How B2B buying has evolved over lockdown

The business-to-business customer is changing, and merchants need to understand and connect with new generations of buyers if they wish to stay competitive.

Business-to-business (B2B) ecommerce, whereby companies rather than individuals are buying and selling with each other, is perhaps the less glamourous sibling of business-to-consumer (B2C) online shopping.

Whether a wholesaler is selling tractors, computer software or hairdressing equipment, the homepage of a typical B2B ecommerce site often resembles a static, somewhat overwhelming catalogue of goods. It’s the sort of clunky user experience that sends people straight into the arms of a slicker, more responsive website and this is a growing problem for B2B businesses.

It’s because business buyers are getting younger. Increasingly, they are digital natives, who grew up online. Brought up on the speed and ease of Amazon and eBay, these business customers demand the same seamless service they expect in the B2C space, in the B2B arena.

Failing to meet the expectations of this growing group of decision-makers could have serious consequences for businesses. The growth opportunity is huge: in 2019 alone, sales on
and marketplaces jumped 18.2 per cent to reach $1.3 trillion, outpacing the B2C sector, according to Digital Research 360.

Source: www.raconteur.net