DHL Releases Report on How B2B Must Embrace eCommerce Strategies
DHL Express, in partnership with the Cranfield School of Management, has released a white paper looking at the key features of B2B business successfully embracing cross-border eCommerce.
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“We have seen B2C eCommerce grow at a faster pace than most other industry sectors in recent years, with premium cross-border shipments growing from 10% to more than 20% of the volumes of DHL Express.”
Ken Allen, CEO, DHL Express
“As this study shows, there is the same potential for cross-border B2B eCommerce to grow at a dynamic pace, and the DHL Express network will be an enabler of that for businesses around the world,” added Allen.
According to Forrester Research, cross-border B2B transactions are expected to reach $1.2 trillion within the next five years. This represents a huge opportunity for companies that seek to expand their brand beyond domestic borders.
The B2B eCommerce experience is fundamentally different from B2C as it must provide different product catalog functions, extensive and technical live customer support, and better integrating front- and backend systems.
However, B2B still has to provide a B2C style experience and cannot rely on basic catalog data, but provide detailed information for wholesale customers to make smart purchase decisions.
End-to-end logistics plays a considerable role in cross-border B2B commerce as catalog data must include exact weights, box dimensions, the manufacturer of origin data, other regulatory customs data, and consider master packs and multiple product packaging and shipping options.
DHL Research Highlights Five Essential Features in B2B eCommerce
Based on a combination of desk research and in-depth interviews, the white paper identifies five categories of features that are essential to B2B eCommerce platforms:
- Digital infrastructure
- Customer experience
- Customer personalization
- Seamless integration
- Synchronization of logistics
To download the complete whitepaper, click here.
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Richard Meldner
Richard is co-founder of eSeller365. He has over 17 years of experience on eBay which includes tens of thousands of sales to buyers in over 100 countries and even has experience with eBay’s VeRO program enforcing intellectual property rights for a former employer. And for about two years Richard sold products on Amazon using Amazon FBA in the US.
To “relax” from the daily business grind, for a few weekends a year, he also works for IMSA as a professional race official.