Old industries embrace new forms of ecommerce

B2B ecommerce continues to make significant inroads into some of the oldest segments of the industrial US, says a new research report from Billtrust, a provider of cloud-based software and integrated payment processing applications.

Billtrust recently surveyed just over 500 sellers in six established industries including electrical, general contracting, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC), janitorial/sanitation and plumbing. In all these industries, ecommerce now accounts for at least one-half of all sales, including janitorial/sanitation at 57%. “It appears that the days of salespeople making rounds to client branches are being replaced by omnichannel digital experiences where deals are secured via the click of a mouse versus the shaking of hands,” according to the Billtrust survey. “While this shift to online was happening at a steady pace prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the crisis’ onset massively accelerated it.”

The survey also reveals that the vast majority (88%) of wholesalers and suppliers to the contracting, electrical, HVAC, JAN/SAN and plumbing trades have deployed an online ecommerce ordering option.