Companies and organizations are continuously looking for ways to meet their core needs; cut costs, streamline purchasing processes, and increase revenues.
Adaptable ecommerce technology is becoming increasingly popular because it helps solve these ever evolving needs. And within the world of ecommerce, surprisingly, PunchOut catalogs are still a largely untapped channel for growth among suppliers.
Using PunchOut catalogs, suppliers can help their customers and prospects better meet those core needs, while buyers with e-procurement systems can help themselves do the same.
By using technology that is adaptable, strategic thinking suppliers are adapting the way they present their catalog to their buyers. The result is ever growing and more powerful opportunities with larger clients like government organizations and Fortune 500 companies.
To help suppliers better understand the strategic advantages and best practices of PunchOut catalog technology, we recently released a free 7 part video series to help answer the most critical questions about PunchOut catalogs.
Included in this series is a 3 point strategy to help you experience some serious growth through this underutilized technology.
As you look to improve your business in 2013, it’s important to take a look at “business as usual”.
When it comes to growing your business or making it more profitable, the first thing that comes to mind may be, “How do I get new customers?”
But have you considered the cost of losing your current customers? If you’ve had some key clients for years, you may feel “safe”, and count on your relationship to stay the course.
But what if you lost them? Even with great relationships, if you have customers who also are businesses, you have to remember that they also need to improve their own businesses and make themselves more profitable as well.
And whether or not you’re part of their overall improvement picture relies on one very critical question; how well do you know your customer?
Finding a b2b ecommerce solution that fits your unique business needs has become more important for companies who want to do business more efficiently and/or stay ahead of competitors.
From a purchasing perspective, that might mean using e-commerce to eliminate chaos and manage spend better. Or, it could mean making supplier management and onboarding easier within an existing e-procurement system.
From a sales perspective, e-commerce and e-business solutions might mean finding tools to serve your key customers better. Or it could mean finding ways to ensure you stay relevant and competitive in today’s market.
But searching online for solutions can easily become overwhelming. There are a growing number of providers claiming to have the answers. To help you separate the practical from the fluff, and the truly powerful from the ineffective, here are a few tips for finding the b2b ecommerce or e-business solution that fits your specific needs:
Step 1: Embrace the fact that your business IS unique. Many businesses take a “me too” approach with the way they do business online. But a truly adaptable e-commerce platform will enable you to turn your uniqueness into strengths that help you stand out among your competitors.
