B2B ecommerce is undergoing a sea change, a trend some analysts and companies even call a transformation.

As COVID-19 changes the entire dynamic of how companies of all sizes do business, the result is a fundamental and permanent shift to increased digital commerce.

But to compete in B2B ecommerce in a new corporate atmosphere changed by COVID-19, companies of all sizes are accelerating their B2B ecommerce plans, according to preliminary results of research on B2B buyer activity conducted by Digital Commerce 360 as part of a panel discussion for B2B Next 2020.

The B2B Next 2020 conference and exhibition is an all-virtual event this fall. B2B Next 2020 will take place Sept. 29 and 30. Registration is now open.

The survey of 50 buyers is ongoing. But early responses finds that 82% of companies plan to spend “somewhat” to “significantly” more online this year. 34% of B2B buyers also make digital purchases of goods and services for their organization at least weekly, including 13% several times each week.

The full results—as well as expert analysis of the survey and how veteran ecommerce directors are meeting the needs of digital buyers at their companies—will be presented on a panel, “How Sellers Can Deliver What Buyers Really Want,” featuring noted ecommerce industry speaker and DC 360 senior consumer insights analyst Lauren Freedman, Brady Corp. vice president of ecommerce and marketing Nicole Westenberger and Connexion director of ecommerce Liz Paradise.

In all, there will be 12 panel sessions presenting during the course of the all-virtual B2B Next 2020 that will also be digitally archived for attendees to access whenever and however they choose. Panels for B2B Next —a joint venture between Digital Commerce 360 and Paradigm B2B, a consulting organization formed by Andy Hoar, a recognized authority on B2B ecommerce—have been developed with the distinct needs of the B2B practitioner at all levels in digital commerce in mind.

The coronavirus will profoundly change how companies of all size are implementing or expanding B2B ecommerce. B2B ecommerce is accelerating, but at an uneven pace. For example, a recent survey of 125 manufacturers finds that 80% of companies still depend primarily on their internal sales force to drive revenue, but that nearly three-fourths of manufacturers—70%—don’t have a comprehensive digital commerce strategy in place.

The virtual panels at B2B Next 2020 are built around topics that are focused on the top-of-mind challenges and opportunities of B2B practitioners.

Topics include:
• Up Close and Personalized
• New Suppliers, Reengineering Logistics: Pandemic Supply Chain Lessons
• Top 10 Gripes of Online B2B Buyers: What They Wish Sellers Knew
• Live Reviews: Generating B2B Sales with Social Media
• State of B2B Ecommerce and Where It Goes from Here
• Turn Skeptics into Believers and Get Buy-In
• The Golden Age of B2B Marketplaces
• Getting Your Tech Selection Right
• Live Reviews: How Does Your B2B Ecommerce Site Measure Up?
• Achieving Success on Amazon Business
• Taking Stock of the Leading B2B Ecommerce Platforms
• How Sellers Can Deliver What Buyers Really Want

The entirely virtual B2B Next 2020 has expanded in multiple ways to meet the needs of companies of all sizes. Those companies are looking to capitalize on emerging opportunities in B2B ecommerce, a market where ecommerce sites, portals and marketplaces generated total 2019 sales of $1.3 trillion, according to data published in the 2020 U.S. B2B Ecommerce Market Report, a new report from Digital Commerce 360 B2B, a Vertical Web Media brand.

The all-virtual B2B Next 2020 event features an easy-to-use and highly interactive platform that enables attendees to select the sessions most important to them. As a key bonus, attendees also can access keynotes and case studies they miss at a later date. The full slate of digital educational content available at B2B has been organized into these prominent tracks:
• Change management
• Channel strategies
• Digital business
• Technology & Innovation

As the B2B ecommerce market moves ahead into the “new normal,” B2B Next 2020 will be there as a virtual event—and digital information portal—designed to help ecommerce practitioners survive COVID-19 and thrive in the future, said Molly Love, co-founder of B2B Next and president and CEO of Vertical Web Media.

Registration for B2B Next is now open. Learn more at B2BNext.net.