Though open-source options, like Magento, supply larger management and suppleness over web site 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 expertise, you might search to modernize your B2B ecommerce setting and shift to an Open SaaS answer.
Enter BigCommerce.
With the mixed advantages of open supply and SaaS, BigCommerce gives a turnkey answer that enables 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 Purchasers?
VG: “We work with a whole lot of small- and medium-sized companies and retailers, and I’ve seen a number of purchasers, together with bigger purchasers, that battle with having an excellent on-line presence after 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 have got a platform like that, you want a growth workforce that’s well-versed in Magento, and your necessities must also warrant the flexibleness and related prices of the platform.
“We additionally felt that for B2B performance, BigCommerce gives out-of-box performance at a really compelling value, and it comes with such good assist.
“We knew that with BigCommerce, we [could] choose up the cellphone 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: “Based mostly on [advice from BigCommerce], we developed an app that synchronizes all of the product knowledge buildings, knowledge and property within the Akeneo Product Data Administration (PIM) system into the backend of BigCommerce.
“It’s a very API-based system, so I had my workforce have a look at the APIs, and so they had been pleasantly shocked that there’s a lot of useful documentation out there in your web site.
“We rapidly acquired a trial web site going so we may begin experimenting. Then, we had entry to the assist workforce, which we truthfully didn’t want a lot as a result of there was a lot documentation out there. 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 kind 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 at the moment are 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, it’s a must to resolve your core expertise and knowledge points. Finest practices right here embody deploying new tech instruments, implementing agile knowledge administration practices after which making your knowledge very usable and moveable throughout departments and throughout your buyer and accomplice ecosystems.
“Typically what we discover is firms, particularly SMBs, don’t have experience on these instruments and don’t have the employees who can arrange and function these instruments, particularly at first phases — that’s the place the businesses are available.
“We herald greatest practices in deploying these instruments. We carry within the experience on these instruments that the businesses don’t have; we all know deploy and configure them, and combine them. We’re additionally knowledge architects and know resolve knowledge challenges. We’re additionally course of re-engineering folks. We get to grasp all the consumer’s knowledge and commerce processes and re-engineer them to greatest leverage the brand new tech instruments. We align consumer necessities with the capabilities of those instruments, and likewise present mission administration and coaching providers to assist keep away from stalled or failed initiatives.”
How Does Shifting a B2B Enterprise On-line Influence the Gross sales Crew if They Have been Beforehand Supporting B2B Prospects?
VG: “What’s occurred — and that is one thing {that a} wholesale distributor of business provides informed me once I interviewed them prior to now — historically, they’d good margins on all types of product traces, near 30% — and that afforded them the flexibility to have direct gross sales folks promote these merchandise to their clients.
“However now, because of Amazon and all the worth transparency and intense competitors on-line, for sure merchandise which can be 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 wished to do is actually begin promoting extra of these commodities on-line, akin to a set of micro websites or energy instruments — it’s a commodity class. You’ll be able to 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 technique to make cash there’s to leverage all their current 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, remove the salesperson out of the equation as a result of they’re excessive fee.”
What Methods Did Your B2B Purchasers Use to Onboard Prospects to Purchase On-line?
VG: “I’ve had some B2B purchasers eager to transition away from relationship-based gross sales and onboard clients to purchase on-line, and sometimes they’re slowed down in expertise points and getting all of it working correctly for B2B. Additionally they have channel battle to fret about. So there are different challenges that they need to account for earlier than they’ll transfer a whole lot of their purchasers in mass.
“I feel channel battle is a key one. They want to verify their present gross sales workforce 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’ll aggressively transfer their clients on-line. I’d say expertise and knowledge points, in the event that they overcome that, then they’ll resolve their gross sales and enterprise points. After that’s after 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 in the present day’s digital-first setting, you will need to digitize operations and digitize now, in any other case you threat being out-competed and changing into irrelevant. In case you are going by means 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’ll be able to take a crawl, stroll and run implementation method with in the present day’s fashionable instruments. You shouldn’t really feel like you must resolve for all the things [from] day one. You’ll be able to at all times resolve some high-priority use circumstances first and transfer on to others subsequent — that’s the place a roadmap is available in.”
“I’ve had a whole lot of purchasers who’re very anxious about seeing outcomes straight away, and I feel the important thing message is it’s an funding — so it’s a must to be slightly affected person. It’s a must to make investments first, after which you need to have sensible expectations on what this funding is doing for you, whether or not it’s commerce or content material. Don’t be impatient, since you would possibly get disillusioned and transfer on. It’s secure stakes in the present day. So it’s a must to 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 leap from open supply to SaaS? Schedule a demo for BigCommerce B2B Version, and our migration consultants can be pleased to help you within the transition. And for further insights on all issues B2B, take a look at The State of B2B Ecommerce: 2022 Development Report.
