2016: The Year of the B2B Customer
2016 sees the rise of cloud services for B2B businesses and a rapid adoption of eCommerce and apps driven by customer demand.
Manufacturers, distributors and other companies that derive most of their revenue through B2B channels are rapidly following their B2C cohorts, going digital and moving complex operations to the cloud.
The rise of Cloud technology, platforms, APIs and integrated ecosystems are creating opportunities for businesses to connect their systems, and for developers to build modern eCommerce solutions for their business which move beyond the restrictions of the "on-premise systems" of yesterday.
The rise of Customer Experience and Mobile empowerment. Millennials take the lead!
In 2016, you’ll find that your customer or buyer is increasingly the 'mobile millennial': younger, online and mobile. The millennial generation already represents the biggest portion of your customer base, with The Economist reporting that millennials occupy 34% of business positions in 2015 compared to 29% for baby boomers. 2016 will see further gains for this important and growing market segment.
It may seem as if B2C marketers are the only ones who need to focus on millennials. That is not the case. Almost half of all online researchers in the B2B space are millennials and 42% of B2B buyers use a mobile device at some point during their purchasing process (source: Think With Google). The digital-first generation requires a seamless omnichannel experience, with 87% of them using between two and three technical devices daily (source: Forbes). Responsivity is important for the design, but also for the functionality. Consider mobile the 'first screen' for all of your marketing activities, including your website, your landing pages, to your checkout process, approval rules and product search.
Cloud Platforms drive down costs
Businesses are increasingly ditching servers in favour of cloud-based software. The rise of cloud, mobile and social computing has accelerated the need for flexible software like WebShop at the core of what organizations do. With the cloud, businesses are able to:
- Automate internal processes, reduce costs
- Speed-up processes to real-time
- Access increasingly large amounts of data now available for making business decisions
- Make work mobile-accessible