Self-Service for B2B: How to Give Your Clients What They Want

Jane Vyshnova
2 min readSep 7, 2021

There is a common concern among B2B retailers: how to encourage clients to place more orders and improve AOV (average order value)? In the digital era, multiple tactics can be applied: personalized incentives, product recommendations, cross-selling, and self-service. In this article, we will focus on the latter.

To stand out in a competitive market in times when B2B customers prefer convenient and fast purchases without external assistance, e-commerce websites should be designed in accordance with their needs. Self-service is a solid foundation of a modern e-procurement process. Today, 67% of customers prefer self-service over speaking to a company representative. Such an impressive amount begs the next question: how to build a self-service solution that will work?

Provide correct product data

B2B businesses, as a rule, offer a wide range of products and have a wealth of data. Its management becomes a challenge especially in the cases when the company uses multiple distribution channels. Wholesale buyers require and deserve data accuracy, as even the tiniest inaccuracy can have a negative impact on the deal’s outcome and on the business reputation as a result.

ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) and PIM (Product Information Management) systems can prevent it. This software serves to automate routine tasks and minimize the human error probability. With the help of these systems, B2B businesses can manage and synchronize their product data across all channels and guarantee its credibility.

Deliver enough information

Choosing products and placing orders on their own, your customers should have a clear understanding of how to do it. Make sure they can use the detailed knowledge base and find any answers regarding any aspect of their customer journey on your platform.

Additionally, ascertain your B2B website includes all the necessary details on product specifications along with video guides and expert articles, so your clients won’t have to look this information up on third-party resources. It will increase the chances they will stay on your website and complete a purchase.

Gain insights from the sales team

Usually, sales teams know first-hand about the pain points and preferences of B2B clients. To find out what information customers may seek on your portal and determine what issues they could face, involve your sales team in this activity.

Conclusion

Self-service is considered a growing B2B trend and, in fact, an indicator of the company’s reliability. Therefore, it’s crucial to consider this feature for your business to become a trusted partner and retain loyal customers.

To build a first-class self-service solution, apply for the services of a proven e-commerce development team, like Dinarys. We know all ins and outs of the current digital B2B environment.

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Jane Vyshnova

CEO & Founder at Dinarys GmbH | We help to grow 🚀e-commerce business & establish infrastructure 🔥