Traditionally manufacturing companies have struggled to adopt an eCommerce strategy. As workforce and buyer behavior change, consumers are increasingly turning to the internet for their B2B purchasing needs.
In order to keep pace, manufacturing companies will need to offer a digital commerce presence allowing for rich targeted content, easy navigational elements, robust search, and streamlined checkout processes.
How commerce is changing the industry
Commerce is allowing manufacturing companies to connect with their customers in a way like they have never seen before. This will allow sales, service, and marketing to to provide a powerful connected strategy to increase sales and awareness of their products and services. A Commerce solution also allows for companies to offer their full catalog of products and services, knowledge base, and intellectual property to their existing customers and potential customers.
Manufacturers that create an online presence are now able to meet customers at the beginning of their buying journey demonstrating their industry expertise and credibility Adopting a “self-service” model enables companies to reduce customer service costs while increasing accuracy, and reducing reordering time.
Benefits of commerce in manufacturing
The main benefits of commerce in manufacturing are speed to market, streamlined ordering capabilities, increased accuracy of order creation, and easy re-ordering capabilities. To be fair there are way more than just 5 benefits to implementing a commerce solution for manufacturers. Increased sales are the most common benefit you’ll see but below are some other equally beneficial reasons to make the switch.
Commerce has many benefits below are the top 5:
1. Direct Access to Customers
While the use of catalogs and directories to complete purchases as still effective, companies are offering a digital catalog that can provide a way to showcase all their products and services in a very detailed way. By consistently turning to search engines consumers can gain awareness of your products and services. Most B2B transactions start with a search.
2. Scalability
By leveraging a digital platform, companies are not only able to grow and respond to increased demands, but they are also able to access and penetrate new market segments through innovative and relatively inexpensive sales channels.
3. Improved Efficiencies
Commerce provides manufacturers with improved efficiencies through the integration of enterprise resource planning (ERP) and other back-end business systems. An effective commerce solution gives customers the ability to make purchases at their own convenience and allows manufacturers to spend less time, energy, and resources on customer service functions.
4. Analytics
When manufacturers utilize commerce platforms they are about to experience the world of analytics. Through data, and customer behavior manufacturers are able to measure the effectiveness of marketing and sales while gathering in-depth insights on customer engagement and interaction. Data virtualization provides manufactures with the necessary tools to make smarter business decisions and ultimately increase their bottom line.
5. Emergency Planning
In times surrounded by unforeseen circumstances and uncertainties, it is important for manufacturers to have effective emergency planning in order to cope with the changing economic environment.
Recently, manufacturing industries across the globe have been experiencing the implications of COVID-19. Consumer behavior has shifted away from on-site visitation and companies also have to consider the health and livelihood of employees as well as the impact on supply chain and business continuity. Employing commerce practices allows manufacturers to maintain updated data, analytics, and reporting establishing better insights that aid in better preparation for unplanned situations such as the present.
Making commerce a priority
Customers are demanding access to products and services 24/7, which is why now more than ever prioritizing commerce is of utmost importance. However, with this rapid shift towards digital transformation, choosing the right solution and partner can become overwhelming. Luckily, our vast industry knowledge and expertise allow us to expertly tailor our services and Salesforce solutions to match the needs of the complex and evolving commerce world.
In the end, the application of commerce for manufacturers is inevitable. In order to find success in this dynamic industry, a digital transformation is necessary. Don’t wait, schedule a personalized consultation with our manufacturing experts to learn how you can benefit from commerce software and strategy.
