Even if your business hasn’t been directly affected by the digital disruption, technological advancements are continuously changing the way you work. Whether it’s effortlessly telecommuting thanks to video chat or easily researching potential purchases online, the digital revolution has changed business as we know it. Single stack, or ERP e-commerce, can take many common challenges out of digitization.
Even the most revolutionary new digital service can’t truly succeed unless it plays well with established systems. This is particularly true when it comes to ERP systems such as Dynamics. It is vital that any process that requires up-to-date product data, such as online sales, makes smart use of this invaluable resource. In this article, we will explain how taking a single-stack approach to e-commerce can help B2B businesses realize their full potential.
Disruptor: Consumerization of B2B Sales
Before we explain how B2B companies can benefit from a truly integrated e-commerce system, we should look at why these organizations can benefit from launching a web store. After all, most of the major players when it comes to e-commerce are consumer-focused businesses like Amazon.
In a nutshell: it’s because the divide between consumers and professional buyers is fading fast. All professional buyers are also consumers when they’re off the clock, and web stores have fundamentally changed the way we buy. It has become second nature for us to do online research before making a big purchase for our homes. Why would we act differently when looking for the right investment for our companies?
B2C web stores like Amazon might not target professional buyers explicitly, but they are shaping expectations nevertheless. If a B2B company does not offer clients and prospects an easy way to buy online, they risk losing revenue to the competition.
Disruptor: The Rise of B2B E-Commerce
This rising need for online sales portals has not gone unnoticed. There are plenty of mid-market B2B companies who have already set up their own web store. In fact, Forrest research indicates that 97% of B2B sellers says they plan to choose an e-commerce partner within 3 years.
It’s clear that there’s a strong case for B2B e-commerce. Unfortunately, it isn’t as simple as setting up an online catalog. Because professional buyer expectations are being set by innovative e-commerce frontrunners, it’s important that B2B companies do e-commerce right.
That doesn’t mean unthinkingly copying tried and tested B2C web store concepts, though. B2B purchasing processes are inherently more complex: more sign-offs, purchasing on credit and individual pricing agreements are just a few of the differences between typical B2B and B2C buying processes.
So B2B companies need to live up to the considerable expectations established by e-commerce specialists while facilitating more complex and personalized processes. Luckily, it is possible to overcome these two challenges with one solution: .
Solution: Single-Stack E-Commerce
Single-stack or integrated e-commerce solutions are installed within Dynamics in order to make the most efficient possible use of business logic and data. This means that there is no need for complex interfaces, and the data used in the web store is always up to date.
Thanks to this single-stack approach, B2B web stores can use valuable information such as customer-specific prices and product details to provide the best possible buying experience for visitors. Comprehensive and easy-to-navigate product overviews make it easy to find the right item, and pre-existing agreements between the client and vendor are automatically applied.
Sana Commerce: Single-Stack E-Commerce Solution
Our e-commerce solution integrates seamlessly with Dynamics AX, Dynamics GP, Dynamics NAV and the Dynamics 365 suite to deliver the shortcut to e-commerce. At Sana, we work closely with strategic partners like Microsoft, as well as an extensive network of ERP partners to ensure that our e-commerce solution makes optimal use of your Dynamics ERP system to create a user-friendly and powerful web store that is an extension of your existing sales activities.
Want to get insights on how a Sana Commerce Dynamics ERP-integrated web store impacts our clients’ bottom lines? Download our latest factsheet for customer-reported data on the six top , including impact on revenue, efficiency, profitability and more.
