Take your B2B chemical company into the online world eCommerce and the Chemical Industry Like all businesses that are branching into eCommerce, businesses in the chemical industry find that they have their own set of needs, challenges and potential benefits. Expanding your B2B business online can lead to greater sales and customer satisfaction. Many businesses now expect to be able to buy anything online, you may have even had some of your customers already asking how they can order from your company online. If you aren’t already convinced, here are a few more reasons and tips for bring your chemical business online. Younger Generations Grow Up on Tech A Changing Demographic One of the main reasons that your chemical industry company needs to branch into eCommerce if it hasn’t already is because of the changing demographics of buyers. As senior level buyers retire, a younger, more technical savvy generation is taking their places. Younger generations grew up using the internet and expect to be able to look up and order from companies using the internet rather than having to use paper invoices or call and salesperson to place an order. If your company doesn’t offer eCommerce, younger buyers will choose to order from a chemical company that does. Mobile eCommerce Leads Desktop eCommerce Must Accommodate Mobile Another option that the younger generation of business buyers expects is ordering items using their mobile devices. Many companies give their employees work smartphones and tablets to do their work anytime, anywhere. Buyers often use these mobile devices to research and make purchases for the business. Your eCommerce site needs to be mobile friendly and have a responsive web design. Buyers should be able to easily view your website and eCommerce store, no matter what device that they are using. Are You Prepared for a Global Audience? Regulations in Other Countries Opening an eCommerce store greatly expands the audience that you are able to reach, and audience that includes buyers in other countries. If your chemical company chooses to sell in multiple regions around the globe, it is important to know and follow all of the rules and regulations for each region that you are selling to. Chemical products and the selling of them are subject to different rules in different countries. Certain chemicals may be banned in some countries. In others, you may not be able to ship a chemical to the buyer if it is over a certain weight or is highly concentrated. Before you started selling online to regions where you aren’t familiar with their regulations, you need to know what is allowed and what isn’t. Built to Adapt to Your Business Needs A Customized eCommerce Platform One of the distinctive characteristics about almost every B2B company, including ones in the chemical industry, is their very unique and specialized business and its needs. Some chemical companies sell standard chemicals in bulk to other companies, while others sell chemicals that are custom made specifically for each of their business customers. Whether your company does either of these or something completely different in the chemical industry, it is extremely important to use a highly customizable eCommerce platform that can handle your business’ needs. The platform should allow developers to scale it, personalize and edit your product catalog easily, and change it in a way that makes it work best for your business. Automating Your Business Processes Integrate with ERP and CRM Software To help your eCommerce site and store run efficiently, your business software needs to be integrated with them. integration with your business software can help automate billing, shipping, and marketing campaigns, just to name a few. Integrating your eCommerce site with your CRM software can also help your sales team contact leads quicker and identify which leads are most promising. If your B2B business plans on going online, one of the first things you should do is integrate your site with your software because it will save your business and staff time, energy and money for years to come. More Than 1,300 Sites Built Clarity Can Help At Clarity, we know what it takes to sell to other companies online. Our team has decades of combined experience helping our business to business company clients develop and improve their eCommerce websites. Our eCommerce platform, Clarity eCommerce, was created to be a perfect fit for B2B businesses, flexible, dependable, and scalable. To find out more about how Clarity can help your B2B business, call or click to contact us today!