The COVID-19 pandemic saw a sharp increase in internet usage all around the country; in places, the increase was up to 100 percent. Since then, eCommerce sites have led the world in b2b sales.
However, this also means that there are more eCommerce businesses out there than ever. More competition means you need to step up your knowledge of commerce trends and hone in your eCommerce strategy.
If you run an eCommerce B2B company, it’s time to increase sales to solidify your place in the 2020s. This article will walk you through five tips that you can use to increase your B2B sales in the coming decade.
1. Go Mobile
Over the past three years, an increased number of B2B shoppers use mobile shopping. This, combined with the general uptick in internet usage and eCommerce, can only mean that investing in mobile content is a great investment.
One of the simplest ways you can do this is to specifically design a mobile version of your website. Though searching on mobile phones is just as popular as searching on a desktop, the screen size on both mediums is different.
If you don’t design a mobile version of your website, your clients will have an annoying experience. You’ll lose customers who would rather deal with a business that cares about customers — no matter which device they use.
Check out this article on B2B e-commerce trends to help you grow your business. It will further explain why mobile content is important to growing your site.
2. Research
Whether you’re putting out new ads or calling your clients directly, you can always benefit from doing more research. The surge of people on the internet is causing communities to get more specific than ever.
On top of demographics, you can also learn a lot about your leads. Learn how long of a delivery time they have to work with, what sort of customers they deal with, and what their values are as a company.
Some of the best businesses out there operate not just on sales principles but on integrity. Figure out the values of the business you’re marketing to, and you can connect on something beyond their monetary value.
When you research, you allow yourself to personalize. This is important now that a new generation of people are getting involved in the world of b2b.
Most businesses need to hone in on a specific demographic and connect with their niche. However, a great b2b business is a chameleon, fitting in with whichever business they need to market to.
3. Get On Board With New Payment Options
Another result of the online surge of 2020 is an increase in the popularity of real-time payment options. Businesses that rely on cash and checks are now becoming things of the past. If you want to communicate to your customers that you care about modernization and saving time, you should provide as many payment options as possible.
Credit cards are still the most popular form of payment in America. However, digital payments are now the second most popular. It helps that many businesses didn’t accept cash during the worst of the COVID pandemic.
Get involved with PayPal, Cybersource, Google Pay, and Apple Pay, and you’re far more likely to be a business that people want to work with. Heck, even Venmo is taking steps to become a serious option for businesses.
We’re not quite there in society yet, but cryptocurrencies are becoming more and more popular, and bitcoin ATMs pop up around the world; paying people in bitcoin is becoming more of a reality. Keep your eyes on cryptocurrency news to see if this is an option for you.
4. Loyalty Programs
Not all of your innovations in the world of b2b marketing need to be based on the internet, however. Businesses have been offering their customers loyalty programs for years to great success.
At the end of the day, 65 percent of a companies business comes from the same customers. Loyalty programs operate on a simple principle — it’s okay to lose money on certain transactions with a customer if you can keep that customer coming back.
On top of this, building loyal customers will help you develop the branding of your business. If you leave these customers satisfied every time, they’re likely to start talking to their friends and contacts about you.
Since branding is less a matter of image and advertising and more a matter of how the public perceives you, a great loyalty program is one of the best things you can do to increase a brand image.
5. Use SEO
No matter what industry you’re in, SEO is crucial to businesses in the internet age.
Just like loyalty programs, SEO is a great way to passively advertise. Rather than increasing your brand, however, SEO is more about putting yourself in the way of success. Better than any sort of digital advertising is helping people to land right on your page.
Finding the right keywords to use is crucial in any SEO strategy. However, never forget the importance of a great website. The more time people spend on your site, the better your SEO will do.
Understand These B2B Sales Tips
The world of B2B sales in eCommerce has only increased since the covid 19 pandemic. Make sure you optimize your site for mobile, research your customers, get on board with contemporary payment options, make use of loyalty programs, and optimize your SEO. You’re far more likely to succeed.
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