These customers have come to expect the same level of service they have had offline, online. In B2B the need for offline interaction is still essential particularly in high value sales.

A few reasons why B2B organisations have moved on line are; 24/7 ordering, meaning business hours are for business interactions and ordering stock can be done later, managing stock levels and tracking order status’.

All of which lower the need for offline interaction and therefore help reduce costs.

In the B2B world of eCommerce we have all worked hard on achieving this. B2B sites focus on functionality and deal with complicated pricing models, stock levels and account holder discounts. But the offline interaction is still available to help with those larger sales.

However, we often forget that we are all also B2C eCommerce users ourselves, and as such crave for the same experience on B2B sites as we are used to on B2C sites.

B2C eCommerce is very different from B2B; Loyalty is particularly hard to build, hence the investment in online marketing from B2C sites. Ever noticed the series of emails received following a purchase? It is the second sale that’s the winner in their game.

B2C cater for quick online sales, and want to attract the one stop shopper through design and style, and then add to this through knowledge and ease of purchase. We are the consumers here and in the B2B environment expect the same level of service.

As B2B eCommerce is on the rise and quite clearly taking over B2C, we need to focus on the style and experience of our sites, not just the functionality.

Want to know more? Come along to our next eCommerce best practice event to meet our very own expert!