Expanding upon the blog on how to differentiate within a marketplace...
Omni-channel sales for B2B (business-to-business) refers to a sales strategy that integrates multiple channels and touchpoints to provide customers a seamless and consistent buying experience. It involves utilizing various online and offline channels, such as websites, mobile apps, social media, email, phone, and in-person interactions, to engage with potential buyers and facilitate their purchasing journey. Historically, SAP Ariba has focused solely on a simple commodity catalog (either cif or punchout) with pre-defined pricing and ignored the broader multi-channel needs of B2B procurement. Need a widget, find a widget, buy a widget. Omni-channel sales blend the multiple engagement points and value-added/assisted needs of complex goods and services. This is seen in significant non-catalog ordering on SBN for Simple & Complex Services and Complex Goods.
Here are some key aspects of omnichannel sales for B2B:
- Multiple Channels: B2B companies leverage various channels to reach their target audience. This includes having a solid online presence through websites, e-commerce platforms, and mobile apps, as well as utilizing offline channels like brick-and-mortar stores, quoting, call centers, and direct sales.
- Consistent Messaging: Regardless of the channel, omnichannel sales ensure consistent messaging and branding. This helps build customer trust and familiarity, as they receive the same information and experience across different touchpoints. Trading Partner Portal remains key link across options.
- Seamless Integration: Omni-channel sales focuses on integrating different channels and touchpoints to provide a seamless experience for customers. For example, a customer might research a product online, request a quote via email, and then finalize the purchase as a non-catalog order via Ariba. Reminder: over 80% of all network transactions are non-catalog today. The goal is to make the transition between channels as smooth as possible, allowing customers to pick up where they left off without any disruption. Syncing chat, quote integration, and punch-in helps address gaps.
- Personalization: Omni-channel sales aims to personalize the buying experience based on customer preferences and behavior. By collecting and analyzing customer data from various channels, companies can tailor their messaging, offers, and recommendations to suit individual customer needs, increasing the likelihood of a value-added sale.
- Customer Support: Omni-channel sales also extend to customer support and post-sales service. B2B companies provide support through multiple channels, such as phone, email, live chat, and social media, ensuring customers can reach out for assistance using their preferred method. Today, engagement is limited to the collaboration feature and simple catalog buying.
- Data Integration: To effectively implement omni-channel sales, B2B companies need to integrate data from different channels and touchpoints. This gives them a holistic view of customer interactions, preferences, and buying patterns, enabling better decision-making and targeted marketing efforts. Analytics, Analytics, Analytics.
Overall, omni-channel sales for B2B focuses on creating a seamless and personalized buying experience by integrating multiple channels and touchpoints. By doing so, companies can enhance customer satisfaction, improve sales conversion rates, and build stronger customer relationships. Focusing on omni-channel will prevent that downgrade and potentially reverse the pattern. The best way to support an omni-channel approach is with a punchout store. A user should be able to request quotes and chat sessions and retrieve the quote via a punchout experience. The seller controls how these channels interop through the experience.
