Digital Commerce 360：2022年B2B电子商务关键趋势（EN）.pdf

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1、PIVOTAL TRENDS INB2B ECOMMERCECOMPLIMENTS OFMARCH 2022 Copyright 2022 Digital Commerce 360 & Vertical Web Media LLC. All rights reserved. Content published March 2022.EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 3B2B ECOMMERCE USHERS IN THE NEXT NORMAL 11E-PROCUREMENT ZEROS IN ON $1 TRILLION IN ANNUAL SALES 27PunchOut2Go 5E-p

2、rocurement evolution drives the need for B2B transaction automationBloomreach 9How to achieve a successful digital transformation in B2B E-commerceIntershop 15Self-service will soon become the norm in B2B ecommerceOracle 20Delivering helpful self-service ecommerce experiences through any channelChan

3、nelAdvisor 25B2B companies can create B2C-like experiences with a multichannel commerce platformABOUTThe author 31Digital Commerce 360 33SPONSOR ARTICLES Copyright 2022 Digital Commerce 360 & Vertical Web Media LLC. All rights reserved. Content published March 2022.The last 12 months have been one b

4、ig mood swing for U.S. manufacturers and wholesalers, thanks in large measure to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain disruption.But if there was one constant, it was digital commerce. In 2021, online sales on B2B ecommerce sites, log-in portals and marketplaces increased 17.8% to $1.63 tr

5、illion from $1.39 trillion in 2020. B2B ecommerce in 2021 grew 1.17 times faster than the growth in all U.S. manufacturing and distributor sales, which increased year over year by 15.2% to $13.09 trillion in 2021 from $11.36 trillion in 2020.B2B ecommerce sales accelerated in 2021 in large measure b

6、ecause more business buyers and sellers now see digital commerce as a more efficient and effective way to research and purchase corporate goods and services, according to recent surveys on ecommerce business behavior from industry analysts.For example, the evidence continues to mount that B2B buyers

7、 are switching their corporate purchases to the online channel in a EXECUTIVE SUMMARYA NEW (DIGITAL) STANDARD ARRIVES FOR B2B SALESThe big B2B switch to the ecommerce channel is well underway, as studies show that many companies are spending significant amounts through online channels. PIVOTAL TREND

8、S IN B2B ECOMMERCE4 Copyright 2022 Digital Commerce 360 & Vertical Web Media LLC. All rights reserved. Content published March 2022.A NEW (DIGITAL) STANDARD ARRIVES FOR B2B SALESbigand permanentway, according to a fall 2021 survey of 750 executives from business research and consulting firm McKinsey

9、 & Co. The survey finds B2B customers now regularly use 10 or more channels to interact with suppliers, up from just five in 2016. Buyers are more willing than ever before to spend substantial amounts through remote or online sales channels, with 35% willing to spend $500,000 or more in a single tra

10、nsaction (up from 27% in February 2021). 77% of B2B customers are also willing to spend $50,000 or more.“The next normal for B2B sales is here, and theres no looking backbusinesses are no longer cautiously testing the waters, incrementally (and sometimes reluctantly) inching their way online,” McKin

11、sey says. “The pressures from COVID-19 have accelerated the shift.”TOTAL B2B SALESJanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovember December 12.3%2.0%11.2%32.0%27.6%19.0%15.7%14.3%10.4%16.1%17.3%19.9%l 2020 sales l 2021 sales In billions, with growth1. Digital Commerce 360 B2B estim

12、ate based on January through November data from the Commerce Department. Source: U.S. Department of Commerce. $1,200$1,100$1,000$900$800$7002020 Total B2B sales: $11.36 trillion2021 Total B2B sales: $13.09 trillionGrowth: 15.2%SPONSORED ARTICLEAn executive conversation with Troy Lynch, CEO, PunchOut

13、2Goand punchout solutions that improve a buyers purchasing experience.What benefits does automating these transactions offer B2B companies? By automating and integrating these capabilities, buyers and sellers can connect to trading partners faster and more reliably, while providing a more modern exp

14、erience to their customers. At the same time, they eliminate costly manual processes, drive more revenue through their online channels, can rapidly onboard new trading partners and reduce supply chain risks. And with companies and supply chains still impacted by COVID-19, businesses across the globe

15、 are automating B2B processing of business-critical commerce transactions. What steps can B2B companies take to implement this technology and begin automating transactions?They can partner with a platform provider, such as PunchOut2Go/TradeCentric, that integrates buyers on e-procurement to sellers

16、that have implemented ecommerce solutions. PunchOut2Go/TradeCentric is the only purpose-built platform today that is truly focused on integrating and automating B2B transactions that derive from e-procurement and purchase goods and services through online channels such as ecommerce and marketplaces.

17、 With our network of more than 3,000 businesses trading on our platform, were able to introduce buyers and sellers to one another across the many industries we serve. We can rapidly onboard new trading partners, helping to eliminate disruption or In early 2020, COVID-19 sent shockwaves through ecomm

18、erce. The pandemic significantly impacted B2B and B2C organizations alike, but the unprecedented increase in online shopping was particularly challenging for B2B companies. Traditionally slow to adopt ecommerce capabilities, many had to scramble to digitally transform to meet this new, unexpected de

19、mand. With this spike in ecommerce also came strong growth in the volume of transactions in the e-procurement channel. To discuss the evolution of ecommerce and e-procurement during the past two years and the growing need for automation around B2B transactions, Digital Commerce 360 spoke with Troy L

20、ynch, CEO of PunchOut2Go. PunchOut2Go will soon change its name to TradeCentric, which reflects the expansion of its technology and its market during the past decade.How has the e-procurement channel evolved, and what impact has that had on automating the broader scope of B2B transactions?Last year,

21、 e-procurement was among the fastest-growing digital commerce sales channels, with nearly $935 billion in sales, according to Digital Commerce 360 data. The data also showed that e-procurement accounted for a bigger portion of all B2B sales in 2021 at 7.1%compared with 6% in 2019 and 7% in 2020. Dig

22、ital Commerce 360 also projects this year sales through e-procurement channels are likely to top $1 trillion. These statistics are compelling. The adoption rate of ecommerce and e-procurement continuing to grow rapidly in the B2B industry is driving a greater demand to automate transactions that flo

23、w between buyers and sellers deploying these technologies. In fact, Gartner estimates that by 2025, 80% of B2B sales interactions between suppliers and buyers will occur digitally. These transactions include purchase orders, invoices, requests for quotes, order acknowledgments, advanced shipping not

24、ifications E-procurement evolution drives the need for B2B transaction automationContinued on page 23SPONSORED ARTICLEEven though we are changing our name, its important to emphasize that were still made up of the same dedicated team, owners, solutions, services, partners and customers that we have

25、significantly invested in over the past decade. Our mission to enable companies to connect with their trading partners remains. And our vision to enable digital transformation and automation of business-critical transactions is stronger than ever.How does PunchOut2Go/TradeCentric stand out from its

26、competitors?The journey PunchOut2Go has been on, and our upcoming transition to TradeCentric, was built around three key differentiators: Our technology: While punchout was and always will be fundamental to our business, weve expanded our offerings to include automating purchase orders, accounts pay

27、able invoices, requests for quotes, order acknowledgments and advanced shipping notifications. This is directly in line with the evolving need for B2B organizations to integrate the B2B buying and selling process. Our service and support: As our business expanded during the past decade, so has our k

28、nowledge and experience. Our technical experts work closely with B2B businesses as they onboard trading partners. PunchOut2Go/TradeCentric provides a fully managed cloud-based platform combined with professional services and a dedicated customer success team. We have many years of domain expertise s

29、erving B2B organizationshelping to manage complexity as they scale, reduce supply chain risks and eliminate manual processes. Our large network of buyers and sellers: One of our top priorities is to connect businesses around the world. We now have more than 3,000 global companies trading on our B2B

30、platform that are leveraging the benefit of trading with each other. Connecting our customers to trading partners across many industries is a value we bring to those on our platform. As our network continues to grow, buyers and sellers will continue to see growth in their sales, rapid onboarding of

31、new trading partners, partner retention, reduction to supply chain risks and cost savings driven by automating manual processes. reliance on single sources of goods. And we help buyers and sellers retain efficiencies with their existing trading partners, leading to higher levels of retention and per

32、formance. Would you share an example of a company that has successfully automated its B2B transactions?VCA Inc., a network of animal hospitals across the U.S. and Canada, had challenges onboarding trading partners that supported different systems and protocols. VCA wanted to streamline and automate

33、its outdated procure-to-pay process to reduce trading-partner integration cost and complexity. VCA partnered with PunchOut2Go to implement our cloud-based platform, which acts as an integration solution between VCAs Coupa software e-procurement system and its suppliers ecommerce and order management

34、 back-end systems. The platform can consume transactional data and supported protocols from any business system, translate that data into the structure needed, and then map it accordingly so procurement and commerce business applications can communicate effectively, and businesses can transact elect

35、ronically. After implementing PunchOut2Gos platform, VCA saw a 50% reduction in trading-partner onboarding time, a sixfold increase in the number of trading partners deployed and 40,000 fewer invoices that required manual intervention, to name just a few benefits. Why is PunchOut2Go changing its nam

36、e to TradeCentric?As ecommerce and the e-procurement channel have evolved, PunchOut2Go has been evolving along with them. Yes, we are still a provider of punchout solutions, but weve expanded our offerings to reflect the changing needs of the market we serve. Today, were in a unique position thats c

37、entral to the trading process between buyers and sellers. Our new name, TradeCentric, which rolls out this May, reflects that position, our connection to the buyer and seller community, and our ability to help them achieve a seamless, streamlined trading experience.E-procurement evolution drives the

38、 need for B2B transaction automation, continuedPIVOTAL TRENDS IN B2B ECOMMERCE7 Copyright 2022 Digital Commerce 360 & Vertical Web Media LLC. All rights reserved. Content published March 2022.More manufacturers and distributors now see digital commerce as their most activeand growingcustomer base. M

39、ore than a third of manufacturers project growth of at least 25% in B2B ecommerce sales over the two-year period of 2021-2022, according to data in “The State of International Ecommerce in Manufacturing” report by ecommerce research and technology firms Copperberg, Intershop and Evident. The report

40、also notes that artificial intelligence and digital marketing and self-service tools are among manufacturers most popular investments, and technology integration and multiple business models among their biggest challenges. As 2021 ended, many manufacturers regardless of size faced the same challenge

41、how to roll out or expand B2B ecommerce with an effective strategy that turned multitudes of first-time digital buyers into long-term valued customers. “While some businesses continue to struggle, we are seeing some industries grow and flourish during these challenging times,” says industry expert K

42、arie Daudt, senior commerce consultant at Perficient and a veteran of B2B commerce. “So as demand continues to increase in specific A NEW (DIGITAL) STANDARD ARRIVES FOR B2B SALESPIVOTAL TRENDS IN B2B ECOMMERCEA NEW (DIGITAL) STANDARD ARRIVES FOR B2B SALES8 Copyright 2022 Digital Commerce 360 & Verti

43、cal Web Media LLC. All rights reserved. Content published March 2022.markets, the results from COVID-19 are driving the need to invest in digital channels and look for more ways to satisfy their customers and market demand.”The acceleration of digital commerce is fundamentally changing the ways U.S.

44、 manufacturers and distributors conduct business. In the 2022 B2B Ecommerce Market Report, we size up how a new generation of digital buyers is shifting their organizational purchasing permanently online and explain in detail the trends driving the growth in digital sales. The report also analyzes w

45、hether that growth will likely be sustained in 2022 and beyond. SPONSORED ARTICLEAn executive conversation with Jason Hein, principal B2B visionary, BloomreachThe pandemic has shined a light on the cracks within the B2B market, making clear that there are serious roadblocks to business growth that m

46、anufacturers, distributors, and wholesalers need to address. Change can be scary, though, especially because the B2B market is inherently more complex than B2C in many ways. But B2C tactics do work in B2B e-commerce, even if many B2B sellers are slow to adopt or may be missing the mark on key approa

47、ches. In 2022, its more crucial than ever to pivot your business model in a meaningful way. But what does a successful digital transformation look like for the B2B market? Heres what we think at Bloomreach. It doesnt have to be all or nothing Just because youre shifting focus to e-commerce doesnt me

48、an that you have to close the door on traditional engagement, like in-person meetings and conferences. “Omnichannel” is a buzzword used a lot in the business space, but like most trendy words, its said so often that it starts to lose its meaning. Many B2B companies fail to see the effectiveness of o

49、mnichannel because, in their minds, its a theory. Essentially, this business strategy promotes top-notch customer experiences within and between channels. An omnichannel strategy adds value to the customer experience and the sales organizations objectives. McKinseys new article, “The New B2B Growth

50、Equation”, focuses on the move to omnichannel in B2B decision journeys. The number of channels used by B2B buyers has doubled over recent years. In 2016, marketing and sales teams only concerned themselves with five channels of communication. Now, they use up to ten, including web chat, video confer

51、ences, and search engines. Personalization will make or break your effortsLike omnichannel, personalization is a term discussed by so many people that it has lost a clear, universal definition. Bloomreach defines e-commerce personalization as the responsible use of commerce data to better know, guid

52、e, and wow your customers with experiences that are so relevant and contextual, they feel like magic. Key to note is that personalization should lead customers through brand awareness, product discovery, and repeat purchases. This is a bigger challenge in B2B, where the products are more complicated

53、, customers are more diverse, and applications (or use cases) vary with each project.The “know me, guide me, wow me” approach can take your customers experiences to the next level, even though some in the B2B market have dismissed it as an exclusive B2C strategy. One could argue that the same custom

54、ers who shop online for their personal needs usually find themselves making purchases for their jobs, too. Those buyers have expectations that are set by B2C, and they will be disappointed with anything less. Its crucial to orchestrate a cohesive journey that makes sense to your site visitors despit

55、e segmentation taking extra elbow grease in B2B. Invest in composable commerce Bloomreachs technology revolves around the concept of composable commerce, which allows teams to assemble a mix-and-match of solutions that satisfy their unique business needs. With composable commerce, there is no one-si

56、ze-fits-all e-commerce approach. Your business can choose a vendor who has dominated its area of expertise and is flexible enough to combine its system with other relevant services through APIs. Take your time in building and refining your tech stack with best-of-breed microservices. Its a fitting s

57、trategy for the B2B market that is often dense with decision-makers. This way, you can at least get started. Bloomreachs deep layer of customer data, product intuitiveness, and easily navigable CMS were built specifically for commerce and set the stage for true omnichannel personalization that can b

58、e implemented at your own pace. To learn more, check out our website.How to achieve a successful digital transformation in B2B E-commerceThe B2B market has been slow to adopt e-commerce, but new data is saying that B2C tactics will work for B2B. Bloomreachs Principal B2B Visionary, Jason Hein, discu

59、sses what digital transformation should look like in this space, boiling it down to a personalized, omnichannel strategy centered around composable commerce. The Worlds #1 Commerce Experience CloudAI-powered site search, personalization, recommendations, product merchandising, SEO, and so much more.

60、Leverage your product data + buyer behavior for a new era of differentiation, online. Copyright 2022 Digital Commerce 360 & Vertical Web Media LLC. All rights reserved. Content published March 2022.For more than 20 years, manufacturers and distributors have talked up digital commerce as coming of ag

61、e and transforming the way companies of all sizes conduct business.Now, that new age is here. And it is being driven in large measure by the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, which is changing how manufacturers produce goods and services, how they sell and provide those goods and services to distrib

62、utors, and how distributors get the final product to an increasingly digital business buyer.B2B ECOMMERCE USHERS IN THE NEXT NORMALAccelerated by COVID-19, the broad shift into B2B digital commerce is forcing manufacturers and distributors into a new standard way of doing business.PIVOTAL TRENDS IN

63、B2B ECOMMERCE12 Copyright 2022 Digital Commerce 360 & Vertical Web Media LLC. All rights reserved. Content published March 2022.As digital commerce continues to emerge as a mainstream and permanent sales channel for manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, and other sellers of all sizes, digital bu

64、yers have a growing appetite for even more ecommerce.Last year, online sales on B2B ecommerce sites, log-in portals and marketplaces increased 17.8% to $1.63 trillion from $1.39 trillion in 2020. B2B ecommerce in 2021 grew 1.17 times faster than the growth in all U.S. manufacturing and distributor s

65、ales, which increased year over year by 15.2% to $13.09 trillion in 2021 from $11.36 trillion in 2020.In 2021, B2B ecommerce sites expanded at a healthy clip. But another fast-growing channel, including e-procurement and other online buyer/seller networks, grew year over year by 17% to $934.2 billio

66、n from $798.4 billion in 2020.SELF-SERVICE ECOMMERCE AND INTERNAL COMPETITIONWhile ecommerce is growing faster than ever, some suppliers remain hesitant. Within companies, self-service ecommerce is viewed “in competition” with other sales channels, McKinsey says. For example, 54% of companies say th

67、eir in-person sales operations compete with ecommerce, and 47% say inside salesincorporating fully remote transactions, often conducted by phone onlyalso compete with the online channel.But the shift to moreand not lessB2B ecommerce is on, McKinsey says. For example, when it comes to how effective p

68、urchasing channels are, 32% of respondents now rank ecommerce as the single most effective channel, compared with in-person transactions at 23%.Part of the reason customers are engaging in a wider array of channels is that suppliers are finally “catching up to the demand,” PIVOTAL TRENDS IN B2B ECOM

69、MERCE12B2B ECOMMERCE USHERS IN THE NEXT NORMAL13 Copyright 2022 Digital Commerce 360 & Vertical Web Media LLC. All rights reserved. Content published March 2022.McKinsey says. “While in-person selling rebounded to pre-COVID-19 levels during 2021, more companies than ever before also began offering e

70、-commerce as a sales channel,” McKinsey says. “We now see a tipping point, with ecommerce surpassing in-person selling as a sales channel, at 65% versus 53% earlier this year.”More manufacturers and distributors now see digital commerce as their most activeand growingcustomer base. More than a third

71、 of manufacturers project growth of at least 25% in B2B ecommerce sales over the two-year period of 2021-2022, according to data in The State of International Ecommerce in Manufacturing report by ecommerce research and technology firms Copperberg, Intershop and Evident. The report also notes that ar

72、tificial intelligence and digital marketing and self-service tools are among manufacturers most popular investments, and technology integration and multiple business models among their biggest challenges. As 2021 ended, many manufacturers regardless of size faced the same challengehow to roll out or

73、 expand B2B ecommerce with an effective strategy that turned multitudes of first-time digital buyers into long-term valued customers. “While some businesses continue to struggle, we are seeing some industries grow and flourish during these challenging times,” says industry expert Karie Daudt, senior

74、 commerce consultant at Perficient and a veteran of B2B commerce. “So as demand continues to increase in specific markets, the results from COVID-19 are driving the need to invest in digital channels and look for more ways to satisfy their customers and market demand.”USER EXPERIENCEBut for many man

75、ufacturers, converting new online buyers into permanent customers was a challenge. Now that they are getting more used to shifting all, or at least a portion, of their procurement needs to a range of digital buying channelsincluding electronic data interchange, B2B ecommerce sites and apps, e-procur

76、ement PIVOTAL TRENDS IN B2B ECOMMERCEPIVOTAL TRENDS IN B2B ECOMMERCEB2B ECOMMERCE USHERS IN THE NEXT NORMALPIVOTAL TRENDS IN B2B ECOMMERCE14 Copyright 2022 Digital Commerce 360 & Vertical Web Media LLC. All rights reserved. Content published March 2022.B2B ECOMMERCE USHERS IN THE NEXT NORMALand punc

77、hout, and business marketplacesmost purchasing managers have big expectations for a great, and not just good, user experience.51% of business buyers come to a B2B ecommerce site attracted by an excellent user experience; other features that attract buyers are price (48%), getting a quick overview of

78、 the assortment (44%), and the companys reputation, according to the latest Digital Commerce 360 B2B Buyers survey.Business buyers also do not always act alone or make hasty buying decisions. For example, 66% of companies will research at least two or three ecommerce sites prior to making a purchase

79、 for the first time, and nearly half of all companies (49%) have procurement teams of at least a pair of purchasing managers involved in the buying process.Given the complexity of buying business products online that must fit designated specifications and other highly specialized needs, procurement

80、directors also are not prone to making hasty decisions. 45% of all business purchasing managers will take from one month to six months to properly research a new product or set of products, including 19% who take between 60 and 180 days to research and complete a purchase, according to analysis by D

81、igital Commerce 360.SPONSORED ARTICLEAn executive conversation with Andy Stanis, executive vice president and managing director, Intershop Digitally supported sales process: For particularly complex purchases, sales staff can provide customer support through co-browsing and guided shopping improving

82、 the experience for everyone and building trust between customers and agents. After-sales services: This is critical for long-term customer relationships. Provide additional after-sales services such as personalized FAQs, technical and commercial documentation, e-learning programs, automated offers

83、for replacement parts, maintenance service and cross-sell opportunities. Digital service models: Leverage the data your customers generate when they place orders, talk to your sales team, and search your site to personalize the user journey and create tailored services like predictive maintenance or

84、 product-service bundles.What challenges do B2B companies face when implementing a digital customer portal and how can they overcome them? Creating a central, personalized platform to give customers relevant, up-to-date information can be a Herculean task. Various components need to come together to

85、 deliver a self-service portal that drives customer attraction and retention. B2B companies need a tool that offers deep integrations into relevant business systems, as well as the flexibility to create personalized experiences for various business buyers. Intershop helps companies build digital cus

86、tomer portals that serve customers throughout the entire customer lifecycleeven beyond the initial transactionhelping them rise above the competition to secure important market share. B2B buyer behavior has shifted dramatically over the past two years. Digital self-service options are becoming criti

87、cal as professional buyers expect more control over their shopping experience. To discuss how B2B organizations can leverage digital customer portals to stand out from competitors and increase revenue, Digital Commerce 360 spoke with Andy Stanis, executive vice president and managing director, Ameri

88、cas at Intershop.What is a digital customer portal?A digital customer portal enables B2B organizations to maintain an increasingly digitalized customer relationship and gives customers access to personalized information. Instead of simply providing online order history, the portal offers a full spec

89、trum of services and parts along the entire customer lifecycle. And it provides customers with the tools and information they need to do many jobs themselves. It provides a seamless, continuous interaction between vendor and customer and offers significant cross-sell and upsell potential.What is dri

90、ving the trend toward digital customer portals?COVID-19 dramatically accelerated an already rapidly changing way businesses work together. It pressured manufacturers and distributors alike to digitalize their sales processes quickly. That “Amazon-like” experience consumers expect has translated to b

91、uying expectation at work. According to Forrester, more than 70% of B2B buyers prefer to shop online. To keep customers returning to your ecommerce website, its vital to offer a self-service, B2B ecommerce model. How does digitizing the purchasing process help B2B companies improve their business pr

92、ocesses?Digitizing purchasing processes increases efficiency and offers less friction along the entire path of customer interaction. There are four pillars to consider: B2B self-service: Generating initial sales through your site is an important first step toward a more efficient, digitally enabled

93、sales process.Self-service will soon become the norm in B2B ecommerceBook a Free DemoLearn MoreThe next evolution of the B2B online store A Digital Customer Portal for Manufacturers and Wholesalers/DistributorsMaintain increasingly digitalized customer relationships and provide your clients with the

94、 tools and information they need to do many of their jobs themselves - from placing orders to managing after-sales support!See our platform in action and explore the diff erence:Learn whats possible with IntershopB2B self-serviceDigitally supported sales processAfter-sales servicesDigital service mo

95、delsTrusted by over 300 successful clients?Discover more at ?contactI | Call +1 415-844-1500PIVOTAL TRENDS IN B2B ECOMMERCE17 Copyright 2022 Digital Commerce 360 & Vertical Web Media LLC. All rights reserved. Content published March 2022.B2B ECOMMERCE USHERS IN THE NEXT NORMALFor many manufacturers,

96、 the path to getting ecommerce right the first time, or expanding and getting more online customers and sales, is making sure the organization has the right strategy in place. But that process is not easy, and many companies do not think a successful ecommerce strategy all the way through, analysts

97、say. “Many manufacturers are not thinking about their digital channels in the right way, and, now more than ever, the customer owns the journey,” Daudt says. “The customer wants to research the way they want to research and buy the way they want to buymanufacturers must understand their customer bet

98、ter and then adapt accordingly.”Many distributors also are making sales growth tied to meeting digital customer expectations a top priority. At W.W. Grainger Inc., the Chicago-based distributor of industrial supplies and maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) products with annual sales of about $

99、12 billion, about 75% of the companys “High-Touch” business is now digital and a strategic growth priority. Grainger High-Touch business includes 32% from ecommerce sites including G, 28% through electronic data interchange and e-procurement, and 15% through KeepStock, which includes vendor-managed

100、inventory, customer-managed inventory, and on-site internet-connected vending machines that are designed to automatically record retrievals of products by a clients employees and trigger replenishment orders.Grainger CEO DG Macpherson says Grainger is “investing significantly” to continue improving

101、its KeepStock technology and operationsand grow ecommerce. “We continue to invest pretty heavily in technology to improve our digital offerings, to make it more curated to help customers find what they need,” he says.Another big public distributor, MSC Industrial Direct Co. Inc., also is betting hea

102、vily on a future business environment dominated by PIVOTAL TRENDS IN B2B ECOMMERCEB2B ECOMMERCE USHERS IN THE NEXT NORMAL18digital commerce. MSC wrapped up its 2021 fiscal year with strong gains in ecommerce sales that it expects to continue, says CEO Erik Gershwind.With a new site search tool and u

103、pgraded online user experience on MSCD, MSC expects more online gains, he says. “We continue to upgrade our web infrastructure, including a new search engine, product information platform and user experience” on the companys flagship ecommerce site, MSC D, he says, adding: “It will continue to drive

104、 improved performance through ecommerce.”Ecommerce sales for the fiscal fourth quarter and year ended Aug. 28, 2021, accounted for 60% of total sales, following a slight decline in that percentage in earlier quarters as much of MSCs sales of COVID-related personal protective equipment were sold outs

105、ide of ecommerce.For the fiscal fourth quarter, ecommerce sales increased by 11.1% year over year to $498.3 million as total sales rose by the same percentage to $832.0 million. For the full fiscal year, ecommerce sales increased by 3.3% to $1.95 billion as total sales increased by 1.6% to $3.24 bil

106、lion.MSC defines as ecommerce all sales through multiple digital platforms, including internet-based vending machines, vendor-managed inventory (VMI) systems, XML-based ordering systems, MSCD and other electronic portals. But the company processes more than half of its ecommerce sales through MSCD.M

107、SC invested about $23 million in its technology and business operations in fiscal 2021 and expects to invest about $15 million in the current fiscal year, says Kristen Actis-Grande, chief financial officer. Copyright 2022 Digital Commerce 360 & Vertical Web Media LLC. All rights reserved. Content pu

108、blished March 2022.PIVOTAL TRENDS IN B2B ECOMMERCEB2B ECOMMERCE USHERS IN THE NEXT NORMAL19“These investments will continue to fuel share gains by building out our digital platform and expanding our sales force,” she says.B2B digital commerce grew at a healthy clip in part because manufacturers and

109、wholesalers rebounded nicely from a rocky 2020the year COVID-19 roiled the economy and shuttered all or a part of many industries. B2B sellers took big challenges like COVID-19 and supply chain disruptions in stride in 2021. 56% of sellers generated higher B2B digital commerce sales of at least 11%

110、last year, while 15% grew ecommerce revenue by 75% or more. B2B sellers also are optimistic about generating more business online this year, according to preliminary data from the Digital Commerce 360 2022 B2B Seller Survey. In 2021 growing demand from increasingly bigger waves of digital buyers dro

111、ve sales growth online for manufacturers and distributors. But to continue to grow online in 2022, B2B sellers will need to overcome ongoing problems and continue to diversify and digitally transform their organization.For example, B2B sellers are shifting their focus to invest more in their ecommer

112、ce sites because of the ongoing impact of COVID-19. But as many sellers look past the impact of the coronavirus, 50% are expecting significant challenges in securing the funds to make necessary investments in their business. A further 40% are anticipating minor challenges to optimizing the customer

113、experience, but 42% of B2B distributors are not expecting any issues when it comes to selling to the end customer, according to data from the 2022 Digital Commerce 360 B2B seller survey.Other research from various industry organizations also shows that as 2022 moves on, companies will be placing a b

114、ig emphasis on further diversifying their digital commerce operations. Copyright 2022 Digital Commerce 360 & Vertical Web Media LLC. All rights reserved. Content published March 2022.SPONSORED ARTICLEAn executive conversation with Ian Davis, vice president, product management, Oraclelong been slower

115、 to adapt, while pushing customer expectations further. Some companies are catching up, while others are mastering omnichannel fulfillment, cross-channel marketing automation, and expanding into new product categories, across borders and regions, and into digital businesses. Companies that are strug

116、gling to keep up are those with outdated buyer perceptions, siloed experiences and poor self-service capabilities. These laggards really need to make strategic investments that drive the biggest impact.How can they overcome these challenges?Understand how your customer buysnot just as a business use

117、r, but as a consumer. Theyll gravitate toward the experiences that understand their problems and solve them while boosting confidence in their purchases. Multivariate testing capabilities and behavioral analytics tools can help you learn how to design better experiences and illuminate blind spots to

118、 better engage customers all the way to purchase.Understand how business user tooling impacts experience design and deliveryand ultimately conversion and retention. Nontechnical business users need unified tooling that enables them to work as individual contributors and as part of a larger team to a

119、chieve a more cohesive and compelling customer experience.Understand how to use your data to improve your customer experience and business outcomes. Integrating your data across the business will allow you to leverage advanced intelligence so you can solve key commerce challenges and improve outcome

120、s.How does Oracle Commerce help B2B companies address market trends and overcome challenges?Oracle Commerce has invested in delivering a modern suite for the futureone that connects commerce with marketing, content, and sales, as well as the middle office and back office, allowing businesses to incr

121、ease the ROI on solutions they already own. Our breadth of customer experience, operational, and financial solutions makes us uniquely positioned to achieve these ends.With Oracle Commerce, our guiding principle is to give merchants/suppliers the right tools to continuously adapt, regardless of thei

122、r current digital commerce maturity.Online buyers today want to shop anywhere, anytime. They expect personalized experiences across all channels whenever and wherever they choose to engage with sellers. And they want to feel confident and informed when using self-service channelswhether theyre B2B o

123、r B2C shoppers. Digital Commerce 360 spoke with Ian Davis, vice president of product management at Oracle Commerce, about how B2B and B2C companies can keep up with customer expectations by leveraging technology to deliver complete, self-service ecommerce experiences through any channel.What are som

124、e current trends around B2B digital commerce and transformation? Three key themes will shape the years ahead: unification of the front office, self-service purchasing for complex goods and services, and bringing the back office into the commerce experience. Customers keep pulling more sales into dig

125、ital channels, regardless of business readiness. To deliver on customer expectations, commerce administrators, marketers and sellers require unified tools to strategize around building a loyal customer base, product sales and revenue generation. Companies can achieve this through shared insights use

126、d to drive automated marketing campaigns, website personalization and trigger seller engagement. This linkage of lead generation and marketing activities all the way to conversion enables end-to-end campaign execution that is new to many B2B organizations. Transformation centers on providing a perso

127、nalized buying experience, powered by relevant digital content, product information and real-time inventory across every stage of the purchasing journey.Customer interactions and commerce transaction requirements are increasingly complex. B2B companies have to enable one-to-many relationships, dynam

128、ic pricing and custom catalogs, configuration and quoting, and recurring orders and subscriptions. Rather than passing that complexity onto the customer, transformation means making the simple use cases effortless and the complex use cases more easily achievable.The commerce experience also has to e

129、nable business-wide outcomes and link into the operational and business processes to elevate the buyer-seller relationshipensuring that payments are processed, orders are fulfilled, services are provisioned, and customer and order data is accurately captured and managed. Transformation requires a un

130、ified data model across the front and back office, so that real-time and lifetime data are synchronized, insightful and ready to be acted upon.What challenges are B2B companies facing with their digital transformations today? The pandemic accelerated change across industries that had Delivering help

131、ful self-service ecommerce experiences through any channelThe ecommerce solution built for B2B growthThe key to good ecommerce is flexibility and self-service for all. See how Oracle Commerce makes it easy for B2B companies to buy online with a simple user interface that supports the most complex ec

132、ommerce requirements.Explore Oracle CommercePIVOTAL TRENDS IN B2B ECOMMERCEB2B ECOMMERCE USHERS IN THE NEXT NORMAL22For example, it has been a big year for business-to-business ecommerce in the chemicals industry. And that beehive of activity includes one of the industrys biggest companies: Dow Chem

133、ical Co.Based in Midland, Michigan, Dow is a chemical manufacturing behemoth. Dow manufactures plastics, chemicals, and agricultural products. With a presence in about 160 countries, it employs 54,000 people worldwide; across its global network of 106 manufacturing facilities, it generated annual sa

134、les of $39.0 billion in 2020.In the first half of 2021, Dow generated digital commerce sales of about $4.5 billion, an increase of 30% from digital sales of about $3.55 billion in the first half of 2020, Dow executives told attendees at its recent investors day conference.Overall, Digital Commerce 3

135、60 projects that digital commerce accounted for about 18% of Dows total sales of $25.76 billion from January through June of 2021, compared with 19.6% of all sales of $18.12 billion for the first six months of 2020. “Were accelerating all of that with digitalization, not only for commerce, but also

136、for innovation,” Mauro Gregorio president of Dows Performance Materials & Coating business, told analysts and investors. “Dow is ready for growth and for a sustainable future.”During various presentations, Dow gave analysts and attendees different glimpses of how the companys ecommerce acceleration

137、and digital transformation are taking shape. “Were becoming more customer-centric through digitalization, through ecommerce capabilities and the launch of our MobilityScience platform,” chairman and CEO James Fitterling told attendees. MobilityScience is a customer-experience technology and innovati

138、ons platform Dow rolled out for the transportation industry in July 2020. Copyright 2022 Digital Commerce 360 & Vertical Web Media LLC. All rights reserved. Content published March 2022.PIVOTAL TRENDS IN B2B ECOMMERCEB2B ECOMMERCE USHERS IN THE NEXT NORMAL23As of now, Dow across its various business

139、 divisions has a virtual inventory of about 10,000 products, chief financial officer Howard Ungerleider told attendees. Dows digital investments “are already delivering results, including digital sales which have increased more than 30% year over year,” he said. “In fact, we now have more than 10,00

140、0 products on our D product catalog.”Going forward, Dow will continue to invest in more digital applica-tions and services as it continues to deal with global challenges from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain disruption, chief commercial officer Daniel Futter told investors and analysts

141、.“Weve had to make our business more digital, make ourselves more accessible to our customers through a digital and virtual means, and make sure that those experiences in the on- and off-ramps between people and digital still work; and if we get that right, our customers reward us with more share of

142、 current pocket,” he said.The year ahead will bring new opportunitiesand challengesfor B2B buyers and sellers. These trends will continue to accelerate throughout 2022: Digital buyers will continue to purchase more business goods and services onlineand even less by phone, fax, email, and face-to-fac

143、e meetings. B2B marketplaces will continue to proliferate but Amazon Business will continue to dominate the channel. More distributors will adopt a digitally driven omnichannel sales strategy. Copyright 2022 Digital Commerce 360 & Vertical Web Media LLC. All rights reserved. Content published March

144、2022.PIVOTAL TRENDS IN B2B ECOMMERCEB2B ECOMMERCE USHERS IN THE NEXT NORMAL24 Supply chain disruptions will continue to impact how B2B organizations conduct digital commerce. More manufacturers plan to implement better systems integration followed by better automating processes, engaging in B2B mark

145、etplaces, developing better distribution capabilities, using application programming interfaces, or APIs in addition to electronic data interchange, and a B2C ecommerce site. B2B sellers will continue to make complex ecommerce transactions easier, simpler, and more transparent to meet the increased

146、demands for a more business-to-consumer user experience from digital buyers. The ongoing pandemic will spur even more purchasing managers to accelerate e-procurement, including punchout. For the near future, EDI will remain the single biggest electronic sales channel.In the end, as digital commerce

147、accelerates, there will be winnersand losersin the race to grab opportunity, more online sales and more loyal customers. In 2023, Digital Commerce 360 will return with an update on how the scorecard looked. Copyright 2022 Digital Commerce 360 & Vertical Web Media LLC. All rights reserved. Content pu

148、blished March 2022.SPONSORED ARTICLEAn executive conversation with Mike Shapaker, chief marketing officer, ChannelAdvisorDC360: How can they overcome these challenges?They should focus on diversifying supply chain operations. Adding operations closer to their end customers helps expedite fulfillment

149、 and delivery and reduce costs. And with buyers shopping in more places, e-commerce operations need to be agile. Try out new channels quickly and make adjustments on the fly to profitably reach those buyers. Finally, the consumer shopping experience should guide the B2B experiencewith the main diffe

150、rence being the additional procurement-related bells and whistles offered on many B2B sites. A multichannel commerce platform can help with agility and customer experience.DC360: What does a successful digital transformation look like for a B2B company today?Successful companies provide great experi

151、ences. They have consistent product content across all channelsmaking products easier to find. The purchase process is quick and easy, with shipping options that meet the cost and delivery requirements customers expect.A successful transformation should also provide the agility to quickly test new o

152、nline channels. Buyers are out on marketplaces, searching Google, and browsing manufacturer and distributor sites daily. You need to find them.A multichannel commerce platform, such as ChannelAdvisors, helps make all of this happen by connecting to channels, managing product content and data feeds,

153、advertising on select channels, managing inventory and orders, and assessing channel performance.B2B buyers today believe that making purchases for work should be as easy as making purchases for themselves. To provide this more B2C-like experience, B2B organizations must ensure products on their sit

154、es are easy to find, the purchasing process is seamless, and delivery is fast, flexible and reliable. Digital Commerce 360 spoke with Mike Shapaker, chief marketing officer at ChannelAdvisor, to discuss how a multichannel commerce platform can help B2B companies create the B2C-like experiences their

155、 customers want. How has B2B buying behavior changed recently?Buyers are purchasing more like consumers, and that discovery process is similar, which means its much more diverse. In the past, a buyer just called their sales rep or logged into a proprietary portal. Now they could be searching Google,

156、 browsing Amazon, looking on manufacturer sites or searching in specialty marketplaces. While some larger marketplaces focus on B2B, such as Amazon Business, there are more B2B sites opening up their own marketplaces to expand selection and offer complementary products and services.What challenges d

157、o B2B companies face as they move more of their business online?The biggest hurdle is the ability to manage shipping and delivery expectations, which requires sufficient fulfillment infrastructure or partnerships. Without that, its hard to scale the business. Other ongoing challenges include adoptin

158、g a different mindset around reaching customers and the customer experience once youve found them. Just because you have your own site doesnt mean everyone is going to come to you. Marketplaces are essential for extending the reach of any business. Companies also need to improve the customer experie

159、nce by making it easier for customers to find products through great product content.B2B companies can create B2C-like experiences with a multichannel commerce platform Copyright 2022 Digital Commerce 360 & Vertical Web Media LLC. All rights reserved. Content published March 2022.As the global COVID

160、-19 pandemic pushes into its third year and continues to roil supply chain management, organizations of all sizes keep on scurrying for new ways to source products and services.And one channel they are using much more of these days is e-procurement and punchout, which enables businesses to purchase

161、supplies directly from a suppliers ecommerce website or B2B marketplace without leaving their own e-procurement application.In 2021, e-procurement once more emerged as among the fastest-growing digital commerce sales channels. In fact, in 2022 e-procurement for the first time will top $1 trillion in

162、 annual sales, according to a projection from Digital Commerce 360.E-PROCUREMENT ZEROES IN ON $1 TRILLION IN ANNUAL SALESAccelerated by COVID-19, the broad shift into B2B digital commerce is forcing manufacturers and distributors into a new standard way of doing business.PIVOTAL TRENDS IN B2B ECOMME

163、RCE28 Copyright 2022 Digital Commerce 360 & Vertical Web Media LLC. All rights reserved. Content published March 2022.E-PROCUREMENT ZEROS IN ON $1 TRILLION SALESLast year, e-procurement sales volume grew to $934.2 billion, up 17% from $798.4 billion in 2020. In 2021, e-procurement also accounted for

164、 8.5% and 7.1%, respectively, of all U.S. digital commerce sales and total B2B sales.Data from other e-procurement sources point to reasons for more growthand the accelerated emergence of e-procurement as a digital sales channel. For example, PunchOut2Goa provider of punchout software that automates

165、 B2B commerce transactions between suppliers ecommerce platforms and buyers procurement systems for goods ranging from medical supplies to heavy equipmentreports that the volume of transactions that flowed through its application grew 106% to 9.1 million in 2021 from 4.4 million in 2020.The company

166、also reports that the total number of e-procurement sessions grew 88% to about 16.7 million sessions in 2021 from about 8.9 million in 2020, and that it added 110 new clients and 723 more trading partners. More than $16 billion in purchase orders also ran through the companys e-procurement integrati

167、on application.“Better supply chain management is causing more companies to look at e-procurement and punchout,” says PunchOut2Go CEO Troy Lynch.Better supply chain management is causing more companies to look at e-procurement and punchout.Troy Lynch, CEO, PunchOut2GoABOUT USENVISIONB B2Digital Comm

168、erce 360 Events PresentsConference & ExhibitionREGISTER TODAYWhere B2B Ecommerce Strategy & Action Meet40+60+20+SpeakersSessionsSponsorsDG MacphersonChairman and CEOGraingerBarry LitwinCEOGlobal IndustrialCompanyRandy AltschulerCEOXometry, Inc.Robert Birse VP, Global EcommerceKellogg CompanyJUNE 8-1

169、0CHICAGO, ILwww.DC360E& SAVE $200PIVOTAL TRENDS IN B2B ECOMMERCE31 Copyright 2022 Digital Commerce 360 & Vertical Web Media LLC. All rights reserved. Content published March 2022.ABOUT THE AUTHORMark Brohan is the Vice President, B2B and Market Research Development Digital Commerce 360 covering B2B

170、ecommerce trends. Prior to his current role, Mark was vice president of research for Digital Commerce 360 and editor of Internet Retailers Top 500 Guide, Top500G and related research publications. Marks previous experience includes leading new print and web product business development for Faulkner

171、& Gray were web publisher and editorial director for DM Review magazine and its two websites: DMR and dataW. He was also the founding editor of various Faulkner & Gray technology magazines, including Internet Retailer. Mark earned a bachelors degree in secondary education and history from Western Mi

172、chigan University and a masters in journalism and public affairs from the American University.Pivotal Trends in B2B Ecommerce includes Executive summary published directly from the 2022 Edition B2B Ecommerce Market ReportPurchase$399Learn more about the full report DIGITAL COMMERCE 360 B2BMARK BROHA

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182、ity, accuracy, timeliness, usefulness, adequacy, completeness or suitability of the Digital Commerce 360, Report.ABOUT DIGITAL COMMERCE 360 B2BDigital Commerce 360 B2B covers all aspects of how businesses sell to business, government, and other institutional clients via the web, providing intelligen

183、ce to the executives, managers and professionals at manufacturers, retailers, wholesalers and distributors. We provide business intelligence and industry leading content through our research and topic focused B2B ecommerce reports on trends, marketplaces, technologies, and industry best practices. D

184、istribution: 20,000 + opt-in subscribers, newsletters and on the website. Sponsorships include thought leadership articles, promotion and guaranteed leads. These exclusive reports are available only registration download, providing qualified leads to the sponsors.ABOUT DIGITAL COMMERCE 360Digital Co

185、mmerce 360 is a leading media and research organization that delivers daily news and competitive data across e-retailing, B2B ecommerce, and digital healthcare. Building on the reputation of Internet Retailer which we introduced in 1999, Digital Commerce 360 is an expert in digital strategies and pu

186、blishes a wide range of products including reports and newsletters, Internet Retailer magazine, webinars, and data on thousands of global ecommerce companies through its Digital Commerce 360 Research brand. In 2018, we also co-founded B2B Next, the premier conference for B2B executives embracing ecommerce.