoices, payment reminders, and order fulfillment keeps buyers informed and helps you maintain a proactive communication approach.

Action step: Upgrade to a B2B ecommerce platform that integrates with your existing inventory management systems and has customer self-service functionalities, providing real-time visibility and enhancing customer experience.

4. Limited integration capabilities with other systems

a)  Struggle with data silos

In wholesale distribution, your B2B ecommerce website is just one piece of a larger operational puzzle. If it doesn’t integrate seamlessly with your ERP, accounting software, inventory management systems, and other essential systems, you’re likely dealing with data silos, inefficiencies, and missed opportunities. When systems don’t communicate, you end up with disconnected data sets that require manual reconciliation, leading to errors and wasted time. A lack of integration also makes it difficult to gain a holistic view of your business, limiting your ability to make informed decisions.

Key integration benefits

  • Streamlined data flow: Integrating your B2B ecommerce website with ERP, inventory management tools, and accounting systems ensures that customer information, order data, and inventory levels are automatically updated across all platforms.
  • Enhanced reporting: With integrated systems, you can easily access comprehensive reports that provide insights into customer behavior, sales trends, and operational performance.
  • Improved customer service: Access to real-time customer data allows your sales and support teams to provide faster, more accurate responses, enhancing the customer experience.

b) Difficulty scaling with business growth

As your business expands, your B2B ecommerce platform should be able to scale with you. If adding new integrations requires significant time, effort, or cost, it may be time to upgrade to a more flexible solution. Modern platforms offer API-first architectures, making it easy to connect with a wide range of systems and add new integrations as needed.

Scalability features to look for

  • API availability: Choose a platform that provides robust APIs, allowing you to integrate with other software systems and third-party apps.
  • Modular design: A modular B2B ecommerce platform enables you to add or remove features as your business needs change, offering greater flexibility.

Action Step: Upgrade to a B2B ecommerce platform that offers seamless integration capabilities, enabling you to break down data silos, improve efficiency, and support your long-term growth strategy.

5) Inconsistent omnichannel experience

In today’s B2B landscape, buyers expect a seamless, unified experience across multiple channels, whether browsing your B2B ecommerce website or speaking with a sales rep. If your B2B ecommerce platform can’t support an integrated omnichannel experience, you may lose out on potential sales, creating frustration for customers who engage with your business through various touchpoints.

B2B ecommerce website features for an omnichannel experience

  • Consistent customer experience: Whether a customer is shopping on your B2B ecommerce website or interacting with a sales rep, they should have the same access to pricing, product catalogs, and order history. A consistent experience ensures that buyers can easily transition between channels without repeating information or starting over.
  • Unified data across channels: Centralize customer data to make interactions, preferences, and purchase histories available across all channels. This not only enhances the customer experience but also equips your team with a 360-degree view of each account, allowing for personalized interactions and more effective upselling.
  • Multi-channel order management: Ensure that orders placed via any channel—be it online, in person, or over the phone—are synced into one system for streamlined processing and fulfillment.

Action step: Upgrade to a platform that supports omnichannel capabilities, offering a consistent, connected experience for customers across all channels and touchpoints, boosting customer satisfaction, and increasing sales opportunities.

Is it time to upgrade?

An outdated B2B ecommerce website can hamper your ability to compete, meet customer expectations, and operate efficiently. If your website shows any of these signs—a poor user experience, lack of personalization, inefficient order management, limited integration, or a fragmented omnichannel experience—it’s time to consider an upgrade.

Investing in a modern, scalable B2B ecommerce platform will transform the way you do business. You’ll improve operational efficiency, empower your customers with self-service options, and ensure a seamless, consistent buying experience across all channels. More importantly, upgrading your platform positions your company for long-term success by keeping you competitive in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

Don’t let your B2B ecommerce platform hold you back: Upgrade to the best in business

Check out the website we made for Antique Curiosities

WizCommerce’s B2B ecommerce platform, WizShop, comes equipped with all the functionalities tailored to meet the requirements of modern B2B operations. Let’s break these down for you:

1. Tailored for B2B business dynamics

WizShop is meticulously crafted to cater exclusively to the demands of B2B operations. Unlike generic B2B ecommerce platforms, every aspect of WizShopl is designed with the unique workflows and requirements of wholesale distribution in mind.

a) Customizable price lists

WizShop allows you to assign specific price lists to individual customers or customer groups. With this functionality, each customer group only sees the price list applicable to them.

b) Personalized buying experience

Harnessing the power of AI, WizShop delivers a personalized buying journey for each customer. Through AI-based recommendations, buyers get tailored product suggestions, enhancing customer engagement and driving conversions.

c) Downloadable product presentations

In B2B workflows, buyers may need to download product presentations to have internal discussions or keep records. They might also need to send product presentations to end buyers, let them download their orders/ product data in an Excel format, and more. All this and more can be done easily with WizShop.

d) Comprehensive information access

Wizshop puts all essential information at the buyers’ fingertips —from order history and invoices to real-time shipping status updates. Your B2B customers have access to comprehensive data, empowering informed decision-making and fostering trust and transparency in transactions. Moreover, it eliminates the need for sales intervention for manual updates and queries.

e) Showcase products without login

Antique Curiosities struggled with a login-only website and could not showcase products without revealing pricing—a significant barrier. With WizCommerce, they can securely display their full product line without the need for customer logins.

2. Unified experience across channels

a) Seamless data flow

Customer data, order data (across all sales channels), and product/inventory data flow between ERP and WizShop so sales reps can access this information in one place.

b) Intelligent sales rep insights

Your sales representatives can monitor customer browsing activities and abandoned carts on the B2B ecommerce website in real time. With this information, reps can proactively follow up with customers, nurture leads, and close deals faster, driving revenue growth and enhancing customer experience.

c) Enhanced buyer visibility

With an integrated data ecosystem, your B2B customers can access relevant information about their orders and real-time shipping updates, regardless of how or where the order was placed.

3. AI-enabled product recommendations

You can recommend frequently bought together products based on a buyer’s previous purchase history, maximizing cross-selling opportunities and enhancing the overall shopping experience. Moreover, when a desired product is out of stock, our AI-based recommendation engine intelligently suggests similar products so you never lose a sale and ensure customer satisfaction and retention.

4. Flexible checkout flows

With customizable checkout flows, WizShop accommodates the diverse needs of B2B buyers. From adding notes and scheduling deliveries to incorporating new shipping addresses, customers can tailor their checkout experience to suit their specific requirements. Additionally, businesses can charge customers upfront or later through various payment methods like card-on-file or a payment link. Plus, you can offer customized net terms to accommodate customer preferences. 

5. Streamlined account management

WizShop simplifies the process of account management with customized sign-up forms and easy approval workflows. Whether adding new accounts or managing existing ones, businesses can streamline operations and enhance efficiency, enabling seamless growth and scalability.


What next?

Don’t wait until your outdated technology starts costing you customers. A proactive upgrade will not only improve customer satisfaction and loyalty but also open up new opportunities for growth, efficiency, and profitability. It’s time to take your B2B ecommerce platform to the next level—your business (and customers) will thank you for it!

Interested in exploring WizShop? Book a demo now!

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