Companies that sell to other companies are seeing more value in digital commerce as a way to connect with customers, a new study finds.

“Digital sales are no longer a slideshow,” Intershop Communications AG says in a study released last week. The study, “Taking the Fast Track into the Digital Future of B2B Commerce,” was based on an August 2016 survey of 400 e-commerce executives in the United States and several countries in Europe. It found that more than three-quarters, or 76%, of respondents said their organization has implemented a dedicated B2B e-commerce site, and that 39% said their e-commerce site was their primary sales channel. The study was conducted by market research firm Vanson Bourne on behalf of Intershop, a provider of e-commerce technology.

When asked to name the most important online features for satisfying customers, respondents cited payment options at the top of their list, followed by personalized content. Respondents also noted that the most important reason   for integrating their e-commerce site with their back-end order management business operations software was to improve inventory management.

Following are the percentages of e-commerce executives who cited these website features as most important for pleasing their customers (respondents could choose more than one):

Flexible payment options, including credit cards and PayPal, 47%

Personalized web content 42%

After-sales customer service 40%

Product comparisons 36 %

Mobile device optimization and integration with website 32%

Site search functionality 29%

Social media features, including ability to share product information 28%

Following are the percentages of e-commerce executives who cited the most important reasons for integrating their e-commerce sites with an order management system:

Improved stock-level management 58%

More efficient e-commerce operation 57%

Better integration between customer orders, supply chains and deliveries 56%

Fewer lost orders 52%

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