A strategic interest in moving to B2B e-commerce
“
The turnover of the global B2B e-commerce market already exceeds that of B2C,
analyzes Delphine Robin, e-commerce marketing and partnership project manager at
DHL Express.
According to a 2019 Forrester study, by 2023, B2B e-commerce is expected to account for more than 17% of global B2B revenue.
Forrester Research
, an American company specializing in market research, predicts that the American B2B e-commerce market alone will reach 1,800 billion dollars... An opportunity to be seized for all French companies, in particular those hitherto turned towards B2C and who could also position themselves in B2B.
Fed up with the craze for shopping on the Internet, millennials now want their work environment to be modeled on that of their everyday life.
44% of them 1 also say they prefer not to have any interaction with a sales representative in the context of a B2B purchase.
Being able to buy 24/7 is their credo.
Ambitions and solutions for B2B e-commerce DHL Express
A paradigm shift and a business opportunity
E-commerce experienced spectacular development during the global pandemic that shook the planet in 2020. In B2C, processes are now well established.
"But in B2B, the market is only in the early stages of maturity,
" underlines Delphine Robin.
The next decade is expected to see increased levels of technology adoption and related investments by B2B companies.
»
For a company, switching to e-commerce sometimes involves real upheavals:
“The biggest challenge is human and not technological or logistical,
analyzes Delphine Robin.
Indeed, a “digital first”
mindset
is necessary to succeed.
In addition, we observe a “trivialization” of online purchases.
A B2B customer today is ready to make online purchases for more than US$50,000.
To develop a B2B e-commerce site, adjustments are often necessary, particularly in terms of product sheets, which must be very detailed, and payment options, which must be flexible and varied.
»
DHL Express supports companies in international omnichannel development
“The B2B buyer expects the same customer experience as in B2C throughout his buying process,
argues Delphine Robin.
It requires identical characteristics: speed, convenience, flexible delivery options.
This is where the expertise of
DHL Express comes into play, particularly in the
know
-how of cross-border sales in European and extra-European zones, but also in the guarantee of irreproachable traceability of products.
To export his cutlery items to 87 different countries with complete peace of mind, Pierre Jourdan, president of Les Fines Lames, needed reliability:
"The DHL Express teams supported us with customs rules by correctly categorizing our products, which are subject to strict and diverse import rules depending on the region of the world.
It is a trusted partner with a worldwide reputation, a name that reassures buyers.
Knowing that we work with DHL Express gives credibility to our company.
Its partnership with
DHL
Express
is therefore a success.
Now he knows where his parcels are at all times, which was not the case before:
“We have never had any delivery problems.
A package takes four days to travel from Marseille to Miami.
Our American customers sometimes have trouble getting delivery from the USA within the same timeframes from their other partners.
The delivery of DHL Express is perfect and meets our own quality requirement.
»
Based in Mérignac, Génération Robots targets both the general public and professionals:
“Our robots contain batteries,
explains Julien Amiel, the logistics manager.
DHL Express has trained our teams on dangerous goods, how to properly label our packages so that they are not returned to us.
The French firm, which exports to Germany, sees the partnership with
DHL Express
as
"
obvious, it reassures consumers across the Rhine"
.
Displaying the DHL Express
logo
on their sales site positions the Merignac company as serious.
“When someone who doesn't know us buys a robot, they know that we are not a ghost company, that we deliver our products quickly through a reputable carrier.
As the delivery times are respected, it helps us to receive positive customer reviews.
Julien Amiel
also appreciates the fact of being able to quickly deliver to professors and universities who need robots to work.
“And in the event of a problem, breakage or damaged package, we rely on the insurance of DHL Express.
And
he adds to conclude:
“When they open a new line in a country, that inevitably helps us gain market share, because we can export in complete safety!
»
1 Gartner, “Future of sales 2025: deliver the digital options B2B buyers demand”, December 2020.
