Why Wholesalers Need To Do More To Reach Retailers
If you take a look at the fashion or tech industries, you will notice a trend that impacts anyone in the B2B sphere attempting to reach and engage retailers. They are being wooed online by manufacturers who are increasingly using ecommerce to cut out the middlemen. In this feature, we learn why wholesalers need to outwit their own suppliers - to retain and grow customer bases.
“Ecommerce has bridged the gap between the manufacturer and end customer,” says B2B ecommerce expert Dani Attard. “As B2B ecommerce started to take off, manufacturers, quite rightly, spotted a need in the market that they could fill. Retailers wanted to find ways to buy direct from makers, reducing outlays and helping them to be more competitive. Ecommerce has let them easily achieve this. It started with bulk orders to manufacturers based in China and Hong Kong and progressed to developing countries such as India before moving to Europe.”
Ecommerce solutions for wholesalers
Office products wholesalers were among the first to take action to protect their traditional customer base and attract new buyers with a modern, more convenient online offer. Increasingly, they have combined off and online sales by using business solutions that streamline processes for both while storing all the data in one place. Ecommerce has helped these wholesalers ring fence existing business while easily attracting new buyers.
Those selling workwear and customised products are now also being turned onto B2B ecommerce. Dani says: “Smart ecommerce platforms make it easy for anyone, including manufacturers, to sell personalised products or product variations online. Wholesalers need to recognise this and ensure they can at least match what competitors are offering. They need to understand too that not every sale is based on price and that the customer journey, including shipping times, can make a huge difference to purchasing decisions. If a wholesaler can offer a better user experience and faster delivery times than a manufacturer, a small difference in price is unlikely to lose a sale.”
Attracting sales from retailers online
A good wholesale business should ensure that retailers can order online. As well as being more convenient, it saves time and reduces overheads for wholesalers. Dani points to the success of Gemsuite, the award-winning B2B ecommerce platform used by both manufacturers and those in the wholesale sector. “It helps businesses make their products more visible online, across multiple channels, while offering advanced tools that increase the likelihood of an order. With advanced marketing and reporting tools, it is the intelligent ecommerce platform for any business looking to stay one step ahead online and attract more sales.”