Do you have to invest in a B2B E-Commerce Solution?

I’ve seen a lot of articles and comments online by knowledgeable and respected experts about how businesses that don’t use B2B E-Commerce are doomed to fail.  My two cents?  With all due respect, bull-pucky.

There are many ways to look at this question, so I’ll dig in.  Any conversation about implementing a B2B E-Commerce solution must include a balanced review of your business needs and a cost-benefit analysis.  Here are a few things to consider if you’re trying to decide whether investing in a B2B E-Commerce solution is right for you.

-        Your product.  Is your product line something that a buyer would purchase online?  If what you sell takes multiple demos to explain and months of configuration discussions, or if you only have one product, trying to facilitate an online purchasing process might not be the best use of your budget.

-        Your needs, prioritized.  What are your biggest pain points?  Would you get more value out of an online payment portal?  Or, what about EDI instead of a full B2B E-Commerce website?  Or a distributed order management system?

-        Profit margins.  You might be able to make more money setting up a B2C site first, especially as a small business.  While B2B sales might increase your distribution more quickly, selling B2C could help you establish demand to potential retailers and investors.

It’s obvious that a B2B E-Commerce represents both increased efficiency in order entry, and a broader potential toolset for your sales reps.  Several studies have also established that B2B buyers are familiar with online purchasing.  However, just because B2B E-Commerce is a good thing doesn’t mean it needs to be YOUR thing.  You may have other business needs that take priority, or a B2B E-Commerce solution may not represent a good value for your business.  Those are both perfectly good reasons not to invest, or to defer investment until it’s a better fit for your road map.