Like it or not, buying online continues to grow in popularity. Still not convinced you should be getting involved? Ben Jarvis, product manager at ECI Software Solutions, sets out the many benefits you might be missing out on
The convenience of shopping online continues to impact buying habits and, according to Insider Intelligence, this trend only looks set to continue. In fact, research published in February 2022 found that as the growth of online business continues to play a role in everyday B2B operations, B2B ecommerce site sales look set to reach nearly $1.77 trillion in 2022 – a 12 per cent increase on the previous year.
Across the office product industry businesses are quickly realising the importance of transforming their processes to incorporate ecommerce, accelerating their digital transformation and identifying new opportunities. Here’s how specialist technology can help make ecommerce easy.
Integrating departments
By integrating every aspect of the business within a single system, you can gain a far better understanding of each department and its processes. This is essential for those looking to succeed with their ecommerce offering; those reliant on disjointed systems will struggle to meet customer demand and there’s the potential that this could negatively impact a brand’s reputation over time.
Self-service
Self-service options are becoming increasingly popular and benefit both the business and the end-user. Not only can this technology provide customers with complete control over their order, when configured correctly, it can significantly streamline customer management from an operational point of view. From finding quotations, viewing order history and the option to amend order status, customers can access this information as and when required, rather than having to email or call and wait for an answer.
Dynamic websites
With a dynamic website you have the freedom to customise your website and can easily capitalise on seasonal trends. Having core products and deals clearly displayed on your website is also key to driving a higher volume of sales.
Promotional features embedded within your website offer more opportunities for your business to increase revenue through up-selling and cross-selling. It’s easy for a customer to navigate a site with blinkered vision, looking for a very specific product or brand; by making new product lines or deals obvious on the home page, or displayed when a customer reviews their basket, you are more likely to win additional, unplanned sales.
Implementing a solution such as ECI EasyOrder can make your website stand out by offering multiple services – such as buy one get one free, mix and match, and loyalty points. Not only do these services provide more options for your customers to choose from, they can also help to develop brand loyalty.
Improved insight
Being able to have a deeper insight into analytics and reporting makes it easier to forecast buying trends. Whether this is tracking shopping basket abandonment, or monitoring site traffic, these features can help with decision-making and planning next steps.
With rising costs and increased competition, implementing a solution that can help manage every aspect of the business will make it easier to spot opportunities for growth as time will be given back to focus on key tasks. From reducing operational costs to simplifying processes, with a fully-integrated solution your business will soon start to notice the benefits.
To find out more about ECI EasyOrder and how it can help your business, visit our website.
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