Growing Business Revenue with Salesforce B2B Commerce 

The traditional method for making B2B purchases is full of unnecessary hassles, especially in a world where shoppers relish convenience. For example, B2B buyers must often speak to an account manager or salesperson to get things started, which stands in stark contrast to how most online purchases are made.

Whether you’re new to the B2B space or focused on growing your company’s stagnating revenue, eCommerce storefronts are the way to go. These storefronts make it easy for businesses to make high-volume purchases from other businesses online.

Salesforce B2B Commerce is perhaps the best platform around for building these eCommerce storefronts, thanks to its numerous features and integrations.

What Is Salesforce B2B Commerce? 

Transactions are an essential aspect of the B2B supply chain. A manufacturer, for example, may frequently work with suppliers to purchase the large volume of raw materials needed to make their products. Since the needs of B2B companies are much different than the needs of basic retail customers, a custom ecommerce storefront is necessary.  

Salesforce B2B Commerce gives organizations the power to build ecommerce portals that are designed to facilitate large volume purchases. Not only is this Salesforce platform easy to set up, but it delivers a frictionless self-serve experience for B2B customers. 

Customers must log in to access this ecommerce portal, giving businesses the ability to personalize the storefront for individual visitors. Negotiated prices will be visible to the customers, previous purchases can quickly be reordered, and the shopping cart can accommodate thousands of items for each order.  

Salesforce B2B Commerce also allows businesses to automate tasks that have traditionally required human interaction. Chatbots, for example, can answer the majority of customer questions, so sales reps can focus on other tasks. Additionally, product configurations are built into the platform, so customers can customize their purchases without assistance. 

There are two versions of Salesforce B2B Commerce that you can choose from: 

• Visualforce B2B: Also known as Salesforce B2B Commerce Classic, Visualforce B2B is the original iteration of this platform. It’s a page-centric web application model that splits huge applications into sections that are smaller and easy to manage. However, it can be more challenging to deliver dynamic experiences to customers with this version of Salesforce B2B Commerce. 
• Lightning B2B: Lightning B2B offers a much more immersive and interactive experience for users, but it also comes with a steeper learning curve than Visualforce B2B.  

Meeting Omnichannel Demands 

According to research from McKinsey & Company, customers are consistently demanding more from the omnichannel. They want more channels, a more personalized shopping experience, and more convenience in general. What will happen if B2B customers don’t get these things from you? They’ll likely take their business elsewhere. 

If you’re still on the fence about an ecommerce portal like Salesforce B2B Commerce, consider these numbers from McKinsey: 

• About 66% of buyers choose digital self-service or remote human interactions over traditional interactions. Traditional interactions, such as in-person meetings and direct mail, are now less vital to B2B purchases. Remote interactions, like emails and phone calls, as well as digital-self-serve, like ecommerce portals and chatbots, are the future. 
• Almost 80% of B2B customers agree that performance is essential for brand loyalty. If your business isn’t delivering top notch omnichannel experiences, your customers may jump ship and head to another supplier. 
• On average, B2B customers now use 10 channels to interact with suppliers. In 2016, that number was five. Email, phone, supplier websites, ecommerce portals, web chats, web searches, and mobile apps are just some of the channels customers are using to make purchasing decisions. 

An ecommerce portal is just one of these channels, but it’s a vital one. If you’re committed to growing your business’s revenue in the coming years, a platform like Salesforce B2B Commerce is a must.

The Benefits of Salesforce B2B Commerce 

Salesforce B2B Commerce offers a variety of tangible benefits, including: 

1. Scalability 
   Salesforce B2B Commerce supplies your business with an effective ecommerce platform, making it easier to meet customer needs and market demand. This new sales channel also ensures you can continuously reach new market segments. 
   
   No matter how much your business grows, Salesforce B2B Commerce has the scalability to grow alongside it.  

2. Improved Customer Service 
   Since businesses won’t need assistance to place orders through your ecommerce portal, your employees can focus on delivering better customer experiences. Salesforce B2B Commerce integrates with your CRM to ensure valuable data is easily accessible. 
   
   Account managers and sales representatives can see all B2B Commerce activity through the Salesforce dashboard, even at the account or contact record level. This means they can quickly access orders, shopping carts, and other useful information. 
   
   With this information at their fingertips, employees can identify opportunities based on changes in order history or abandoned carts.  

3. Better Brand Awareness 
   
   This platform helps your business establish an online presence, which is essential these days. Your ecommerce portal should be your business’s primary marketing tool, and it can be leveraged across all channels to boost brand visibility and awareness.  
   
   Proper branding is often overlooked, but it’s very important for delivering consistent experiences for customers. Salesforce B2B Commerce can be customized to include your logo and brand colors. For larger organizations that are comprised of multiple brands, this ensures that customers always encounter the logos and colors of the company they are purchasing from.  

4. More Sales Opportunities 
   
   These programs provide relevant suggestions to customers who are visiting the portal, encouraging them to add additional items, related products, or more feature-rich solutions to their carts. Since these suggestions are automated, businesses will increase sales without the investment of additional time and resources. 

Getting Started with Salesforce B2B Commerce 

If you’re interested in getting started with Salesforce B2B Commerce, you can do so on the Salesforce website. This is a powerful, intuitive platform, but it takes some time, energy, and expertise to get it up and running. If you’re unfamiliar with ecommerce portals like Salesforce B2B Commerce, it’s best to find a Salesforce implementation partner like Astreca to handle the setup process for you. 

Astreca offers a variety of custom Salesforce implementation services that fit your needs and budget. Not to mention, we have an in-house, Salesforce-certified B2B Solution Architect to handle this project for you.

Contact us today to learn more about how Salesforce B2B Commerce can help you grow your company’s revenue.  

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