Most Industrial and Scientific Companies Just Too Difficult to Do Business With
More revenue will not solve your customer issues. Most people will tell you that you need to ride the coming B2B eCommerce wave because of revenue. Look at that big $1T revenue number!
What does that number have to do with the average industrial or commercial manufacturer? Pretty much nothing.
On one end, you have marketplaces where small (and even large) businesses purchase regularly on open or semi-open marketplaces. On the other end, suppliers can participate in closed supplier networks for the Fortune 100 companies and government.
In the middle is your national account base. Usually 80-90% of those customers by revenue have a named account rep, but the number of those customers is relatively small. Then the hundreds or even thousands of customers who represents the rest of that 10-20% revenue are mostly interacting with your support team.
Either way, they just want it simple. The path is not just "replatform and it's solved". The core data issues underlie the entire experience. If you're frustrated by the hype and are not sure where to start, I would suggest this ordering:
1 - If your website can do nothing else, start with their shipping promises for current orders. This usually involves a limited number of systems like your ERP connected to your WMS. Those systems are then hooked up to your front-end.
Even if the orders are placed offline, you are making it easier for your buyers to have a great experience with your install and delivery services. Not to be underestimated.
2 - Next, tackle pricing and catalog. If customers don't understand their current pricing and know what your current and next season, you are extremely difficult to do business with.
Most people think all buyers want things 100% online. False. In complex categories with detailed fitment, combined with the volume of sales, an accurate PDF catalog is something your expert buyers will still expect. Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. In 2024, even the eCommerce king Amazon produces a print catalog.
The hidden reason for this? Information density. Still, if you are one of the first in your category/segment to digitize your catalog, the SEO benefits are real and will propel your growth in unexpected ways.
3 - Next, think about in-stock. Just knowing what inventory is available is critical to helping buyers make the right decisions regarding their purchase. Not only for your customers, but almost more importantly for your sales reps (after all, that's where the revenue is).
Slicing elements of the customer experience (like above) is one way to skin the cat. The other way is by customer segment. Start with either your least invested customers or your "early adopter" sales reps. Both want digital tools to make their lives easier.
If you stop looking for "silver bullets", you will break down the problem into smaller pieces - this will get you easier wins.
