What to Look for in an eCommerce Platform Vendor Tips to make sure you choose the right B2B eXommerce platform vendor Choosing a vendor for your B2B eCommerce platform can be a daunting task. This is the platform that you will be using to support your entire eCommerce store, which means that you don’t want to make the wrong choice. Thankfully there are quite a few good options when it comes to eCommerce platforms and vendors. To select the right vendor for your B2B eCommerce platform, you need to keep a few things in mind and take your business needs into consideration. Trust: The Best Starting Point Trust is the basis of all successful relationships, even professional ones. In order for you to be confident that you are choosing the right vendor, you must be able to trust them. Do your research on the company, talk to others who have used their services, and get to know the developer or team that would be helping with your eCommerce platform. If you are planning to go with a customized eCommerce solution, it is a good idea to ask for and follow up with references. If they are willing to give you their time and answer all of your questions without rushing you to choose them, chances are they can be trusted with your business. Handling RFI and RFQs Once you have narrowed down the vendors you are choosing between, it is time for RFQs and RFIs. An RFI is a request for information. If you have any further questions about the company or their work, feel free to ask for more information. An RFQ is a request for quote on your project(s). This will give you an idea of how the vendor would handle rolling out and customizing your B2B eCommerce platform and how much it would cost. If you are uncertain about any of the information the vendor gives in the quote or the information, don’t hesitate to ask about it. A truly experienced vendor will be able to handle and actually appreciate your questions and desire to learn more. Support: Technical and Otherwise No matter how easy the platform is to use, your business will still need occasional support from your platform vendor after they have finished customizing it. Look for reviews about the vendor to see what others have said about their customer support experiences with them. If you know another company that the vendor has done work for, reach out to them because they will be able to give you the best insight. Weigh your options when considering what type of support each vendor offers. Will you be paying extra for support, and if so, what will you be getting for it? Will you have a rep at the company you have a relationship with that you can depend on, or will your support be outsourced? Your Business’s Specific Needs Every business is unique, especially every B2B business. When selecting a vendor, you need a company that not only understands that your business has unique needs, but one that can and is willing to cater to those needs. If you have specific wants, make those clear to the vendor before you choose them. The vendor needs to be able to reassure you that they can handle your needs and will accommodate them. Clarity Can Help Our team at Clarity has decades of combined experience working with and customizing B2B eCommerce platforms. We even built our own eCommerce platform that works well for B2B and is highly customizable. We would love to be able to help your company set up your B2B eCommerce platform or B2B marketplace. For more advice on how to select the right vendor for your platform or to find out how Clarity eCommerce can suit your business needs, call or click to contact us today!