Why organizations are ranking B2B ecommerce as a high priority

B2B ecommerce is no longer just a minor priority, says Will Santry, vice president and head of SAP Customer Experience, ANZ.

Instead, business-to-business digital commerce has “become the new normal channel,” Santry told attendees this week at the B2B Ecommerce Forum in Gold Coast Australia, an event built by a strategic partnership between iMedia and the B2B Ecommerce Association.

“Business has changed forever,” he said. There are multiple drivers pushing businesses of all kinds to do more of their corporate purchasing online, Santry noted.

Among them:

• 80% of B2B companies are rapidly shifting to alternate sales channels, including an acceleration of their ecommerce strategy.
• 89% of B2B decision makers expect pandemic-induced new digital commercial and go-to market sales practices to become permanent.
• B2B ecommerce is key for the revenue strategy of 65% of all companies going digital.
• More B2B digital sellers are opening direct-to-consumer channels.
• Online business buyers want B2B portals with true B2C experience.
• More companies are building ecosystems with B2B marketplaces.

“These are the driving forces changing B2B ecommerce,” Santry said.