As ecommerce sales continue to increase across the wholesale industry, it’s more important than ever that your business has the online capabilities that maximise revenues and exceed customer expectations.
Whilst most wholesalers do have some form of ecommerce solution, and therefore think they’re sorted, we have found that many of these platforms are a legacy system and work in isolation from the rest of the business. As a result, you may be missing out on vital omnichannel capabilities and functionality that could keep you ahead of your competition.
So, what is it that you should be prioritising in your ecommerce strategy this year?
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Firstly, you need a platform that can bring offline and online revenue streams together with modern integration capabilities to create a real-time omnichannel system. This is vital to creating a seamless customer experience that can make or break a sale.
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Next, a self-service solution is crucial for businesses wanting to streamline their customer service. This can ease the burden on staff and empower customers to resolve common queries themselves. By giving customers access to a dedicated account portal, it means they can easily view their account, purchase history and invoices, even for orders placed via other channels, such as phone or fax – yes, they are still used! This is a must-have because wholesalers always need to be increasing efficiency and reducing time-costly processes.
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Thirdly, dynamic pricing capabilities have never been more critical in a volatile economic climate with constant uncertainty. Especially for wholesalers with multiple channels to keep updated and complex pricing for individual customers to keep on top of. Real-time pricing capabilities give you the power to adjust to changing conditions quickly. It also enables competitive price matching across all channels, so you can be more competitive in terms of pricing and encourages customer loyalty.
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Finally, you should enable sales anytime, anywhere with mobile responsive channels. Whether that is a Progressive Web App (PWA) enabled Website, which gives app-like experiences without additional cost and hassle, or having a presence on social selling platforms and marketplaces. According to research and online statistics, at least 70% of B2B searches are made on mobile devices and can influence 40% of sales. Mobile commerce is changing the online user landscape. The number of people using their smartphones or tablet to browse the internet now exceeds desktop computers. This trend is set to continue, especially within the workplace as digitally-enabled employees embrace the convenience of online and mobile facilities.
However, with all these exciting solutions, the level of interconnectedness needed for them to work effectively is heavily reliant on businesses having omnichannel capabilities with a digital-first platform!
Overcoming the restrictions of outdated ecommerce solutions and embracing omnichannel innovations has been a game-changer for Oporteo’s customers. At Oporteo, our goal is to help wholesalers embrace the power of omnichannel so they can thrive in today’s online world. Our solutions provide limitless digital opportunities and have enabled our customers to expand to new markets, increase sales, and ensure higher customer retention.
