What does “DTC-ify” mean for B2B e-commerce?
B2B e-commerce is becoming consumerized. 90% of B2B buyers want to be marketed to by the suppliers they purchase from, due to the fact that millennials have purchasing power within organizations.
“DTC-ifying B2B experiences means bridging the gap between modern online shopping experiences and traditional B2B buying methods. This can mean providing more customization options, offering better discounts, or faster shipping options. It means understanding the needs of business buyers and meeting them in a way that suits their unique situation.” – David Zhang, CEO of Kit Backdrop
Simply put, DTC-ify means providing a seamless and personalized e-commerce experience for B2B customers. It caters to your customers’ needs to access all of their most important data (products, pricing, orders, account information) in one place, while allowing them to engage and build a relationship with your brand.
The old B2B selling methods, through phone calls, emails, or sales representative interactions, often increase the risk of lost orders in the short and long term. Physical orders can get lost. Valuable team members, with all their critical knowledge about customers, may leave for competitors. Old selling methods rely on others to execute the transaction and are typically not scalable when you want to reach a national or global audience. In contrast, e-commerce is driven by your customers’ needs and is available to all your customers 24/7.
It’s also clear the damage of not providing this experience. Nearly 25% of B2B buyers switch suppliers after just one negative online experience. But by leveraging DTC trends in your B2B operations, you’ll get closer to your customers through personalized experiences that drive conversions easily at scale.
Why does B2B need a DTC experience?
Embodying the B2B customer experience in DTC may seem like an unnecessary burden. After all, the B2B e-commerce industry has evolved significantly over the past decade. Do you really need more innovation?
The short answer is yes. Let’s delve deeper into why embodying B2B sales for consumers is a competitive advantage. Increase Conversion
Perhaps most importantly, you will win business and bring in new B2B customers with an exceptional buying experience – one that delivers DTC-style functionality and provides shoppers with the online experiences they’ve come to expect.
A personalized buying experience allows you to better engage with existing customers and encourages them to place repeat orders. Studies show that 60% of buyers believe that a supplier’s e-commerce experience is very important to their relationship with the supplier. 67% of others report that they have switched vendors to receive a “consumer-like” experience.
In even better news: enjoyable buying experiences lead to increased average order value and encourage repeat purchases among your customers. Retaining your existing customers and achieving growth from their orders reduces the pressure to find new customers while scaling your business and achieving ambitious growth goals.
“By creating an experience that mirrors the usability and customization of direct-to-consumer branded shops, companies can deliver a better shopping experience to their buyers. This can lead to increased loyalty, repeat purchases, and sales growth.” – Aaron Giretz, M
Source: https://www.shopify.com/enterprise/b2b-dtc
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