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How Should You Prioritize B2B E‑Commerce Investments?

Forrester Research analysts predict that by 2019 manufacturers and wholesalers will account for a combined 30% of spending on e-commerce technology, compared with a forecasted 28% share of spending by online retailers. So how should you prioritize your e-commerce investments? That largely depends on the maturity of your current system.

This article will provide insights to identifying the best type of software development partner for constructing enterprise business and mobile applications. Specifically, we’ll explore how a potential development partner’s business model, focus on greenfield vs maintenance development and types of developers can impact your level of success.

If you’re currently offering a basic, no thrills e-commerce experience, you’ll likely benefit from making investments in the following capabilities:

    • Content management system
    • Dynamic cross-sell/up-sell
    • Multiple shipping options
    • Contract & tiered pricing
    • Multifaceted Search
    • Shopping lists

If your e-commerce system is more advanced from a customer experience perspective, you’ll likely benefit from making investments in:

    • Business Intelligence
    • Integrating back end systems; ERP, inventory, fulfillment, CRM, etc.
    • Custom product development self-service

In general, you should invest in marketing features and customer experience first and then in creating efficiencies that increase profitability.