As consumers, we tend to gravitate towards buying experiences that are easy, trustworthy and personalized. 

We've grown accustomed to great online experiences in our personal lives, through our interactions with the advanced business-to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce sites of some of the top retailers. These experiences have also raised our expectations that (despite the added complexity) business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce experiences should be just as good. 

Because of these expectations, consumer goods companies and manufacturers are challenged to establish flexible multichannel e-commerce platforms to meet the distinct demands of B2B, B2C and sometimes, B2B2C channels.

For these companies to solve this puzzle, delivering a B2C-style e-commerce experience is not just a defensive tactic: It also offers a huge growth opportunity.

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For B2B or B2B-like organizations that run a corporate eCommerce platform, the time of captured customers and “traditional” site features/functionality has passed. B2B eCommerce sites are the new B2C. The new customers (buyers) have high expectations during their visits. With the rise in available purchasing option for these buyers, including large scale alternative platforms like Amazon Business, no account should be considered a safe (“captured”) customer.   

The key to continued sales and growth for B2B eCommerce sites requires embracing the lessons learned and strategies from B2C companies. For B2B organizations looking to modernize their eCommerce activities, several key concepts can help start this conversation. 

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Delivering great B2B customer experiences across channels is a hot topic these days—but without the right technology solutions to bridge the gap between front-office and fulfillment operations, it can be extremely challenging for B2B companies to achieve.

An order management system can play a critical role in harmonizing and optimizing customer- facing processes across a fragmented application landscape.  Without the right order management system, many B2B businesses are unable to support their customers’ growing demands for the streamlined, seamless purchasing experience they already enjoy with their B2C transactions.

So, how do you know what to look for in an order management solution?  A very reliable source of guidance is Forrester Research. Forrester recently released a new report, The Forrester Wave™: B2B Order Management, Q4 2015.

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