B2B E-Commerce: It isn’t coming, it has arrived!

You’ve all been hearing them…the rumors and whispers about B2B ecommerce coming to change up the online sales world-It got here a while ago- so it’s time to get on board before you get left behind!

Currently every company can be put into one of these categories:

• Some b2b’s have been selling online for years now or have recently adopted and are on their way to reaping the benefits.
• Many are right on the edge of buying into the trend but are waiting to see what will happen to those early adopters before they join in.
• Some are still deciding if it is worth it.

You all still have things to do! I will address the take away’s for each category at the end of the blog. In the meantime- let’s talk about how we know B2B ecommerce is here and here to stay, there are a ton of statistics out there- but I think that this one says it all…hold onto your hat..

So B2C ecommerce is the giant in the online selling word right? Hmm…ok here comes that mind-blowing statistic I promised:

In a recent study, Forrester Research reported that B2B ecommerce revenues to be $559 Billion by the end of 2013…and that is the low estimate! Let’s compare that to the estimated $252 Billion of B2C (yeah, that’s less than half as much as B2B’s)

Analysts have been predicting this rapid growth for quite some time now---obviously the growth has happened and B2B ecommerce is not a trend that is going to fade away. The point here is this, eCommerce for B2B’s is no longer an untested idea, businesses are out there saving real money, improving real business processes, enhancing real customer service, gaining real (and happy) customers, and building/improving real relationships with people through B2B online sales.

So I also promised takeaways – here they are:

1. Early adopters who have been selling online for years: nice work! Without early adopters we would never be able to make the leaps in technology and business that we have other the years. Secondly, you are not done yet! Do not just rest on that old site you have had since 1999- the internet is constantly changing, as you can see based off the statistic above, eCommerce is constantly changing, don’t get left behind! Do your homework. What are your competitors up to? Do some competitive analysis on your competitions eCommerce and other online activities- how do you measure up?
2. For those of you who are waiting to see what will happen—ITS HAPPENING! It is time for you to stop testing the waters and jump in the B2B eCommerce pool! Contact a B2B eCommerce software provider today and get started.
3. For those of you who are still wondering it is worth it…do some additional research if the above has not convinced you, here is a link to more articles, presentations, and white papers that will help you understand the benefits of eCommerce for your B2B