16 septembre 2021
Nowadays, customer experience is an integral part of the purchasing process, whether in person or online. Indeed, purchasing is no longer limited to a simple transaction of money for a good or service. Online, the user experience is therefore essential to the success of an e-commerce site.
When we talk about customer experience, we are talking about all the interactions that can take place between the customer and the company. Indeed, these interactions impact the customer in their choice and decision process. This is an element that can contribute to the development of a company's sales.
Le processus d’achat en B2B
If B2C e-commerce sites are the pioneers in terms of user experience, this is becoming increasingly important in the context of B2B online purchases. Satisfying and retaining customers is just as important in the inter-company context.
The B2B purchasing process is much longer than that of a B2C customer. In fact, it binds both the buyer and his company. The purchasing decision goes through a long reflection, a comparison of the competition and their prices, discussions within the company. B2B customers are indeed more reasoned and act according to the needs of the company. In short, it is a long process, which makes the cost of acquiring customers higher!
Another important point to know, a B2B customer's purchasing process begins with internet research in 61% of cases! Providing this optimal user experience on the internet is therefore just as important.
Knowing this, customer satisfaction is an essential point. The latter must then find an experience that they like on your e-commerce site.
Thinking that customer experience is less important in B2B
A very common mistake made by B2B sellers is to only view the client company in its entirety. However, in reality, the purchase is made by people, who have particular habits, emotions, expectations. The buyer is not a rational actor, but a human being. It is therefore necessary to adapt to consumer behavior, even in a professional context!
Also, and this is a significant element, most professional buyers are also customers of online stores in a personal context: they are used to B2C e-commerce sites. As a result, when they carry out their research or professional purchases online, they expect to find the same user experience as the one they know as a consumer. To give you a figure, 71% of B2B buyers expect to find such an experience.
So how can you adapt to the expectations of B2B customers on your e-commerce site?
1. UX/UI is crucial
Ergonomics and design are two very important elements of the user experience: the customer must be able to find the information and products they are looking for easily, and find their navigation pleasant. To ensure these two elements, the implementation of a Ux/Ui methodology is mandatory:
- Customer segmentation and creation of personas: determine who your typical customers are and what their main expectations are.
- The value proposition: determine customer problems and wishes with regard to your solutions to determine the essential functionalities and information of the site.
- Analysis and reflection around the customer journey: determine the customer journey on your site, the elements that interest them. Determine the most fluid tree structure in relation to this typical route.
- The choice of design: select a pleasant and effective design to make the user experience as smooth as possible.
The B2B customer is a reasoned buyer: you must therefore ensure that you offer them an intuitive purchasing experience. This includes access to flexible functionalities and simplification of customer research. The objective being that he can find all the information necessary for his decision-making.
In addition to being pleasant, your site must be responsive, even mobile first. This means that your site is perfectly adapted for mobile navigation. In fact, according to Google, more than 40% of B2B buyers make their purchases on mobile.
Thanks to BigCommerce, a solution of which we are a certified partner, you will be able to optimize the customer experience on your B2B e-commerce site. You will be able to offer an intuitive experience thanks to the numerous BtoB features offered as standard: customization of prices through customer segmentation, management of buyer profiles, advanced search, numerous payment options, integration with your internal management systems, detailed product sheets.
You will also be able to work on your design, thanks to a visual identity, original creation, and a responsive web design.
To find out more about BigCommerce’s B2B offering
2. The customer experience also involves content
B2B buyers conduct online research before making a decision, so it’s essential that they easily find the information they’re looking for on your website. Indeed, according to a Komarketing study, 46% of B2B buyers leave a website due to a lack of clear message. Thus, content marketing is an excellent strategy to ensure a good customer experience.
It is therefore important to work well with the available information: offer informative content on your products, technical information, user guides or personalized content depending on the sector. The goal of this content strategy is to successfully offer content that will pique the interest of the buyer and allow you to stand out from the rest.
So, as a B2B seller, if you launch into online sales, you must take the user experience into account and make sure to simplify the customer journey as much as possible in order to make the visit to your site as pleasant and efficient as possible.
You might also like
News, trends, tools, advice: our blog so you don't miss anything about the web and AI.