Customers in Manufacturing Changing Their Approach to Digital
With the expanded possibilities of eCommerce, distributors, wholesalers, and stores the foundation of a manufacturer’s client base—are finding much to get excited about. Going digital makes sense whether they are B2C, showing individual consumers an attractive online retail experience, or B2B, seeking a more effective way to track inventories and ship sales. As a manufacturer, it makes sense that your clients would be drawn to a supplier applying the same approach as they become more fascinated by eCommerce.
Manufacturers Entering E-Commerce: Seven Advantages
Expanded Sales
E-commerce for manufacturers lets a business spread out into markets hitherto unexplored due to constraints like distance or past experience, reducing reliance on face-to-face marketing and sales. Consumers value the option to investigate items online these days without having to set up a meeting and might be more likely to choose a company with a web presence.
Improved Client Experience
Though most of the time in the rearview mirror, the appeal of online buying and doing business remotely is powerful and not expected to trend in the other direction anytime soon. Strict social distancing is mostly in view. Not only is it more enticing, but in many circumstances anticipated to be able to place or renew orders online. How often have you avoided a local company because they lacked an online presence that would have let you learn about their policies, pricing, and whether or not they carried what you needed?
Straightforward Customer Direct Access
Although a manufacturer may not always be in charge of DTC sales, this avenue is becoming more prevalent in the business. Because they are generally familiar with websites like Amazon and eBay, consumers expect the same type of buying experience for goods much closer to the original source.
Enhanced Efficiency
Advancing business technology has always been about efficiency, from the printing press to the assembly line. Manufacturer B2B e-commerce is no different. Timeliness depends on having up-to-date knowledge about orders, inventory, and supply; this helps one to see any chain flaws and determine the optimal use of resources.
Scalability
Along with the higher efficiency encouraged by e-commerce, there is the ability for quick scaling. Growing companies now find great value in being able to rapidly switch between channels or apply a hybrid omnichannel strategy when suitable. Should unexpected welcome market developments offer more future business potential than your present boots-on-the-ground sales crew can handle, you will have more choices to close those contracts. And fulfilling those new orders will depend on having a very digital inventory and transaction management system in place.
Innovation
Using a strong B2B eCommerce for manufacturers’ solution not only keeps a company relevant in a fast-changing sector but also enables it to be more ready for the next innovation. Increasingly modular and configurable solutions allow manufacturers to rapidly adapt to whatever improvements are just beyond the horizon.
Economies of Savings
Not least of all, there is the bottom line. Although any new and better process requires an upfront investment, the long-term gains from being more efficient and flexible with a careful manufacturing approach are difficult to discount.
Client Case Study: The Weidmüller Group
Leading supplier of solutions for the transmission of data, signals, and power in industrial contexts, with manufacturing plants, sales firms, and offices spread across more than 70 countries, is the Weidmüller Group. Based in Richmond, Virginia, Weidmüller in North America counts approximately 750 direct clients and distributors.
Although their B2B eCommerce system was in place, most of their distributors thought it was useless and difficult. Many therefore kept ordering via fax, phone, and email, which allowed issues such as misquoted pricing and items on backorder to arise. They also discovered that they had an abundance of typical questions that could have been readily addressed with an educational online tool.
After Weidmüller worked on a solution, two months later the business was able to put a B2B eCommerce system into use that well exceeded their expectations. “Less than two years after opening the first B2B site, we are well on our way to reaching our target of 60 percent and almost half of orders are received online. Just as essential, the volume of research calls has also drastically decreased,” said Selena Garner, The Weidmüller Group’s customer service manager.
How Can Manufacturers Make Most Use of eCommerce: Best Practices
Choose the Appropriate Platform
Make sure you have identified the areas of your business model you wish to enhance when looking at your eCommerce options for manufacturers. They could be areas where you believe there is room for development or present pain points for which you have received negative feedback. Your chosen platform should have a demonstrated record in these particular domains.
Design a Compelling, Useful Website
See your website as your online showroom. Would you visit a brick-and-mortar store that appeared damaged and inaccessible from the outside? The same holds true for your internet presence. You want to draw in new business and preserve present ones by designing a welcoming environment with elements they find appealing and by means of which you can stay current.
Create a Dynamic, Customized Product Catalog
eCommerce allows you to find what your customers need without having them search through a large list of products. Displaying transaction history for simple reordering, customizing their perspective to show them only what relates to their company, and even altering the look of the web page they access helps to provide a more personalized experience.
Refine Product Listings Using Real-Time Data
Real-time updating of your catalog by a robust eCommerce system will let clients instantly know what is on backorder and what is available. It can also draw attention to any fresh options they would find appealing. Keeping current with pricing and delivery variables can help a client know exactly what they are paying for and when they can expect it at the time of the transaction.
Guarantee a Seamless Experience for Buyers and Suppliers
For your buyers and suppliers who are new to eCommerce, you want the online experience to be a welcome surprise so they may instantly realize the advantages of digitalization. Suppliers who are already familiar with the online ordering experience should feel as at ease as they would while conducting business on any other platform.
Combine Messages
Correspondence with sales and customer service should be swift and easily accessed. Make online communication so simple that your clients never have to pick up the phone unless they absolutely want to, using an online chat tool or customer email.
Embed Logistics and Payments
Transparency in accounting is another approach to underline a customized feel and maximize the advantages of your eCommerce solution for manufacturers. Converting any of your paper invoice holdouts will benefit greatly from letting your clients handle payments for current orders and view past orders with a few simple clicks.
Feature Customer Comments
You will naturally have a platform for tooting your own horn with eCommerce, so do it! Positive comments from current customers can greatly influence potential new customers. Make sure your testimonials are front and center since Yelp, Google, and others have conditioned consumers to search for good evaluations before making a purchase.
