B2B sales are growing faster and faster, and more businesses conduct sales through their websites every year. It should come as no surprise that B2B (or business-to-business) companies are taking advantage of the growing eCommerce market to reach their sales goals.
With so many competitors that have a leg up on the eCommerce market, it’s easy to feel like your business site is flailing. By committing to these 8 projects, you can take your site to the next level. Some require redesign work and under-the-hood adjustment, while others are relatively easy to implement.
We’ve sorted the most valuable changes into a few categories to make it easy to read through.
User Experience Changes
When potential clients (or repeat customers) enjoy their experience on your site, the odds of conversion and repeat purchases rise.
1. Shorter Landing Pages
The age of the long, detailed landing page is behind us. Shorter landing pages give potential clients with a limited attention span less to read, which allows them to fit more into their busy days. In general, B2B customers want to get their information fast.
An efficient, eye-catching landing page gives potential clients the information they need at a glance. It shows you value your customers’ time and moves them to the next stage of the sales funnel faster. In eCommerce, speed rules the user experience.
2. More Product Information
Short landing pages draw the customer in, and detailed product bios give them the information they need to make a decision. As they seek more specific products, users can determine whether the listed products meet their needs rather than guess or take the time to contact you.
3. Better On-Site Searches
Extra product information combined with an improved in-site search feature helps customers find the products they want. Any client who can’t find what they want will go elsewhere.
Think of it this way: when was the last time you as a customer opened up a tab in Google to search for a product on a specific site? It’s likely been some time. Google directs you to the site, but you should be able to search through it after you get there.
4. Efficient User Experience and Checkout
Surveyed potential customers cite a lengthy or complicated checkout process as a primary reason for cart abandonment. Too many steps or too many pages to click through increases the odds that customers get fed up with the process and go elsewhere.
Information Transparency
Customers have a right to know what they need to consider when they buy. B2B clients need that information even more than B2C customers — they must justify their decisions to budgetary and department heads, while B2C customers have only themselves to satisfy.
The more information you provide, the more written evidence you give clients, who can then feel secure in their purchases.
5. Customer Reviews
Getting information about another customer’s experience is invaluable for potential purchasers. It proves your product satisfies customers like them. Customers can evaluate the risks and benefits of the product and what you bring to the table.
Reviews, featured testimonials, and in-depth case studies all add value to your site’s content and showcase the quality you bring in different ways.
6. Focused Details
Like with short landing pages, you should aim to provide as much information to the customer in as small a space as possible. Information to provide includes:
Pricing Options
Providing flexible contract plans and detailed information about them on your site, rather than waiting for the purchase stage, helps shoppers plan and evaluate your materials to see if you provide an option that meets their needs.
Every business is different, and “one-size-fits-all” is a pricing model that no longer works.
Delivery Information
Whether you provide a physical good, a digital service, or something else entirely, customers deserve to know upfront what they’re getting and how and when it will reach them.
This need is especially true for international customers, where time zone differences and customs add obstacles that you might not have foreseen.
Site Design
The website is the most important part of eCommerce, and the underlying code needs to work just as well as the overall user experience.
7. Optimize Load Times
Loading times that are a fraction of a second too long can translate to thousands in lost sales, depending on the scale of your business. Any time costs you can shave off navigation from one page to the next is a met opportunity for additional revenue.
8. Mobile Optimization
Smartphones mean customers can shop for products from anywhere in the world, be it outside the office or from within. Your mobile site must work as well as, if not better than, your desktop-ready site.
DigitlHaus Takes Your Site to the Next Level
At DigitlHaus, we create websites designed not just for today but for the future. If you’re struggling to create a website despite these tips, contact us today to discuss a plan to drive eCommerce to your site for years to come.
