Why B2B Procurement is Easier Because of Tech
B2B procurement used to be hard. Complex systems often left even market leaders hard for new customers to find. Some buyers parted with cash to gain access to supplier lists or were forced to shell out for paid membership to wholesale clubs. Restrictive practices that held B2B brands back are now, thankfully, rare - and it is all because of advancing technology. After all, today’s buyers want instant access to the information - and products - they are looking for.
With the right ecommerce tools, B2B brands traditionally left in the shade by retailers can compete on an unprecedented scale. They can market their products in the same way as B2C businesses and attract and retain buyers like never before. The success of B2B ecommerce has encouraged some to go one step further and develop a B2C offer. But that doesn’t mean to say wholesalers or manufacturers have to put everything in the public domain. Tech can keep commercially sensitive information hidden behind gated website pages. So, tech is a win-win.
A new era in B2B procurement
Product visibility has had a major part to play in the evolution of B2B procurement. So too has changing attitudes. Dani Attard, Commercial Director of B2B ecommerce platform developer Comgem, says: “The modern buyer isn’t going to join a membership club to get access to a supplier or distributor. They are going to go online. If a B2B brand isn’t in the ecommerce space, they are very unlikely to survive. Online is where B2B procurement is.”
Amazon made its B2B procurement platform available to UK businesses in 2017. Since then, it has added another revenue stream to the B2B landscape. It has made multi-channel selling part of every-day life for businesses who no longer restrict themselves to a limited audience. Currently, B2B brands are cashing in on the explosion of mobile sales - making mobile optmisation the number one goal for most ecommerce websites in 2019.
Advanced B2B procurement
Savvy brands are taking B2B procurement to the next level by using technology that raises their profile online and makes lead generation more precise. Gemsuite, developed by Comgem, is the leading cloud-based ecommerce platform for the B2B sector. As well as generating more leads, it improves the supply chain and, importantly, increases customer satisfaction levels. Efficient and effective, it reduces overheads by using automation to cut out manual tasks and eliminate errors.
In addition, Gemsuite helps B2B businesses retain customers and better manage products. Dani says: “This platform takes care of everything off-the-shelf websites can’t. It effortlessly promotes complex products, including those the buyer can customise, and lets businesses easily display and sell product variations. Other features include personalised customer catalogues, automated marketing, seamless integrations and dynamic pricing.”
Request your demo to see just how far B2B procurement has come.