{"id":8366,"date":"2021-03-09T12:57:48","date_gmt":"2021-03-09T18:57:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/catsy.com\/blog\/?p=8366"},"modified":"2024-12-23T05:17:31","modified_gmt":"2024-12-23T11:17:31","slug":"b2b-buyer-experience-shopify","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/catsy.com\/blog\/b2b-buyer-experience-shopify\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Ways to Enhance the B2B Buyer\u2019s Experience on Shopify"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Are you operating an online B2B store on the Shopify platform<\/a>? New businesses have been flocking to Shopify like bees to pollen, and understandably so. The more important question is: Are you keeping up with the modern B2B buyer experience? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a range of offers, from standard platforms for smaller merchants to Shopify Plus for larger enterprises, Shopify has been the go-to for a diversity of business types. Whether you\u2019re a manufacturer or supplier, a vendor or wholesaler, or distributor<\/a>, an ecommerce platform\u2019s flexibility is immensely helpful for driving sales. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

No matter how robust a platform like Shopify may be, massive results rely on implementation. Regardless of industry, be it furniture, industrial tools, parts and automotive, or other critical equipment, the B2B buyer is much different today than it was a couple of decades ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This isn\u2019t news. With everyone online, it makes sense that the modern B2B audience is just like regular consumers. More than half of B2B buyers order online. Ultimately, this transition in behavior is what propelled legacy and brick-and-mortar businesses online (alongside unavoidable black swan – the pandemic). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shopify offers a lot to create a holistic experience through a variety of quality, customizable themes, globalization options, opting for multiple storefronts from wholesale-focused to direct-to-consumer. It allows for automation when it comes to inventory and stock levels, new product introductions, and so on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, simply opening and running a Shopify storefront isn\u2019t enough. On one hand, the internet makes it easier and quicker to access more prospects. What that also means is you need to put in more effort to turn those leads into marketing qualified leads, and even more to convert them into sales-qualified leads. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s time to focus on a quality, B2B buyer experience. <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Targeting B2B audiences requires a fusion of traditional and digital elements during the sales cycle. That means you’re in for an equally complex, long-term process plus the added challenge of vying for the attention of the right<\/em>, empowered prospective B2B buyer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

B2B companies need to keep an eye on their B2B lead\u2019s journeys. By building an excellent B2b buyer experience on their Shopify site, it\u2019s possible to augment a store\u2019s usability, navigation, content relevance, satisfaction, and give buyers everything they need to know before making a decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are 7 ways to vastly improve the online B2B buyer experience, especially with helpful tools like PIM that can further automate and streamline the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Ensure Content Completeness <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Product content isn\u2019t a one-time thing. When businesses have multiple storefronts or platforms to manage, consistently creating content can become a last-minute thought. Missing even the basics might be a usual occurrence, usually due to mismanagement or improper systems. As a result, content is poor and incomplete – not enough for shoppers to make an educated purchase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why is complete content important? <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If there\u2019s anything to be said about poor content, it\u2019s that it leads to returns, fewer repeat purchases, less customer trust and confidence in your brand<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Incomplete content is even direr in B2B business. Without an abundant amount of information that educates and increases buyer confidence, it\u2019s likely the B2B buyers will turn elsewhere. The B2B sphere has little wiggle room to depend on impulse buys or emotion-based marketing. So while SEO-driven copy and the bare minimum product detail may attract an audience, incomplete content will turn them away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As user-friendly as Shopify is for both merchants and customers alike, ensuring that only the most complete content is published is largely the merchants’ responsibility. When it comes to B2B businesses with far too many operational processes to keep track of, publishing the basic content requirements may be a success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But for an excellent B2B buyer experience on Shopify, it\u2019s important to go above and beyond. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to improve content completeness?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ensuring your content is complete can seem like an extra obligation. It might mean going through every single product page to check the presence of all product information, digital assets, and information PDF spec sheets or extra marketing material. When it comes to thousands of SKUs commonly seen with B2B companies, it’s not feasible to efficiently manage every product’s page. But avoiding it altogether leads to incomplete information that doesn’t suffice for the critical B2B buyer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To lighten the workload, what if there was an automated system that could detect the extent of completeness for each product page content<\/a>? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A PIM software<\/a> that includes a completeness scoring feature does exactly that. Firstly, PIM makes sure your product page format is perfectly standardized, instantly and automatically. On top of that, completeness scoring shows a percentage bar next to every product page. If something is missing, the score will clearly show a lower percentage. Thus, it allows you to avoid wasting time double-checking every single product and only focus on what actually needs work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Completeness scoring shows the extent to which each content type is filled in, from attribute fields to digital assets. How robust your content is can largely depend on your industry. Of course, the more content – high-quality visuals, in-use photography, thumbnails, descriptions, features, specs, warranty information, or comparison charts – the more robust your pages are for your B2B buyer experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"High<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

2. Product Taxonomy for Quality User Experience<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Product taxonomy is a system of classifying products behind-the-scenes, creating an easily navigable store for customers. It’s an organizational method based on relationships between products, using attributes and tags.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The importance of taxonomy is two-fold. The B2B customer can find exactly what they need in a snap, and the business has operational efficiency. What occurs in the back-end will clearly show up on the front-end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Types of Product Taxonomy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are two ways of setting up product taxonomy: Hierarchical or faceted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hierarchical taxonomy<\/strong> is the more common structure. It organizes products based on the top-down relationships of products – also known on some platforms as the parent-child relationship. The best way to describe hierarchical taxonomy is by categorizing products with one aspect or dimension of classification. One broad category collapses into subcategories. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, a computer product line might divide into multiple subcategories of computer series or models, which can further divide into computers of varying specifications. Each organization can go about it a different way depending on the industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Faceted categorization<\/strong> is a more complex way of arranging product taxonomy. At the same time, it\u2019s most suitable for inventories with a lot of products, which would be more difficult to organize based on hierarchical organization.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you know which hierachy works best with your products? If the content that shows up on category pages is duplicated, hierarchical taxonomy might not work. In that case, faceted hierarchy is the go-to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To use faceted taxonomy to its advantage, it\u2019s best to choose facets that are broad, subject-wise enough. At the same time, we have no relationship with each other. For example, a category might divide into subcategories of facets based on common attributes, like size, color, or other dimensions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a one-stop-shop for product data, product information management software<\/a> can be the first place to set up and maintain product taxonomy. After uploading all products and data, you set up the organizational system there, so all subsequent products you add naturally fall into place. Once accomplished, the taxonomy system copies onto another platform, including Shopify, for consistency on all stores.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Black<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

3. Faceted Search Streamlines Product Findability <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Today, B2B customers don\u2019t just expect an intuitive user experience<\/a>. They also expect a honed way of searching for and filtering through products for the exact specification they need. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you have an organized product taxonomy structure, it arranges everything well both on the navigation system and the faceted search features. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Faceted search is when a shopper is searching through product categories but wants to limit the product selection to a few, specific attributes they are looking for. Usually found on the sidebar, the faceted search is well-known to any consumer, with a series of checkboxes next to identify, common characteristics like brand, color, length, width, size, and price range. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Faceted search doesn\u2019t denote that a taxonomy structure is a faceted hierarchy. Any business can set up a faceted search on their online Shopify store. In fact, Shopify offers great options for merchants to set this up. However, like everything else, there\u2019s a right way of doing it and a wrong way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When done right, faceted navigation vastly improves the B2B buyer experience – both on online storefronts and custom-made catalogs. When done wrong, it can lead to duplicate content pages. How? It depends on how you decide your facets and filters will be. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Facets vs. Filters<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Search filters will have two types of attributes: facets and filters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Facets<\/strong> are lower-level sub-categories that are indexed, which means search web crawlers will pick up on pages in which users pick their desired features. Filters<\/strong>, however, are not indexed, because doing so would create a nightmare for SEO. This is because filters tend to be features that are too broad or overlap across categories. Thus multiple search results will have duplicate product listings on them. When unindexed, they are exempt from web crawler detection. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, both together result in an easy, user experience when searching for products. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lets B2B Prospects Find Products Faster<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When the multi faceted search is well-maintained, it promotes better product findability. B2B businesses<\/a> with a large inventory of thousands of products can lay out easy roadmaps for B2B buyers to quickly decide if what they want is available. The magic number is 15 seconds, if customers aren\u2019t satisfied with the product offerings, they\u2019ll leave immediately. Your job is to make sure you give all your products a chance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With faceted search, it sets up an interface for speedy filtering, especially when it comes to complex products with highly specific attributes or multiple variants of different dimensions. A B2B buyer looking for industrial tools already has set specifications in mind, and being able to search for the exact height, width, usage, material, and so on, reduces their frustration and prevents wasted time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The good thing is, a PIM solution<\/a> makes it easier to manage attributes and decide how to layout a faceted search. After product taxonomy is all set up, you have a bird\u2019s eye view of all commonly used tags and product attributes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Optimize Shopify Collections for Exceptional Navigation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What are collections on Shopify? Collections are how Shopify refers to product categories. One collection is a group or umbrella of products that, once set up, will from there on automatically add new products to the designated category. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That being said, there are a few key differences. First of all, Shopify\u2019s collection structure offers no way to create your product hierarchy or taxonomy. As a result, subcollections don\u2019t exist. To set up subcollections requires a complex process of linking to subcollections …<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, this limits how merchants choose to display their products. The default mode of collections is showing them as a list of all collections in the admin interface. With a catalog<\/a> of thousands of products, it will require using Shopify apps to improve the experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many challenges arise when uploading product information onto Shopify. Having a thousand-product catalog means that creating an optimal B2B buyer experience is more high-stakes. Yet uploading that catalog onto Shopify can be a rocky process, especially when you want to do so in bulk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Uploading Products Data onto Shopify Works<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

First, it requires merchants to retrieve all product data and associated information. Be it from suppliers, manufacturers, or departmental files, all the dates needs to be gathered. Then, depending on your systems, you may need to spend some time sifting through the product data and manually make sure it\u2019s up to standard. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Afterward, you\u2019ll need to upload that product data onto Shopify. The main method is via spreadsheets or product sheets, which you might have to make yourself if your manufacturers don\u2019t provide any. Creating CSV files is the common way of doing so. However, the work doesn\u2019t stop there. Once on Shopify, it\u2019s time to re-evaluate the standards of units, consistency, formatting, attribute names. Let\u2019s not forget product photography – which can be linked or uploaded separately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From there, you can set up preferences for grouping projects – mapping how your collections appear to B2B buyer experience on your Shopify storefront.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Building Collections Starts with Product Data Management<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Many of the bothersome, repetitive tasks of uploading product data can be avoided by utilizing PIM. Use the interface to hold your product information and all other materials to use at any time. Upload everything onto it once – which can take the same amount of effort – but automation continually standardizes all added products from thereon. As a result, it\u2019s simpler to syndicate or export that product information to Shopify. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, establish one official product taxonomy on PIM and it translates to your Shopify collections – no need to do it again on the Shopify admin. A best PIM software<\/a> is built to cater to Shopify\u2019s specific requirements. So no matter what your original product taxonomy is, it\u2019s possible to convert it to a proper Shopify taxonomy regardless of collections lacking hierarchy. Thus, you can escape the manual process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Grade Content for a Compelling B2B Buyer Experience<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Tailored, beautiful product content is at the focal point of a B2B buyer experience. Content is also the key to growth on Shopify and any other channels. However, to publish content that is goal-oriented and effective in reaching those goals requires more than just increasing its quantity. Likewise, on product pages, product content needs to have a strategy \u2013 it\u2019s not just reworking product attributes into sentences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What makes quality, robust content?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Free of Flaws<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Every single product page should be able to perfectly explain the product while keeping the reader engaged. It’s a necessity to manage data quality<\/a> from the very beginning. While lawlessness is ideal, automating processes to make data as clean and accurate as possible is the main component of high-quality content. Establishing a set of up-to-date product information helps all teams work better in delivering a satisfactory experience for the B2B buyer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consistent Standards<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Along with data correctness, maintaining a consistent standard of data format is critical for establishing a reliable image. Using varying units and different spelling conventions for your product attributes doesn’t come off as well. At the very least, potential customers might view inconsistency is a lack of attention-to-detail. In the worst case scenario, varying standards could lead to confusion, especially regarding specs and units of a product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Riveting Digital Assets<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

No product page is complete with a diverse set of digital assets. It’s so important to make sure you have the minimum required quantity of product photography for Shopify. On top of that, enriched forms of assets like 360-spin images, videos, PDFs, infographics and enhanced content are contributes to a high quality B2B buyer experience. When it comes to complex manufactured products or equipment, spec sheets and diagrams are necessary to appeal to others business’ engineers. Tools like a DAM software<\/a> better facilitate the management and distribution of engaging product photos and visuals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Personalized and tailored to the B2B buyer <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Keywords <\/a>are a necessary part of content. Optimizing product page keywords tailors content to the right potential B2B buyer looking for your specific product experience. Once your target buyer is identified, you can personalize your product pages and other content to their pain points. As such, this guides you thoruhgh a more creative approach to filling out all your product description fields. Features and benefits can now be hyper-focused on the target buyer by drawing on critical challenges and how your product solves them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Content Grading<\/a> Enhances the B2B Buyer Experience<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"shopify<\/figure>
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When you can manage all your product data from one place, it\u2019s simpler to create content that counts. However, how can you be sure that your content is performing its best? A PIM that can assess the quality of your product pages greatly helps businesses optimize their B2B buyer experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Content grading on PIM is critical if you want to ensure your product pages are good-to-go before publishing. Iterations are always necessary. But what if you could have high-quality content from the beginning? Seeing subjective grades for your content based on general standards across ecommerce platforms gives you leverage. Once you get reports of analytics and engagement KPIs, you can continually improve your standards, and thus automatically improve content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The alternative to this is using analytics to inform better content, but manually editing each page individually. Wouldn\u2019t it be much simpler to set a system that automatically analyzes your content, and lets you know what pages to pay attention to? It\u2019s far more efficient, leading to quicker results. Any user on the PIM needs only see the grade and can improve it. Thus, it maintains consistency according to the set standards. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

6. Curate Content Based on the B2B Buyer Journey<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The advantage of being on the internet is the ability to track shoppers\u2019 journeys. B2B buyers are no exception. With more than 90% of B2B purchases done online<\/a>, their decision-making process can be observed to inform content strategy. As mentioned, the B2B journey is similar to B2C. However, while generating B2B leads can seem more accessible online, it\u2019s critical to keep in mind where<\/em> the prospect is in the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One thing that hasn\u2019t changed is that the B2B buyer is not just one buyer. It\u2019s a group of executives and relevant teams that share in the decision. At the same time, it\u2019s critical to remember that with the wealth of information online, you\u2019re not only competing with similar B2B businesses in your industry. You\u2019re also up against the B2B buyer\u2019s accumulated knowledge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With high-stakes buying decisions, there is no such thing as impulse buys. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While it isn\u2019t a unique idea, the pandemic has revealed more and more the \u201chuman-ness\u201d of B2B buyers, according to Forrester<\/a>. Today, they expect the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n