B2B Ecommerce Extensions Archives - Cloudfy B2B Ecommerce Software

Cloudfy vs BigCommerce

Cloudfy Inc — Fri, 09 Feb 2024 11:49:52 +0000

Here we compare two leading business to business (B2B) ecommerce platforms: Cloudfy vs BigCommerce.

B2B transactions were once handled by field sales representatives, over the phone, using emails or even by fax. New technology and changing attitudes mean things have moved on in recent years.

There are a lot of ecommerce platforms to choose from and it can be difficult to know what will best suit your business needs.

An ecommerce platform designed for complex B2B sales

B2B buyers expect high quality online journeys similar to their personal shopping experiences. However, B2B purchasing is more complex, often involving extensive research, multiple decision makers and different approval levels.

Depending on your business requirements, you probably already know that few ecommerce platforms are purpose designed to meet these requirements.

In contrast, Cloudfy was built specifically to deliver outstanding B2B ecommerce experiences. It simplifies processes, saves you money and scales as your business grows.

Delivering outstanding B2B ecommerce

B2B ecommerce streamlines and simplifies the complex transactions that take place when businesses sell to each other. It meets the specific needs of businesses rather than individual consumers or end-users.

Most of us have bought personal items online and these business to consumer or B2C experiences influence our expectations. However, amongst other things, B2B ecommerce often involves selling in high volumes at wholesale prices. Specific configurations, packaging and delivery requirements all add to the complexity. Special trade pricing, bundles and price breaks are time consuming to administer and human data entry errors often creep in.

Trying to meet these detailed B2B ecommerce requirements using a platform that’s designed for much simpler B2C needs is a challenge. However, many platform providers say they meet the needs of both. We thought it was worth exploring how well this works in practice.

Why is your B2B ecommerce platform so important?

According to Gartner digital channels will account for 80% of B2B sales between suppliers and buyers by 2025. Around the world this will amount to US $trillions.

B2B ecommerce is becoming an integral part of:

sourcing and procuring raw materials
advanced technology-based solutions
legal and financial services
marketing and advertising
supply chain and logistic services.

Your B2B ecommerce platform is now and integral part of your business. If you make the wrong choice moving forwards you could be heading for serious problems.

Here are some things to consider when comparing Cloudfy to BigCommerce.

B2B features and functionality.

Not all ecommerce platforms offer purpose designed B2B functionality. You’ll want specialized B2B features such as bulk ordering, custom pricing and delivery configuration. It must be easy for your B2B buyers to browse your catalog and place their orders efficiently. BigCommerce offers a range of B2B features but, unlike Cloudfy, it wasn’t designed from the outset for complex B2B sales.

Both Cloudfy and BigCommerce are software as a service (SaaS) solutions. This means your platform is delivered and supported in the cloud. Availability, security, compliance and updates are all managed for you. You can reduce your IT costs because you won’t need specialist in house ecommerce expertise and equipment. BigCommerce provides ‘live agent’ customer support via phone, email or chat. With Cloudfy you also benefit from ongoing critical support, help and guidance from the team.

Scalability

One of the reasons SaaS is popular for everything from project management to video streaming is scalability. It can grow and adapt as your business needs change. Of course, there’s a price to pay for this flexibility. The monthly fees for the BigCommerce Pro edition are billed annually. Once you have outgrown its annual sales limit, the Enterprise edition has four price tiers, based on number of orders. The Cloudfy orders per month model is simpler and can be tailored as your business grows. Understanding pricing options is important to make sure your business can grow seamlessly.

User experience (UX)

Understanding the distinct needs of B2B sellers and buyers is a key point of difference between Cloudfy and BigCommerce. For specialist requirements there’s a limited range of BigCommerce integrations and apps available. The Cloudfy team has a proven track record of integration with leading enterprise (ERP) systems and third-party extensions. A powerful application programming interface (API) also supports fast and effective customization.

Multichannel sales

Buyers carry out research across multiple channels before visiting your website. You’ll want to create compelling and consistent content across all the relevant channels. These might include social media platforms and multiple marketplaces. Both BigCommerce and Cloudfy allow you to coordinate your channels from a single dashboard and synchronize inventory and order processing.

Multilanguage and multicurrency sales

If your plans include selling internationally you’ll want a B2B ecommerce platform that supports multiple currencies and languages. You’ll also need to handle international regulations and taxes. BigCommerce provides out-of-the-box multi-currency conversion based on the byer’s IP address. However, if you’re using a paid-for template you’ll need a third-party app. Cloudfy allows you to manage trade across multiple regions from the same dashboard via multiple storefronts.

Payments

You’ll need a secure payment gateway and a flexible range of payment options to improve conversion rates. B2B ecommerce payments are often complex depending on purchasing histories and payment records. BigCommerce provides a default payment option for credit cards via PayPal, powered by Braintree, which includes transaction fees. You can also choose from a range of third-party payment gateways which normally involve a transaction fee and monthly fee

With Cloudfy and ERP integration you can make sure each customer sees only their designated payment methods. These can include on account payments, credit cards, direct bank transfers, cash, checks, BACS or PayPal. There’s also an invoice payment portal your customers can see on their dashboard when they place their orders. Alternatively, you can integrate with your preferred payment gateway providers using Cloudfy’s pre-built connectors.

Your choice

BigCommerce has improved its B2B functionality in recent years, although it’s only available on the Plus, Pro and Enterprise plans. However, it also includes a wide range of B2C functionality you won’t need. Users can feel overwhelmed by so many choices and how to implement the best B2B ecommerce solution for their business. In contrast, Cloudfy is built for B2B ecommerce and you have the support of the experienced team to create a solution to suit your needs.

As part of your decision-making process, we recommend you take a closer look at how Cloudfy can meet your business needs. Book a free demonstration today.

The post Cloudfy vs BigCommerce appeared first on Cloudfy B2B Ecommerce Software.

Cloudfy B2B ecommerce extensions for competitive advantage

Cloudfy Experts — Wed, 17 Jan 2024 12:25:18 +0000

High customer expectations mean your business to business (B2B) ecommerce platform must be flexible. As B2B ecommerce matures organizations are becoming more customer centric. This means customer needs throughout their purchasing journeys must be prioritized.

For many organizations this involves expensive customizations and adaptations for third-party extensions. Many don’t realize there’s a simpler way to improve customer service that also saves both time and money.

Cloudfy is a leading software a s a service (SaaS) ecommerce platform designed from the very beginning for complex B2B sales. It’s comprehensive suite of features supports seamless customer self-service that improves conversion rates.

Full integration with leading enterprise (ERP) systems like Microsoft Dynamics, SAP and NetSuite simplifies processes and supports automation.

You can launch a tailored B2B ecommerce portal in a matter of weeks, rather than months or even years. You’ll pay a one-off set up fee and then a straightforward monthly license fee. There’s no need to worry about managing the technology, security updates or maintenance. It’s all done for you in the cloud by B2B ecommerce experts.

For easy customer support Cloudfy also provides apps for your sales reps and customers with barcode scanning, notifications and alerts.

Pre-built integrations and extensions enhance the capabilities of your B2B ecommerce platform. They are tried and tested so they’ll work effectively and reliably without extra development costs.

They range from trusted back-office solutions to connectors for leading marketplaces like Tradeshift and Walmart. Each one can enhance your customers’ online experiences and give you a competitive advantage. You can take your marketing to greater heights to attract new customers who’ll become loyal ambassadors for your business.

Better business intelligence

With Power BI business analytics you can create interactive visualizations and valuable business insights in real time. You don’t need technical expertise thanks to its user-friendly interface. You can also combine it with other applications for even more powerful analytics to support data-driven decisions and drive growth.

Stronger customer relationships

You can benefit from the power of market leading customer relationship management (CRM) tools like Microsoft Dynamics CRM. You’ll outshine your competitors from day one. Streamlined order processing, high quality sales leads and outstanding on-boarding processes for new customers are just the beginning. Alternatively, you might want to improve efficiency with full suite CRM, supply chain management and financial integration from Arvato.

Enhanced product catalogs

There’s no need for data silos and overnight synchronization of product information with Akeneo. This popular open-source product information management (PIM) system takes the pain out of centralizing and managing your product data. You can showcase high quality and useful product content to increase online sales.

Improved procurement

You can become part of the procurement solution for your larger customers with PunchOut catalogs inside their own purchasing systems. Buyers can browse your range and choose your products, ready to place orders when internal approvals are complete. With SAP Ariba you can also provide electronic data interchange (EDI) and automate faster and more efficient processes.

Extra payment options

Your customers will each have their payment preferences. You can meet them with world-leading options like Opayo (formerly Sage Pay), Visa’s Authorize.net or PayPal, for example. Your customers can easily complete their online transactions without clumsy redirections to external payment pages. You can securely accept multiple currencies, debit and credit cards and digital wallets and have reliable analytics. There are even tools to help you meet your tax, regulatory and compliance requirements.

Simplified order processing

Centralized inventory management and improved order visibility with tools like Fluent Commerce or Redledge improve customer experiences. Realtime inventory visibility and automation help maintain stocks and keep customers informed, even when you have multiple warehouses.

Streamlined deliveries

If the details aren’t correct at checkout your deliveries could go astray. Accurate information about your customers’ shipping, billing and contact information simplifies fulfillment and increases customer satisfaction. With data8 validation tools addresses, bank details, phone numbers and email addresses can all be verified. You can also reduce abandoned sales with ShipperHQ to confirm delivery options and costs in real time. You’ll also have a better understanding of carrier performance, costs, and customer preferences. Integration with third party logistics providers (3PLs) like EC Group or UPS will help to speed up deliveries with improved order processing and data synchronization. Less manual data entry reduces errors and you can easily meet increased customer demand.

Creating your competitive advantage

At Cloudfy we’re always happy to collaborate with our clients to provide complete solutions and customizations. Our expert team can connect your B2B ecommerce platform with market leading providers. We’ll help you improve efficiency, automate workflows, and enhance customer experiences.

Let’s start the journey today.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to launch a Cloudfy B2B ecommerce site?

Cloudfy has many pre-built integrations and extensions to meet your business needs. As a result, a site can be launched in as little as 16 weeks, depending on your requirements.

What integrations are available for Cloudfy?

As an API-first solution Cloudfy’s powerful application programming interface allows integration with all the major ERP and back-office systems. These include Microsoft, SAP and Sage. We’ll be happy to discuss your integration and extension requirements.

Does Cloudfy support EDI and PunchOut?

Yes, Cloudfy has delivered integrated EDI and PunchOut with many major global partners. There’s support for a wide range of document types, including orders, invoices, and shipment notifications.

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