Last December, the company launched Swag.Space as a “white-label” platform that lets promotional product distributors develop online product catalogs and manage production, inventory, orders, distribution and storage. Swag.Space runs on technology and infrastructure developed by Swag.com, the custom-product ecommerce platform Custom Ink acquired in 2021. Through its integration with the Shopify ecommerce platform, Swag.Space lets client distributors offer their customers “the ability to launch company stores.”

David Doctorow, recently named CEO of Custom Ink.

Now, the customized swag company wants to take its digital strategy to the next level with a new CEO steeped in ecommerce-growth experience.

The company has named David Doctorow, who most recently was the CEO of real estate company Realtor.com, as the top executive to succeed co-founder and CEO Marc Katz, who will remain as chairman of the board. Doctorow will take over the reins and join the board next month.

Marc Kattz, chairman, Custom Ink

“Leading Custom Ink and working with such great people has been an amazing 25-year experience,” Katz said in a statement announcing Doctorow’s appointment. “We’ve undertaken major changes since the pandemic to refocus on our digital roots, and now it’s time for a new CEO to lead us to new heights. David is a proven leader with an impressive track record building digital businesses.”

At Realtor.com, Doctorow was CEO between 2020 and 2023 and “led the business to record revenue, profit and customer satisfaction,” Custom Ink says in its statement. In addition, it notes that, prior to Realtor, Doctorow led growth in eBay’s customer acquisition and retention efforts as head of global growth and, as chief marketing and strategy officer of online travel services company Expedia, “helped double” sales and profits.

At Custom Ink, Doctorow says he sees “tremendous potential for further growth” as the personalized products company continues to develop its digital offerings.

Custom Ink is supported financially by Great Hill Partners, its primary growth equity backer.

Paul Demery is a Digital Commerce 360 contributing editor covering B2B digital commerce technology and strategy. paul@digitalcommerce360.com.

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The post Digital commerce bolsters omnichannel sales for Johnson Controls appeared first on Digital Commerce 360.

Citing preliminary Q3 financial results, MSC said net sales fell as much as 7.3% year over year to about $980 million. The company will webcast its Q3 results on July 2.

Erik Gershwind, president and CEO, MSC Industrial Supply Co.

The delayed website enhancements, which were designed to foster online commerce with MSC’s core manufacturing customer base, resulted in setbacks in marketing efforts as well as online features for helping those customers find the right products at the right price, CEO Erik Gershwind said on a preliminary Q3 earnings call.

“We had several programs, all lined up towards the core customer,” he said, according to a transcript from Seeking Alpha. But he added: “Not having the website ready for prime time really had a ripple effect” in delaying other related programs … “Without launching the marketing and web price realignment, it’s hard to get as much traction as we want” with customers.

Gershwind added that MSC had mostly completed work on its ecommerce platform, or transactional engine, but pointed to a bigger problem in the delayed search upgrade. “What we’re counting on for revenue growth is the search and product discovery function, and it’s running late,” he said.

Gershwind also noted that MSC  was experiencing a delay in a planned web price realignment effort to improve gross profit margins. “This was a highly complex project hinging on highly complex pricing and discounting systems,” he said on the preliminary earnings call. “Our testing during the pilot phase did not sufficiently surface all of the pricing anomalies that we saw during the rollout.”

Eyeing website progress later this year

Nonetheless, MSC expects to begin realizing more website improvements in its current fiscal fourth quarter and complete the projects in the “early stages” of fiscal 2025, which begins this September.

Gershwind also referred on the earnings call to the recent resignation of John Hill as MSC’s chief digital officer, asserting that Hill’s departure “really does not have an impact” on the timeline of website project completions. Gershwind did not further comment on the resignation of Hill, who was named MSC’s first chief digital officer in April 2022.

Gershwind added that MSC will rely on a combination of internal and outside third-party technology experts to complete its website projects. He added that Brian Bello, a veteran MSC IT leader, “is assuming the Interim Lead” of the digital operations and that Alan Yang continues as MSC’s chief technology officer.

“We are taking action to accelerate progress on the website rollout and hence unlock the path to core customer growth,” Gershwind said.

The CEO added, “This is an area that’s near and dear to my heart. I go back a long way with the early days of our website … I have no doubt we can — and we will — fix this.”

MSC’s parent company is MSC Industrial Direct Co. Inc., but MSC generally goes by the name of its primary unit, MSC Industrial Supply Co.

Paul Demery is a Digital Commerce 360 contributing editor covering B2B digital commerce technology and strategy. paul@digitalcommerce360.com.

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The post MSC Industrial: Website upgrade delay contributed to poor Q3 results appeared first on Digital Commerce 360.

Joshua Silverman

Many retailers have historically fashioned their product data ingestion processes into “walled gardens,” narrowly architected systems that required their suppliers to pay for access to portals to submit product information.

These walled gardens make the collection of data extremely challenging. Brands would have to go through one system to submit GDSN (Global Data Synchronization Network) data, another for ecommerce setup, and another just for submitting images. This web of single-purpose systems created manual work for brands that delayed product launches, led to error-prone data that resulted in fees, and ultimately worsened the quality of product detail pages and jeopardized the shopper experience.

While some retailers still have these traditional processes in place today, many more have begun to rethink how to offer their suppliers a better experience. This new trend has been driven by several factors:

1. Recognition that high-quality product information drives conversion. The  latest consumer research reports found that 78% of consumers will abandon a product purchase when the product information is incomplete. Additionally, the 2023 Forrester Wave^TM for Product Information Management states: “The macro trend shaping product information’s criticality is that consumers find online shopping more convenient than offline shopping in stores…Product information quality [is] the North Star to drive conversions. Bad content on product pages is a barrier to sales.
2. The rising importance of retail media as a revenue source. According to new research from Stratably and the Digital Shelf Institute, brands reinvest, on average, 7.2% of their digital sales into retail media spend with their retailer partners — and that figure is steadily climbing. But 67% of brand leaders say that content quality is a meaningful part of this investment equation, meaning that brand leaders will reconsider additional investments until the data on the product detail pages their ads connect to are best-in-class. Inaccurate or incomplete product data means lower return on ad spend (ROAS) for the brands. For any retailer looking to derive revenue and margin from their first-party data, the quality of the product detail page (PDP) is critical.
3. The introduction of AI is giving retailers the ability to scale content quality checks in a way that simply wasn’t possible before. Part of the walled-garden approach was an attempt to force data consistency through a narrow submission channel. AI allows for data checks at scale, without the need for a limiting submission mechanism.

A key way retailers have begun to tangibly invest in better collaboration with their suppliers is through “omniconnectors,” new application programming interfaces (APIs) that are purpose-built to support data ingestion for all content for both the digital shelf and brick and mortar.

These omniconnectors create a single, streamlined process for brands to submit information and reflect the omnichannel shopping habits of today’s consumer (eg., through BOPIS, an industry that is forecast to grow at a double-digit. compound annual growth rate of 19.3% until 2027, globally). The technology of APIs, as opposed to submission portals, also offers the ability for AI-propelled quality checks and two-way feedback between the retailer and their suppliers, driving collaboration at scale.

Leading retailers are investing in this technology now. Walmart recently launched its new Omnispec API, a new product information submission process for suppliers that combines all of the data requirements for both online and brick-and-mortar item setup. Other retailers like Kroger and Albertsons have also “opened up” their existing walled gardens, allowing their suppliers choice when it comes to which syndication provider they prefer to use when they submit their product information. This means that brands no longer need to pay multiple providers to get content to the same retailer. The Home Depot is another retailer now rethinking how it can create more agile ways for its thousands of suppliers to submit product content updates.

Over the next couple of years, it will become possible for any retailer to efficiently offer similar capabilities at a reasonable cost, transforming the industry.

What should brands and retailers do now to prepare for an open, collaborative, omnichannel, future?

Retailer Executives:

1. Think strategically about where supplier collaboration sits in your roadmap of priorities, given its impact on consumer experience, retail media ROAS, and PDP conversion rates.
2. Complete an analysis of all the various disparate methods across teams for product ingestion from suppliers today and how they might be streamlined.
3. Start conversations with leading suppliers and their chosen product data management and syndication technology providers to begin designing a roadmap towards your own omniconnector capabilities.

Supplier Executives:

1. Consider how and where your product content is stored and managed today. Are you still using spreadsheets, or do you have a product experience management solution in place? How ready are you to scale processes to automate delivery of your content to all endpoints?
2. Think about which teams will need access to product content and whether it’s easy for them to access. How will you power your product enterprise and break down silos, allowing your legal, support, ecommerce and retailer media teams to access the same set of optimized, complete and accurate product content?
3. Talk to your retailers about any pain points you experience in the content submission process today and the consequences (e.g., delayed product launches or stale information on PDPs). Your influence could help to get improvements on the roadmap.

A focus on open and easy collaboration between retailers and their brands drives efficiency and revenue, impacting both top- and bottom-line growth by creating product experiences that drive conversion.

About the author

Josh Silverman, is senior vice president of retail and distribution at Salsify Inc., a provider of product information management and related technology applications.

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The post Why omnichannel retailers are letting suppliers into their ‘walled gardens’ appeared first on Digital Commerce 360.

Charlotte Tomlinson

Brand awareness, customer engagement, traffic, leads and sales can all be achieved through the production of high-quality content.

But before the content is produced, planning and preparation needs to take place. That’s where a content strategy can help.

A content strategy is an overarching plan for all of your digital content. From blogs and whitepapers, to social media and video content, a strategy is essential for understanding the purpose behind your content.

Why are B2B content strategies important?

Not all content drives traffic, and not all content converts. To ensure your digital content meets your objectives and reaches the right audience, you’ll first need to consider a few points:

What kind of users are you targeting with your content? Which format are they most likely to engage with? How should your content look? Where should you position the calls to action? And what exactly do you want your content to achieve?

An effective content strategy should include the answer to all of these questions. From the user research and content formats to the frameworks and design, a good strategy covers it all. Focusing on the bigger picture enables you to have a clear plan and structure for all of your content efforts, ensuring they’re successful and produced with your goals in mind.

8 steps to create a B2B content strategy

So, before you jump into content creation, how exactly do you put together an effective B2B content strategy?

1. Identify your target audience

First things first: Who are you creating content for? By understanding exactly who is going to read your content, you can ensure it’s written with those people in mind.

A useful way to understand your target audience is through the use of customer personas. These are defined as semi-fictional characters which represent your ideal prospect. Through demographic reports, user interviews, forums, social media and surveys, you can identify key insights into the people and businesses who are likely to read your content.

Identifying your target audience is key for developing content that resonates with them. By understanding their pain points, how they engage with content and how they make decisions, you can tailor your messaging and streamline the conversion journey.

2. Decide on your objectives

Your objectives should drive your content strategy. But not all content will have the same aims.

For example, is it topical content to build authority? Are you aiming to build brand awareness and secure the top ranks within search engine results pages, or SERPs? Which pieces of your content are to generate leads?

Knowing what your goals are for each piece will help you understand the purpose behind the content you’re creating. Following the SMART objective method is a useful way to set realistic goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound (SMART).

3. Choose which content formats to opt for

Once you’ve identified your target audience and decided on your objectives, you’ll need to establish which content formats are best suited.

Each stage of the buyer’s journey (awareness, consideration and decision) will also require different types of content, each with a unique aim.

Some of the most popular B2B content formats include:

• Blog posts – this form of content is extremely versatile and can include topical blogs, product/service comparison blogs, search-led blogs and even conversion-led blogs.
• Case studies – these are a great way to demonstrate the benefits of your business by highlighting how your service or product solved a challenge and offered a solution.
• E-books – these can be detailed “how-to” guides that educate the user on a certain topic, giving them helpful advice on the solution to their challenge.
• Whitepapers – this is long-form content that delves deeper into a specific topic or offers a solution to a problem that your target audience faces. Whitepapers are often used as gated-content, which can only be accessed after filling in a form/exchanging information.
• Infographics – this type of content is a useful way to succinctly convey complex information, making it easier for your audience to engage with key concepts quickly.
• Interactive content – this could be in the form of quizzes, checklists, animations or even calculators. Interactive content helps to keep the user engaged, whilst enabling you to collect audience insights.
• Social media carousels and posts – social media is an effective tool for brand awareness, helping you to reach a wider audience.
• Video content – video content has continued to grow in popularity. Whether it’s customer testimonials, a service/product explainer or even a how-to guide, videos offer an engaging way for users to connect with the business.
• Email content – emails, such as newsletters, can be used to nurture customer loyalty and keep users connected. Emails can feature product/service information, along with repurposing content you have previously created.

4. Create a content calendar including industry events

A content calendar is an easy way to organize your content plan for the year ahead. Not only is this an effective way to keep track of your content plans, it also helps you consider exactly when this content should be published.

Are there any key industry dates that you could create content around? Are there any upcoming changes within the industry that you need to keep in mind? Is your content aligned with relevant seasonal events? By mapping out your content month by month, you can focus on creating relevant and timely pieces that your audience will engage with.

5. Produce detailed frameworks including CTAs

A content framework or copy brief is a plan or template that acts as a guideline for the person producing the content. Having a framework in place improves efficiency, organization and ensures that everything is produced with your goals and target audience in mind.

So, what exactly does a content framework include? Whilst there are many different ways to produce and lay out a framework, it should include information on:

• The content format
• The purpose and objectives of the piece
• Information on the target audience/customer personas
• The tone of voice to use
• Key products/services to promote within the piece
• The structure of the content (what will the different sections include)
• SEO information (meta data, keywords to target and internal links)
• CTAs to include and where they should be positioned
• Key images/visuals to include
• Competitor examples
• When and where the content will be distributed
• Key points on how the content should look/design elements

6. Decide where best to distribute your content

Different types of content perform best in different places. It all comes back to your objectives for the piece. Are you offering valuable, in-depth content that should sit on your website or blog? Are you trying to raise brand awareness through a social media post? Do you want to generate leads through gated content?

Understanding the purpose behind the content you create is key to ensure that it reaches the right audience on the right platforms.

7. Consider design and layout

Content isn’t just about the words on a page. You’ll need to consider where each section should sit and how you’ll maximize engagement. From CTA positioning to content formatting, there’s plenty to consider.

When designing the layout for your B2B content, keep the following in mind:

• Branding consistency
• Clear messaging
• Readability and content formatting
• Visual hierarchy
• Making use of whitespace
• Incorporating imagery and data visualization
• Ensuring responsive design
• Design and positioning of CTAs
• Accessibility

8. Report on performance, keeping KPIs in mind

So, how did your content perform? Whilst your initial thought might be to report on how many leads were generated, it’s important to remember what the aims of the piece were. Was it to generate brand awareness and traffic? Was it a piece aimed at boosting topical authority, therefore less likely to generate leads? Perhaps your content was repurposed on social media where it then performed the best?

Whether it’s sessions, conversions, qualified leads or ranks, keep your objectives in mind when reporting on performance.

Content plays an essential role in B2B marketing. The more thought that goes into your content process, the more results you’re likely to achieve.

About the Author:

Charlotte Tomlinson is head of SEO & Content at London-based digital marketing agency Distinctly. With experience in both B2B and B2C marketing, she has worked with companies ranging from startups to global enterprises.

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The post How to grow ecommerce with a B2B content strategy appeared first on Digital Commerce 360.

Michael Vax

To provide the online buying experience B2B customers want and need, consider these core features:

Guided selling and configurable products

B2B is known for selling complex products. Some of these products require customization and configuration before being added to a shopping cart. By guiding customers through the product selection, businesses empower them to make informed choices that align with their unique requirements.

To improve CX for complex purchases, merchants can build their proprietary produCALct configurators or use third-party CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) systems.

In B2B, one shopping cart is not enough

Large organizations usually have several purchasing processes in progress. They can start at different times and take time to be finalized.

That can be solved with multiple cart functionality. It allows customers to maintain multiple independent carts in parallel. The process becomes much more streamlined, and the user experience improves. B2B shoppers can assign names to these carts and configure them under specific organizational accounts or contracts. The same functionality should be enabled for wish lists.

Sharing and Collaboration

It is common for several people to be involved in placing a B2B order, and the shopping cart needs to be optimized for collaboration. A cart owner can share a shopping cart or list with a co-worker or anyone in their business unit. When sharing, it should be possible to control permissions by specifying what another person can do with the cart —full access or view only. Businesses also need ways to share shopping carts outside an online store. For example, a user can generate a link to a cart or list that can be copied and pasted into an email or messaging app.

Bulk order page

As many B2B buyers know exactly what they want to buy, they can search for products by SKU number on a Bulk Order page.

Keep in mind that large customers may request that B2B merchants support SKU search not only by their internal SKU but also by SKU numbers used in the buyer’s procurement system. The quick order page should also allow customers to upload a CSV file with a list of products prepared in a spreadsheet or exported from an internal system or paste it as text from the computer’s clipboard. When the list of products is ready, a customer can add it to a cart, create an order, or save it to a shopping list.

Request for Quote

A competitive B2B environment requires online stores to raise their game and add multiple features to effectively facilitate buyer and seller interaction, especially at the early stage of negotiating prices and signing agreements.

There are multiple ways to implement the RFQ process in ecommerce. A quote can be initiated online by a customer or a sales rep who received the customer’s request via email or during a phone conversation. A customer adds products she wants to buy in a shopping cart but submits them as a quote to a sales agent instead of going through checkout.

When a quote is created, it is used to negotiate the deal. A sales rep can edit the quote by modifying quantities, prices, and delivery conditions or suggesting alternative products. It is important that both buyer and seller can add comments to the quote and keep the history of the quote changes.

Multiple ways to add to the shopping cart

B2B online shops must be optimized for productivity and give customers multiple ways to add products to their carts. In addition to the familiar Add-to-Cart button on product details or categories pages, customers should have the ability to re-order from previously placed orders, add multiple products at once from the bulk order page, upload a prepared \-in-advance CSV file, search and add products by SKU, or add products from a wish list.

B2B Cart Page

The key principles for displaying cart content are clarity and control. It should be easy to understand what’s in the cart and the final cost, including shipping and taxes. It should be easy to make changes, like updating the quantity or removing products.

A B2B Shopping cart page requires some additional functionality. Customers should be able to add comments to the cart or specific cart items. Some customers may want to add an order reference from their internal procurement system to help reconcile the purchase internally. A B2B site can save customers time by supporting search and quick add-to-cart functionality right on the cart page.

Cart approval

The Approval Process feature lets B2B customers configure a single or multistep approval process in the context of an online buyer journey vs. an offline process. When the cart total exceeds a pre-configured threshold, a shopper may need the manager’s approval before placing the order.

The employee can proceed to checkout only after the manager has received the request and approved the order. Depending on the price and products purchased, some businesses may require multiple approval steps.

Optimizing Checkout Flow for B2B

The checkout flow is the most critical part of any ecommerce implementation. It is directly responsible for driving sales and contributing to the business’s bottom line.

Modern B2B customers do not have the patience for a confusing checkout process involving multiple pricing details and a tiring registration process. The checkout flow must be streamlined to provide a distraction and interruption-free experience.

At the beginning of this article, we discussed the benefits of simplifying registration requirements to support new customers.

Customer experience can also be improved for registered B2B customers. The shipping and billing information is usually known and should be prefilled to simplify the checkout. Depending on the role, a buyer may not even have a right to modify it.

Many B2B buyers want to specify the required delivery date to fit into their production schedule.

Sometimes, customers want to split an order and deliver it to multiple locations. That is very common in B2B commerce when a buyer is placing one order for multiple business locations or requesting delivery on different dates. This process is called Split Shipment or Split Delivery. A customer should have the option to add an additional delivery address and then decide which items to go where.

Offering diverse payment options tailored to the needs and preferences of B2B buyers enhances flexibility and convenience in the purchasing process. By supporting invoicing, credit terms, and electronic payments, businesses accommodate varying payment preferences and streamline transaction processing.

About the Author:

Michael Vax is a founder of CommerceIsDigital, which provides consulting services and training programs for companies deploying B2B and BTC ecommerce strategies. He is a former executive at ecommerce technology companies Spryker Systems, SAP Commerce Cloud, Elastic Path and WebInterpret.

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The post B2B buying is complex. Here’s how to make it easier. appeared first on Digital Commerce 360.

BoschTools.com, the online venue of Robert Bosch Tool Corp.’s Bosch Power Tools Division, has launched several new features designed to make it easier to purchase its products and services.

They include:

• Trade Hub—B2B customers can search and browse for tools and accessories by ten industry groupings: general contracting, carpentry, concrete, drywall solutions, demolition, framers, electrician, masonry & restoration, plumber and property manager.
• Bosch E-Repair—For products ranging from lithium batteries to power tools and industrial vacuum machines, customers fill out and print repair forms and FedEx prepaid shipping labels to for drop-off at a FedEx location.
• A more user-friendly site search and navigation, including the ability to search for the right power tools and accessories for particular types of materials. The materials include chipboard, pressure treated lumber, fiberboard, construction wood with mortar and nails, and multiplex board.

The BoschTools site provides customers the option to buy immediately online from ecommerce sites linked through PriceSpider.com, including Amazon, Lowe’s, Acme Tools, Zoro, Ohio Power Tool, and the Power Tool store. In addition, customers can search for the mapped physical locations of Bosch authorized dealers.

The ecommerce site upgrades follow improvements Bosch Power Tools has made in recent years with SAP Commerce Cloud and Bloomreach Content to engage local customers with personalized content in markets throughout the world.

Paul Demery is a Digital Commerce 360 contributing editor covering B2B digital commerce technology and strategy. paul@digitalcommerce360.com.

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The post BoschTools.com builds a fresh take on B2B ecommerce appeared first on Digital Commerce 360.

Michael Vax

Many B2B companies sell complex products and must invest in educational content and better product discovery tools to make it easier for customers to select the right products while avoiding costly mistakes. 

Here are the essential steps to help you achieve a great customer experience in B2B Ecommerce during the product discovery phase. 

Providing comprehensive product content to educate your customers 

With many options available and complex products sold online, customers need help to decide which product is right for them. Buyers want to research and understand their options when buying new equipment or selecting a spare part. 

Enriching product listings with comprehensive content is instrumental in educating customers about product features, benefits, and use cases. By providing detailed product descriptions, specifications, how-to guides, and multimedia assets, businesses empower customers to make informed purchase decisions. 

Invest in white papers, analyst reports, case studies, product demos, and data sheets to provide additional support with product selection. 

If a business sells internationally, it is important to consider localizing product content. Remember that localization goes beyond mere translation as it needs to account for different measurement units, date formats, currencies, and terminology used in different regions. 

In most businesses, product data managed in internal systems like ERP are insufficient for selling online. It needs to be enriched with additional attributes and images to help customer compare them and select the best fit for their needs. 

Investing in powerful search, filtering, and navigation tools 

Search is the most frequently used feature in any online store, and implementing a search-as-you-type feature and using autocomplete to show suggested search queries can greatly enhance the customer experience. Ecommerce site search engines should be capable of recognizing product names, categories, and product attributes in multiple languages, knowing synonyms, ignoring cases, and understanding syntax. 

To ensure customers aren’t overwhelmed with a long list of results, search results should show categories containing the search terms, suggested products, and product-related content like blog posts or landing pages. 

For ecommerce stores with extensive catalogs, filters, also known as facets, are essential tools to help visitors narrow search results on category pages. 

A particularly useful feature of facets is their ability to show how many products satisfy filter conditions, enabling customers to quickly and easily find what they want. To benefit from facet filtering, product data should first be enriched to have a consistent set of attributes. 

Coherent and intuitive site navigation is key to guiding customers through the purchasing journey. By logically organizing product categories and subcategories, businesses ensure customers can locate relevant products with minimal effort. Consider implementing multiple ways to navigate your site: by how products are used, by solutions they are part of, or by level of customer expertise. 

While the best search and navigation practices described above enhance user experience in B2C and B2B online stores, there are also some additional B2B-specific usability requirements. 

B2B buyers are professionals and, in most cases, have detailed knowledge of products they want to purchase when buying from established vendors. To achieve greater efficiency in product selection, they would like to do searches by using SKU numbers instead of product names, as well as use product identifiers that are defined in their procurement system. In other words, they want to search by their internal product ID vs. IDs used by the merchant. While it may be too expensive to implement for every client, merchants should consider adding this capability to improve the CX of their most important customers. 

Strategic merchandising of related products and bundles also plays a vital role in B2B CX. For example, B2B Merchants should create merchandising links between discontinued products and their alternatives. 

Enable Digital Service-oriented Experience 

Complex B2B purchases require a high-touch approach and an experienced sales team. While having well-prepared product content is essential to answering most customer questions, some buyers may still require the expertise of a business representative to make a final purchasing recommendation. 

Therefore, combining the unique advantages of personal and digital selling is important. 

Thankfully, many ecommerce vendors have implemented tools that allow sales representatives to access the ecommerce storefront on behalf of customers. With this feature, sales agents can log in to the store and assist customers in making their purchase decisions. 

Integrating live assistance features into the online store enables customers to receive personalized support and guidance in real time. By offering live chat, co-browsing, and video conferencing capabilities, businesses bridge the gap between digital interactions and human engagement, fostering better customer experience. 

Transparent Availability 

Most B2B purchases are time-critical. Real-time visibility into product availability greatly enhances customer experience by enabling customers to make informed purchase decisions and preventing potential stockouts or delays. By integrating inventory management systems with the ecommerce platform, businesses ensure customers can access up-to-date information and eliminate countless back-and-force emails and phone calls. 

Enabling Mobile experience 

Optimizing the ecommerce experience for mobile devices is essential for catering to the evolving preferences of modern professionals. By implementing responsive design principles and mobile-friendly interfaces, businesses ensure that customers can access and interact with the platform seamlessly across devices. 

About the Author:

Michael Vax is a founder of CommerceIsDigital, which provides consulting services and training programs for companies deploying B2B and BTC ecommerce strategies. He is a former executive at ecommerce technology companies Spryker Systems, SAP Commerce Cloud, Elastic Path and WebInterpret.

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Michael Vax

B2B ecommerce user interfaces are often known as pain points rather than examples of great customer experiences (CX). Unlike their consumer-focused counterparts, many platforms feature legacy interfaces that are cumbersome, outdated and downright painful to navigate.

It used to work well before as these interfaces were only used internally by employees trained to use them for their jobs. For example, I worked for a large company with a terrible and time-consuming expense report system. However, as an employee, I had no choice but to learn and use it as this was the only way to get reimbursed after a business trip.

Things change when a B2B company implements ecommerce, as it opens some of these internal operations to its customers, who have a choice and may decide to take their business elsewhere when faced with complex workflows, unintuitive designs and disjointed user experiences.

The usability challenge is compounded by a crucial demographic shift as a significant portion of B2B buyers are now millennials, a generation of digital natives accustomed to seamless digital experiences in their personal lives. For them, interacting with archaic, mainframe-style interfaces optimized for machines rather than humans is not just inconvenient — it’s disheartening.

In a business landscape where customer loyalty is increasingly tenuous, businesses cannot overlook the emotional dimension of customer experience.

What is customer experience?

First, a quick definition of customer experience (CX).

Customer experience, or CX, is a customer’s overall perception of your business after interacting with your business across the buyer’s journey. It is not limited to what a customer thinks about your product, your website design, or how they interact with your sales and support teams — it’s all of it. It’s how they feel about their entire experience with your brand, offline and online.

Each B2B customer persona has a set of purchasing needs

Effective CX process begins with a nuanced understanding of B2B ecommerce buyer personas. From procurement specialists to managers with budget responsibilities, each persona brings unique preferences, pain points, and purchasing dynamics.

Do you provide a good customer onboarding experience, or is the door to your online B2B store half-closed?

The answer to this question determines not only the level of adoption of your digital channel but also its business performance.

As consumers, we are used to and expect openness when shopping online. We can enter any online store and expect to see product information and prices and be able to go through checkout.

That is not always the case for B2B buyers. Too many B2B shops hide behind a Great Chinese Wall as if the main goal is keeping customers out instead of luring them in.

Improving the B2B ecommerce CX

Users are required to log in before even being able to see products, or they can see products but not prices, or they can see both products and prices but cannot buy.

Yes, there are (or at least were) good reasons for asking customers to sign a contract and pass a credit check before starting to do business with them.

But do these reasons sound outdated now with the adoption of online commerce?

Do we now have better tools to welcome our new prospects and customers and fully open the door to a B2B online shop that the company has spent so much money and time developing? And can we do it without increasing business risk?

B2B ecommerce merchants can and should greatly improve customer experience (CX) by welcoming new customers with the information they need to get to know the brand and its products and be able to buy during the first visit.

Working with first-time buyers

To achieve this, merchants may need to put some limitations in place for first-time buyers.

For example:

• Limit the assortment of products available to new customers and do not allow them to buy customized or expensive products.
• They can limit available payment methods and don’t allow buying on credit.

The second option is to require your customers to self-register before buying, and implement some checks to minimize fraud: require a business email address, automatically check the business registration number, and implement API integration with credit bureaus.

After a successful first order, a B2B merchant can perform additional checks on the new customer to enable the full functionality.

Traditionally, most B2B businesses don’t display prices online, while some only show prices to logged-in customers. Companies rationalize the reasons as follows:

• We don’t want our competitors to know.
• Prices vary by customer.
• Prices fluctuate constantly.
• Personalized products/services have special prices, etc.

These are legitimate reasons in almost all cases. However, not displaying prices goes against customers’ needs and thus creates a negative shopping experience.

Revealing the price on your ecommerce website is a way to gain visitors’ trust. They consider companies that present this essential information to be authentic and direct.

Building trust with buyers

Transactions are more likely to occur when people feel informed about your offers and trust your organization. Displaying prices can be an excellent practice to increase conversion rates.

There are multiple ways to find a middle ground.

• Even if you can’t show the exact prices, display price examples, a range or a “starting from.” Many B2B products and services are complex. The price structure varies for each customer depending on countless situations. Still, this is no excuse not to post price information. Estimates can often appease prospects during the search phase.
• Display default prices and encourage customers to register to receive discounts.
• Only show prices for basic, commonly available products and ask customers to register or contact sales for complex and unique products.

About the Author

Michael Vax is a founder of CommerceIsDigital, which provides consulting services and training programs for companies deploying B2B and BTC ecommerce strategies. He is a former executive at ecommerce technology companies Spryker Systems, SAP Commerce Cloud, Elastic Path and WebInterpret.

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Sign up for a complimentary subscription to Digital Commerce 360 B2B News, published 4x/week. It covers technology and business trends in the growing B2B ecommerce industry. Contact Mark Brohan, senior vice president of B2B and Market Research, at mark@digitalcommerce360.com. Follow him on Twitter @markbrohan. Follow us on LinkedIn and be the first to know when we publish Digital Commerce 360 B2B News content. 

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Sergii Shvets

Expanding your ecommerce operations into Europe can be a great opportunity. The region comprises 50 member countries, giving you access to over 540 million potential customers and a market on track to exceed $880 billion by 2028.

However, navigating the intricacies of the diverse European markets —each with unique languages, cultures, and consumer preferences — can be challenging. You need an effective localization strategy for the new markets you are entering, and product information management (PIM) can help.

A PIM is a centralized platform that organizes, enriches, and translates product data so that it resonates with the local market you’re targeting. The PIM market is estimated to grow to $17 billion by 2026, highlighting its crucial role in online business.

This article will explore the advantages of using a PIM for localization and provide best practices for a successful ecommerce expansion in Europe.

Understanding Localization Challenges for Ecommerce in Europe

Whether you run a small fashion store, sell handcrafted items, or operate a big retail operation, you’ll face these localization challenges while navigating the intricacies of the European market:

1. Europe’s Multilingual Landscape: With its rich tapestry of languages, each European market may have its own preferred language or dialect. Effectively managing content across multiple languages requires precise translation and cultural adaptation to resonate with diverse audiences.
2. Navigating Cultural Nuances: Cultural differences within European regions significantly impact consumer behavior and expectations. Adapting product messaging, imagery, and user experience to align with cultural nuances is essential for connecting with local audiences.
3. Meeting Regulatory Standards: Europe enforces stringent data protection and consumer rights regulations, including GDPR. Complying with these rules across different countries complicates ecommerce operations. Balancing legal frameworks while delivering a seamless user experience demands careful consideration.
4. Payment and Currency Dynamics: There are over 30 different currencies in Europe and a myriad of payment preferences. Effective price localization — implementing a payment system that caters to local preferences and ensures accurate currency conversions — can accelerate your business growth by 30%.
5. Tailoring Products to Local Markets: Products may require adaptation to meet different markets’ specific needs and preferences. This involves translating product information and considering factors like sizing, labeling, and packaging to align with local standards and expectations.

Benefits of PIM in Localization

As you can see, localization can be a big challenge when expanding into a diverse business landscape like Europe. However, using a reliable PIM tool can help. Let’s see how.

Centralized Data Management

PIM systems are a central hub for organizing and storing all product-related data, ensuring product details, specifications, and attribute consistency across an ecommerce platform. This unified approach prevents discrepancies, streamlines operations, reduces errors, and provides a reliable source of truth for data management — particularly crucial for expansion into a market as diverse as Europe.

Multilingual Content Creation

Given Europe’s linguistic diversity, PIM systems provide multilingual support, making it easy to create and manage product information in multiple languages and supporting the translation and adaptation of product descriptions and marketing materials to meet local audiences’ cultural and language preferences.

It also boasts version control features, simplifying the task of handling multiple versions of catalogs, specifications, and pricing — a requirement for localizing product information — thereby enhancing communication of product value, especially in international sales.

Maintaining Consistency Across Markets

PIM systems help to preserve consistency across diverse markets by centralizing product information, branding elements, and marketing content. This centralized approach ensures a uniform brand presentation across different European regions, regardless of the specific market or language.

Adapting To Cultural Nuances

PIM systems offer features that enable businesses to tailor product information to specific cultural requirements, ensuring relevance and resonance with target audiences in each market. This may involve customizing imagery and promotional material to align with cultural preferences in European markets.

Enhanced Customer Experience

PIM systems are vital in enhancing the customer experience. By centralizing product information, businesses can efficiently manage multilingual content, maintain a consistent brand message, and adapt to cultural nuances. This results in a personalized and user-friendly experience for customers, ensuring they can access accurate information in their preferred language.

PIM systems also help with cross-border selling. They handle currency conversions and customize recommendations and content based on customer data. All of these advantages together foster a positive customer experience, leading to increased conversions and long-term brand loyalty.

Case Studies or Real-Life Examples

So, how exactly does this work? Here are some real-world examples of how a good PIM can help businesses with localization when expanding into European markets.

Sizing and Measurement

A U.S.-based fashion ecommerce platform is expanding to Europe. To align with European standards, measurements will have to change to the metric system used in Europe. For instance, a dress labeled as size 2 in the U.S.A. would be size 34 in most European regions, and a chest measurement of 36-38 inches in the USA corresponds to 91-96 cm in Europe.

Getting all these differences down can be challenging, but a good PIM system will allow the fashion store to showcase product sizes according to local standards, preventing potential returns.

Language and Translation

A beauty and cosmetics ecommerce brand expanding into European markets has to translate and adapt product descriptions to fit each country’s language and colloquial terms. Research indicates that 76% of people prefer shopping in their native language, and 60% rarely or never buy from an English-only website.

To address this efficiently, the brand can use PIM to manage product descriptions. This enables them to translate and tailor content seamlessly for French, German, and Spanish. The goal is to resonate with local audiences, ultimately enhancing customer engagement.

Best Practices and Implementation Tips for PIMs in Localization

So, how can ecommerce businesses effectively implement PIM for localization? Here are some actionable insights, best practices, and tips to consider:

1. Plan Ahead: Initiate your PIM implementation well before launching in Europe. Early planning reduces the risk of rushed decisions, ensuring smoother integration into diverse markets.
2. Be Culturally Sensitive: Respect the cultural nuances of each European market. Customize your PIM strategy for language, local preferences, and cultural sensitivities. This ensures positive resonance with diverse audiences.
3. Consider the Whole Customer Journey: Extend the PIM application beyond product details. Localize marketing content, customer support, and post-purchase communications. A holistic approach provides a seamless and culturally relevant experience, from exploration to post-purchase engagement.
4. Implement PIM Everywhere: Ensure consistent messaging and data accuracy across all channels —  website, mobile app, social media, etc. This guarantees coherent and synchronized localized content, reinforcing brand integrity and customer trust.
5. Evaluate and Improve: Continuously assess the effectiveness of your PIM localization strategy. Analyze data on customer engagement, conversion rates, and market-specific performance. Use insights to refine your approach, adapting to evolving market trends and consumer behaviors.
6. Train Your Team: Equip your team with skills to maximize PIM capabilities. Conduct thorough training on localization, data management, and cultural considerations. A well-trained team enhances the efficiency and effectiveness of your PIM implementation.

To thrive in the diverse European e-commerce market, adopting Product Information Management (PIM) is crucial. The varied languages, cultures, and regulations require a centralized approach for accurate and consistent product information. PIM ensures data precision and simplifies localization, providing a seamless shopping experience.

About the Author:

Sergii Shvets is the CEO and co-founder of Gepard PIM, an ecommerce data transformation company that connects retailers with manufacturers and content providers. He is also the director of technology at Icecat, a product catalog technology provider.

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Sign up for a complimentary subscription to Digital Commerce 360 B2B News, published 4x/week. It covers technology and business trends in the growing B2B ecommerce industry. Contact Mark Brohan, senior vice president of B2B and Market Research, at mark@digitalcommerce360.com. Follow him on Twitter @markbrohan. Follow us on LinkedIn and be the first to know when we publish Digital Commerce 360 B2B News content.

The post For growing ecommerce in Europe, PIM helps adapt to local languages appeared first on Digital Commerce 360.