eCommerce is driving new opportunities in manufacturing and other B2B industries. With the right technology, a manufacturing brand can dramatically improve its online presence, from a basic website to a sophisticated digital resource capable of promoting products, completing orders and performing other functions that are standard in today’s B2C sector and emerging in the more progressive B2B companies.
But for many manufacturing companies, the decision to launch an eCommerce initiative isn’t as simple as it sounds. Immediately, key stakeholders are hit with a dizzying array of terminology and options that frustrates their efforts to get their eCommerce program up and running as quickly as possible.
To lay the groundwork for a robust online commerce agenda, manufacturing brands need to have a basic understanding of the various components of eCommerce technology as well as the implementation strategies other firms have used to achieve success in the digital space.
Elements of eCommerce Platforms for Manufacturing
Most B2B companies implement packaged eCommerce solutions (attempting to build a solution from scratch would take an inordinate of time and investment).These packaged solutions equip brands with the ability to present detailed information about their products and create online shopping experiences that enable buyers to search, browse, research and purchase items online.