8 Common Mistakes to
Avoid in B2B eCommerce

An eCommerce Store is an effective method of growing a business. Using an online store makes operations more efficient, costs less and strengthens customer relationships. Because online sales don’t require many additional resources or funds, it is a great option for many businesses. However, making mistakes can end up costing you even more money.

1. Keeping Your Page Hidden: One of the most important aspects of a successful eCommerce business is to ensure the search engines can find and crawl your site to index it. Instead of creating a public page, they use a hidden page to sell to prevent their competitors from seeing what they are doing. This can cost you in search engine rankings and traffic.

2. Choosing the Wrong eCommerce Vendor: B2B and B2C eCommerce are completely different areas of commerce. Even though both operate online, the way they operate is quite different. This is why choosing an eCommerce vendor that specifically works with B2B stores is essential. Nothing is worse than working with a company that doesn’t know enough about your business to help you succeed. It may work in the short term, but it will not be an effective way to move into the future.

3. Not Using Advanced Analytics: It is important to always have your finger on the pulse of your business. When you used advanced analytics as part of your marketing and sales plans, you will see what is working and what is not. With advanced analytics, you can track what your customers are doing, what they are buying and how they interact with you so you can tailor the experience to best meet their needs. This allows you to create customized promotions, build customer loyalty and learn how to upsell and cross-sell to your customers.

4. Posting Inappropriate Content: Your eCommerce store needs content that is designed to attract customers. The right content is essential to drive sales to your store. The more quality content you provide, the better the results will be. Most importantly, you need to keep the content fresh to keep the attention of the search engines.

5. Foregoing SEO Tactics: SEO is one of the most critical aspects of your store. Search engines want to see websites that properly use keywords and provide a quality experience for Internet users. You need to make sure your website offers easy navigation, a rich experience and fast load times to ensure it is ranked well with the search engines for optimal success.

6. Ignoring Your Competition: Many eCommerce stores concentrate on their own site and fail to get a good look at the sites of their competitors. This can be a major mistake. If you don’t know what your competition is doing, you won’t be able to make your site better than theirs. Don’t be lulled into a false sense of security that your competition is not a threat.

7. Leaving Out Online Payment Options: New payment methods are always popping up. If you are the first business to accept them, you will see greater success. In addition to accepting traditional payments, such as purchase orders and credit limits, you need to accept online payments as well, including PayPal, Cybersource and Worldpay. Failure to do so often results in lost sales.

8. Running Your Processes Separately: Running a physical store and an eCommerce store can be complicated if you don’t integrate everything together. Integrating both these systems into one allows you to reduce the work that must be done and save you money. Integrating your ERP and CRM with your online store will create more accurate data and ensure your business operates more smoothly for greater efficiency and profits.

Your B2B Business can grow even more when you implement an eCommerce Store with your physical storefront. However, it is critical to make sure you avoid the most common mistakes business owners make to ensure your success.