Top Features to Look for in Distributor eCommerce Software

The pandemic-enforced shift in consumers to an online shopping mechanism caused a staggering rise in eCommerce software to handle the growing influx of digital shoppers. This trend, coupled with technological advancements, a younger buyer demographic, and a growing appetite for versatile product offerings, has created a fertile ground for B2B eCommerce distributors to increase both their revenue and operational efficiency—if they embrace these changes and choose the best software.

This software must have features like website builder & content management tools that help distributors effortlessly customize and modify the brand experience for various markets, sectors, and platforms. 

In this article, we’ll go through the top features that B2B distributors ought to look for in their eCommerce software.

Top 12 B2B eCommerce Software Features

An eCommerce software with outstanding features that align with B2B distributor needs is a great way to keep up with the increased demand for eCommerce interactions. Numerous features offered by the majority of B2B eCommerce software help B2B distributors scale their businesses, manage their logistics, and meet their growth goals.

However, B2B distributors may find it challenging to determine what features they actually require if there are too many options on the plate.

Here are the top 12 B2B eCommerce software features that most B2B distributors are looking for:

1. Search & Navigation

Streamlining the eCommerce offering is very important for B2B distributors to ensure smooth navigation for potential clients. With built-in search and navigation features, B2B distributors can fix the challenge of researching and purchasing products online to empower clients to quickly complete their orders without any hassle.

2. Order Management

B2B distributors need to have a solid order management solution to handle recurring orders and complex high-volume purchases. A B2B order management system provides flexibility in placing orders for the clients, which also allows sales teams to take orders while out in the field and support teams to access client accounts for further assistance when needed.

3. Product Recommendations

By targeting clients through customized product recommendations, B2B distributors directly deal with most of the client’s pain points and provide them with an ultimate experience, helping B2B distributors to grow their revenue.

4. Quick Ordering or Reordering

Distributors should look for quick ordering/reordering features that empower their clients to place orders in a more convenient manner. It facilitates restocking and placing bulk orders for clients. Functions like quick-order lists and shared order histories enable customers to reorder effortlessly, saving time and enhancing the overall eCommerce experience.

5. Account-Specific Pricing

In the eCommerce business, distributors often need to meet the needs of customer-specific terms and individual accounts appropriately. An eCommerce software that supports segmented pricing across distributors’ customer bases and protects pricing information with user authentication can be a great option for them.

This pricing feature should include PCI-compliant credit card storage and pre-integrated payment gateways to provide B2B clients with flexible payment options. To ensure further convenience, B2B distributors look for a platform that has a pricing feature loaded with easily downloadable invoices, checks order status and manages multiple payments and shipping options from one central location.

6. Price List Management

This advanced pricing feature is important for organizing the pricing based on various criteria. With this feature, B2B distributors can create price lists for broad price groups and determine pricing as per different parameters like order volume, location, and customer segments.

7. Quotes

Providing account-level quotes is a crucial aspect of B2B eCommerce platforms. B2B distributors should, therefore, search for a platform that allows clients to request quotations and gives them the details they require to complete their transaction with the least amount of involvement from their support or sales staff.

Being adaptable is essential. Distributors should be able to manage the quoting process for both authorized and unauthenticated users and set up quoting workflows with quote functionality.

8. Self-Service Accounts

It works well in creating and managing corporate accounts for multiple clients across an organization for B2B distributors. Due to this, now clients have a chance to access specific pricing and purchasing options unique to their account, encouraging them to manage their purchasing needs freely.

By centrally storing account and order data, it all comes down to streamlining the purchasing procedure to expedite the completion of intricate orders involving several decision-makers.

9. Flexible Payment Options

B2B distributors need eCommerce software that helps them to easily set and manage payment terms along with credit limits at the account. This feature does exactly this and allows for price plans and account-specific pricing. When it comes to larger purchases, this feature speeds up the checkout process.

10. Flexible User Permissions

A B2B eCommerce platform with customizable user permissions can make the purchasing process easier by allowing many clients from the same organization to log in and access shared account information. User logins are controlled centrally via an administration panel, which assigns account hierarchies and assists in defining roles and permissions for child accounts. 

This shared account approach allows corporate clients to manage their buying accounts across multiple contacts, giving them access to B2B-specific pricing/purchasing options, as well as the ability to assign roles and permissions to different employees, share information such as requisition lists, and view order history.

11. Advanced Catalog Management

The complexity of B2B product catalogs can make things hard for distributors. That’s why it’s important to have a dedicated tool for catalog management. They must try to find a tool that allows seamless uploading and configuring of products.

Once uploading is done from a single platform, distributors will have the option to create, manage, and update product data from stores, websites, channels, and locations. This makes catalog management a breeze, helping distributors to improve their eCommerce experience.

12. International Support

With the growing global B2B eCommerce market, it now becomes a necessity for B2B distributors to have eCommerce software that can support multiple languages, currencies, International tax requirements, and all other crucial aspects that can help them expand their region or territory.

Conclusion

The B2B eCommerce market is booming, and many businesses are trying to establish themselves through attractive offerings.

To fulfill this purpose, B2B distributors must analyze their business nuances well before opting for any specific platform. The different platforms come with different features, and they must examine the aforementioned features to better understand which features align with their specific business needs. 

Due to the abundance of eCommerce software, B2B distributors may get overwhelmed. That’s where DCKAP comes into play and offers customized solutions designed to meet diverse business needs. In order to improve the B2B eCommerce experience, B2B distributors can explore DCKAP and emerge as a dominant player in the competitive market.