There’s a lot that business-to-business marketers can learn from business-to-consumer commerce. Many principles that guide successful B2C strategies—such as a tailored e-commerce platform, an intuitive user experience and engaging, informative content—are pillars of both B2B and B2C marketing strategies.

However, while much has been written about the lessons B2C provides, there are fundamental differences between the two realms that aren’t changing. And with B2B e-commerce roughly twice the size of B2C e-commerce in dollar sales, according to Forrester Research Inc., it’s critical to understand the differences in B2B and B2C experiences before you can make an educated decision on the right platform for your organization.

Victoria Gustafson, consumer products/grocery strategy lead, Astound Commerce

Here’s what to keep in mind when strategizing for B2B ecommerce:

• Target Audience

B2C brands are used to casting a wide net. A women’s clothing brand has a specific audience to market to, but it’s aiming for a relatively large pool. And though the B2C space is moving towards more personalized relationships with consumers, it’s still impossible and unnecessary to develop intimate relationships with every shopper. The nature of B2C commerce is still much more transactional as a whole.

The nature of B2B demands more in-depth, long-tail relationships with smaller target audiences. What’s more, given the higher expense of B2B purchases, buyer-seller relationships become much more important. Trust and quality customer service will make or break long term relationships with business buyers.

• E-commerce Platform

The complexities of B2B commerce require an e-commerce platform that addresses every nuance of the buying process. A platform that is perfect for a consumer brand might not be a fit for a B2B company. Both consumer and B2B platforms may need to accommodate a wide variety of factors, among them a hefty number of SKUs, product-focused content like images as well as user-generated material like reviews and ratings.

And both types of platforms should integrate with enterprise resource planning (ERP) software and other back-end functions, to centrally organize data and ensure the platform delivers the highest ROI. For example, as online orders come in, the integration with the back-end software systems ensures that they update the availability products displayed online.

But a B2B platform must also support higher levels of personalization, since each buyer might have an individualized pricing plan, purchasing authorization and credit terms. The platform should be able to serve relevant information to each user upon logging in, which might vastly differ in each situation. Additionally, compared with the consumer space, B2B businesses handle incredibly complex orders, with various configurations and compatibilities that must be accounted for.

• User Experience

On B2C websites, shoppers need a frictionless path to purchase that ensures they can buy and receive products as quickly as possible, and see recommendations for other items they might be interested in. Consumer platforms prioritize ease and convenience, so that shoppers keep coming back for more purchases.

The B2B space goes beyond that.

Business buyers aren’t always making quick purchases, especially in the beginning of their relationship with companies. Platforms need to provide extensive onboarding and change management programs to ensure smooth transitions from previous processes. User experiences must be simple enough to encourage adoption, which makes site searchability, product cataloging and the ability to save work streams essential. And while each buyer might be accessing the site differently, they all should be able to view information quickly and easily.

Furthermore, while B2C commerce should enable customers to get products as fast as they want, the B2B sites must place more emphasis on letting buyers get products when they need them. A purchasing agent might order products to be delivered on the 12th of each month, for example. This requires a system that can anticipate product demand and flawlessly fulfill orders.

• Promotion

It’s often simpler to promote consumer brands online. SEO strategies and content amplification specifically are easier to accomplish in retail than in the B2B space, since product data is easily accessible to search engines.
It’s more complicated in the B2B realm. Product data inside B2B platforms often is hidden from search engines, which means product awareness comes largely from direct relationships with potential buyers. It also comes over a longer timeline, since B2B sales cycles tend to be significantly longer than those in the consumer space.

Additionally, effective promotional content in the B2B context is typically based around training potentially heavy users on how to quickly find and purchase what they need, so buyers aren’t scared away by overly complex processes.

• Content

Content in the consumer space focuses on the now: The goal is to provide useful, positive content to prompt shoppers to buy quickly, and keep them coming back. There is also a movement towards user-generated content, like reviews and social media campaigns, that excite and inform customers without requiring big investments in time or money by marketing teams.

Things aren’t so simple for B2B brands. Content isn’t just about urging business buyers to purchase. It needs to provide enough information to get them to not only pull the trigger, but justify their purchase decision to superiors. Information is king.  Content should focus on product specifications, compatibilities and other details rather than primarily on user-generated content.

As B2B e-commerce begins to mature, brands that create stellar digital experiences for business buyers will be the first to reap the rewards. That requires a solid understanding of the strategies that target business buyers effectively and onboard them smoothly to support long-term relationships. While there remains much to be learned from the B2C space, it’s just as important to master the nuances that make B2B a different beast.

Victoria Gustafson is CPG/Grocery Strategy Lead at Astound Commerce, a global digital commerce services agency. Victoria has worked with some of the world’s leading brands, including Lysol, Mucinex, TRESemme, L’Oréal, Sally Hansen and French’s, helping them achieve growth through data-driven marketing and innovation. Follow her and Astound Commerce on Twitter @AstoundCommerce.