Though open-source options, like Magento, supply larger management and suppleness over website customizations, they typically contain a excessive whole value of possession (TCO) by way of software program, internet hosting, implementation and assist charges. And as your corporation outgrows your open-source know-how, chances are you’ll search to modernize your B2B ecommerce setting and shift to an Open SaaS resolution.
Enter BigCommerce.
With the mixed advantages of open supply and SaaS, BigCommerce presents a turnkey resolution that permits ecommerce companies to answer fast-changing buyer calls for. Even with an increasing product catalog, B2B companies can enhance how they merchandize with out worrying about platform upkeep complications and considerably scale back the necessity for personalization.
However as many B2B ecommerce retailers could know, making the large change from open supply to SaaS isn’t at all times a stroll within the park.
For steering, we sat down with Vik Gundoju, Accomplice at StrikeTru, to find out how their company helps B2B purchasers migrate to BigCommerce utilizing StrikeTru’s Akeneo PIM Connector.
What Are Among the Deciding Components for Proposing BigCommerce to Your Shoppers?
VG: “We work with a variety of small- and medium-sized companies and retailers, and I’ve seen a number of purchasers, together with bigger purchasers, that battle with having a very good on-line presence once they have a Magento backend.
“It’s primarily as a result of it’s an open-source platform that’s not as simple to arrange and preserve. It has an excessive amount of flexibility and when you might have a platform like that, you want a growth staff that’s well-versed in Magento, and your necessities also needs to warrant the flexibleness and related prices of the platform.
“We additionally felt that for B2B performance, BigCommerce presents out-of-box performance at a really compelling worth, and it comes with such good assist.
“We knew that with BigCommerce, we [could] choose up the telephone and get a [customer support representative] inside a minute, and, in my expertise, they had been very educated. All of these items put collectively make us snug in proposing BigCommerce.”
What Was Your Expertise Creating the Market Connector App and the Ease of Integrating Akeneo PIM with the BigCommerce Platform?
VG: “Primarily based on [advice from BigCommerce], we developed an app that synchronizes all of the product information buildings, information and property within the Akeneo Product Info Administration (PIM) system into the backend of BigCommerce.
“It’s a very API-based system, so I had my staff take a look at the APIs, they usually had been pleasantly stunned that there’s a number of useful documentation obtainable in your web site.
“We shortly obtained a trial website going so we might begin experimenting. Then, we had entry to the assist staff, which we truthfully didn’t want a lot as a result of there was a lot documentation obtainable. We had been already working with some accounts, so we had been acquainted with the performance of BigCommerce … However what made it tremendous simple to construct a connector was the truth that the APIs are so complete and well-documented. We had been type of self-servicing ourselves, which is nice. We by no means ran right into a wall creating the Akeneo PIM connector with BigCommerce — and that’s massive.”
What are Among the Benefits of Working with an Company like StrikeTru?
VG: “Particularly throughout COVID, we’ve seen that most individuals are actually shopping for merchandise on-line — so firms have to rework to answer the surge on digital channels. There’s no “ifs” and “buts.”
“To remodel, you must clear up your core know-how and information points. Greatest practices right here embody deploying new tech instruments, implementing agile information administration practices after which making your information very usable and transportable throughout departments and throughout your buyer and associate ecosystems.
“Usually what we discover is firms, particularly SMBs, don’t have experience on these instruments and don’t have the workers who can arrange and function these instruments, particularly to start with phases — that’s the place the businesses are available in.
“We usher in finest practices in deploying these instruments. We convey within the experience on these instruments that the businesses don’t have; we all know learn how to deploy and configure them, and combine them. We’re additionally information architects and know learn how to clear up information challenges. We’re additionally course of re-engineering folks. We get to grasp the entire consumer’s information and commerce processes and re-engineer them to finest leverage the brand new tech instruments. We align consumer necessities with the capabilities of those instruments, and in addition present undertaking administration and coaching providers to assist keep away from stalled or failed initiatives.”
How Does Transferring a B2B Enterprise On-line Influence the Gross sales Staff if They Had been Beforehand Supporting B2B Prospects?
VG: “What’s occurred — and that is one thing {that a} wholesale distributor of commercial provides informed me once I interviewed them up to now — historically, that they had good margins on every kind of product traces, near 30% — and that afforded them the flexibility to have direct gross sales folks promote these merchandise to their prospects.
“However now, due to Amazon and all the value transparency and intense competitors on-line, for sure merchandise which are commodities, the margins have shrunk to a degree the place the enterprise can’t at all times assist a direct salesperson. So, they’ve to go surfing with these merchandise.
“Now, what the distributor needed to do is basically begin promoting extra of these commodities on-line, comparable to a set of micro websites or energy instruments — it’s a commodity class. You possibly can stroll into Lowes or Dwelling Depot and get these merchandise. You don’t want a high-end gross sales man to promote these to you.
“The margins are low, so the one strategy to make cash there’s to leverage all their present relationships and entry to product and distribution, after which promote on-line and survive even on these decrease margins as a result of they’re scaled. Then, get rid of the salesperson out of the equation as a result of they’re excessive fee.”
What Methods Did Your B2B Shoppers Use to Onboard Prospects to Purchase On-line?
VG: “I’ve had some B2B purchasers desirous to transition away from relationship-based gross sales and onboard prospects to purchase on-line, and infrequently they’re slowed down in know-how points and getting all of it working correctly for B2B. In addition they have channel battle to fret about. So there are different challenges that they should account for earlier than they will transfer a variety of their purchasers in mass.
“I feel channel battle is a key one. They want to ensure their present gross sales staff is introduced into it, even when it means they’ve to regulate their gross sales compensation, no matter it’s. As soon as these discussions occur, I feel they’ve a wholesale purchase in, then they will aggressively transfer their prospects on-line. I might say know-how and information points, in the event that they overcome that, then they will resolve their gross sales and enterprise points. After that’s once they would actually go at it.”
What Recommendation Would You Give to Different B2B Corporations Seeking to Shift Their Enterprise On-line?
VG: “If I can say one factor: Don’t wait. You don’t have time, so get began now.
“In right now’s digital-first setting, you will need to digitize operations and digitize now, in any other case you danger being out-competed and turning into irrelevant. In case you are going by way of a digital transformation, assess your present state of content material and commerce operations and develop an implementation roadmap and be methodical about that. You possibly can take a crawl, stroll and run implementation method with right now’s trendy instruments. You shouldn’t really feel like you have to clear up for all the things [from] day one. You possibly can at all times clear up some high-priority use instances first and transfer on to others subsequent — that’s the place a roadmap is available in.”
“I’ve had a variety of purchasers who’re very anxious about seeing outcomes immediately, and I feel the important thing message is it’s an funding — so you must be just a little affected person. It’s important to make investments first, after which it is best to have life like expectations on what this funding is doing for you, whether or not it’s commerce or content material. Don’t be impatient, since you may get disillusioned and transfer on. It’s secure stakes right now. So you must do it. Spend money on it and do it proper.”
Discover the B2B Ecommerce Resolution from BigCommerce
Are you a B2B enterprise seeking to make the bounce from open supply to SaaS? Schedule a demo for BigCommerce B2B Version, and our migration consultants might be comfortable to help you within the transition. And for further insights on all issues B2B, try The State of B2B Ecommerce: 2022 Pattern Report.
