B2B Ecommerce Software Archives - Cloudfy B2B Ecommerce Software

5 Ways To Mitigate Challenges When Integrating Your ERP & B2B Ecommerce Platform (Updated)

Cloudfy — Mon, 21 Mar 2022 19:02:22 +0000

Integrating your B2B ecommerce platform with other ERP systems is something you will need to consider as your business grows. This helps in streamlining your operations and maximizing efficiency. B2B sales need extensive support and a single business system is unlikely to meet all your needs. However, working with several different systems adds complexity and increases the risks of errors and duplication.

The benefits of improved internal processes, sophisticated self-service options for your customers, and opportunities for simplification and automation all make integration very attractive and worthwhile.

However, this process can come with its fair share of challenges. In this blog, we will explore five effective strategies to mitigate these challenges and ensure successful integration between your ERP and B2B ecommerce platform. Here are some steps you can take to mitigate the challenges.

Define your requirements and set clear objectives

Almost two thirds of B2B companies are likely to be considering integration as a strategic investment by 2024.

However, before implementation, it’s important to understand exactly what will be achieved through systems integration. Time invested at this stage can prevent a lot of issues arising later that can lead to project delays and cost overruns.

A well-defined plan is essential to any successful integration project. Begin by clearly outlining your objectives and the specific outcomes you aim to achieve through the integration. Identify the key functionalities and data that need to be synchronized between the ERP and ecommerce platforms. Consider factors such as inventory management, order processing, pricing, customer data, and real-time updates. By setting clear objectives and understanding the scope of the integration, you can streamline the process and avoid unnecessary complications.

This is an essential part of the process and must be well managed. It should include examining:

Business challenges you want to address with integration
which systems should be integrated and whether this will happen immediately or through a phased approach
what data must be synchronized between systems
how many processes or workflows will be affected and which could be automated as a result of system integration.

The answers to these questions could make a significant difference to your integration project, from the partner you choose to the key performance indicators you put in place.

For example, you might think that a connector to synchronize your ecommerce order information with your finance system will meet your needs. However, order information needs to be linked to customer, product, and inventory information to complete a transaction.

Prepare your data

While integration will resolve a lot of challenges within your business in the future you already hold a lot of data in multiple formats in different systems. You will be well aware of the challenges siloed data presents every day. To optimize the benefits of integration you will need to consolidate this historic data into a single source of truth (SSOT) that you can rely on.

Having established your objectives you might find that you no longer need to keep some of your data but much of it will still be needed. It will have to be organized and synchronized in a hierarchy that will be the foundation of your integrated business processes. You will need to decide what can be changed, by whom, and how, so that you can introduce new rules of data management to maintain its integrity.

Plan the integration process

While you will need a lot of technical expertise and support to implement integration between your ecommerce and ERP systems, it will affect your whole business, including your sales and marketing teams, IT department, operational staff, customer services, and your managers.

You will need to understand how each person and team will be affected and allow time, training and resources to make sure everyone understands the benefits. You will need to define which activities and processes depend on the data you are working with and assess how the changeover will affect them. Before you start the technical process you will need to manage the very human reactions to change and obtain the required commitment.

You will also need to identify the key stakeholders in your project and decide when and how they will be involved in the specification and approvals processes.

Allocate resources

Your employees will need to learn new technology and follow new processes so it’s important to allocate time, resources and costs for training and internal communication as part of your project.

You will need a formalized change management process and a strategy to mitigate the risks and resistance involved in a major process of change.

A post-implementation plan will also be needed to support people, systems and processes after the integration is complete. To make sure the project is quickly embedded into your organization you will want to have an effective reporting and resolution process and the right people in place to make sure that users don’t become frustrated.

Pre-launch testing

Before you launch your integrated system you will want to be sure that everything is working as intended and that your objectives will be met.

While you might feel that all the hard work has been done by the time you reach this stage system integration testing is an essential step before you move to the live environment. Identify possible events that will test your integration to the limit and carry out hyper-critical analysis of the results.

Make sure your integration partner has a safe testing environment where your stakeholders and users can explore the new system and identify any potential pitfalls.

Work with an experienced team

Integrating your ecommerce and ERP systems isn’t something you will do very often, so you will want the help of experienced professionals. Cloudfy integrations bring together a powerful purpose-designed B2B ecommerce platform with the world’s most popular and powerful ERP systems so you can concentrate on your business.

Talk to one of our integration experts today.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is integrating ERP and B2B ecommerce platform important?

Integrating your ERP and B2B ecommerce platform helps streamline operations, maximize efficiency, and meet the growing demands of your business. It enables improved internal processes, self-service options for customers, and opportunities for automation.

How can I mitigate challenges during integration?

To mitigate challenges during integration, follow these steps:

Define your requirements and set clear objectives.
Prepare your data by consolidating it into a single source of truth.
Plan the integration process, considering the impact on different teams and stakeholders.
Allocate resources for training, change management, and post-implementation support.
Conduct pre-launch testing to ensure everything works as intended.

What benefits can I expect from integrating my ERP and B2B ecommerce platform?

Integrating your ERP and B2B ecommerce platform brings benefits such as improved internal processes, sophisticated self-service options for customers, and opportunities for simplification and automation. It helps streamline operations, reduce errors and duplication, and enhance overall efficiency.

How often should I integrate my ERP and B2B ecommerce platform?

Integrating your ERP and B2B ecommerce platform is not a frequent occurrence. It is a strategic investment that requires careful planning and execution. Once integrated, the systems work together seamlessly, providing ongoing benefits to your business.

Why should I work with an experienced team for integration?

Integrating your ERP and B2B ecommerce platform is a complex task that requires expertise. Working with an experienced team ensures a smoother integration process, reduces the risk of errors, and allows you to leverage their knowledge and best practices. Consider partnering with professionals like Cloudfy to get the assistance you need.

The post 5 Ways To Mitigate Challenges When Integrating Your ERP & B2B Ecommerce Platform (Updated) appeared first on Cloudfy B2B Ecommerce Software.

The B2B ecommerce industry is changing… (Updated)

Cloudfy — Sat, 17 Oct 2015 16:12:10 +0000

The importance of B2B ecommerce has increased rapidly in recent years

A recent survey found that business to business (B2B) companies expected 2023 to generate at least 25% ecommerce sales growth.

The challenge is still to deliver B2B ecommerce customer experiences to match the quality of retail (B2C) online shopping. With a tap on their smartphone, shoppers can enjoy fast, engaging, anytime, anywhere experiences. B2B buyers want the same.

In fact, B2C customer experiences are so good some businesses have relied on B2C platforms to buy in bulk. This is because manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors aren’t providing simple, fast and workable online options for their B2B buyers.

Customer expectations

Gartner predicts 80% of sales interactions between suppliers and buyers will take place using digital channels by 2025.

However, despite rapid digitization in the manufacturing, distribution and wholesale sectors, customer expectations are evolving even more quickly. High quality customer experiences such as personalization and omnichannel interactions are becoming requirements for B2B buyers. For the coming year there are some important steps you can take to stay ahead of the curve.

Data-driven decision making

You need high quality data if you’re relying on it to deliver competition-beating customer experiences. However, more than six out of 10 companies have concerns about data quality. Data management and use of machine learning (ML) are new skills requirements to ensure you have clean data. It will drive improvements in product data and personalized recommendations. Account-level business intelligence will also help to improve sales conversions and customer retention.

GenAI

Generative artificial intelligence or GenAI will be as important to B2B ecommerce as in other parts of our life. It can create useful and interesting content based on improved understanding of customer behavior. Product descriptions, dynamic content, recommendations and pricing optimization can all benefit. However, seven out of 10 buyers are already approaching poor quality automatically generated content with suspicion. Learning how to use GenAI effectively is a challenge everyone must face to avoid being downgraded by search engines.

Customized deals

Creating bespoke deals and offers tailored to B2B buyers’ needs has always helped to get deals over the line. However, customized pricing, discounts, catalogs and fulfillment online are complex processes. Tailoring every part of the procurement journey via a dedicated customer portal is a priority for development in the coming year.

Collaboration

One of the big advantages of B2B ecommerce and business systems integration is the opportunity to improve collaboration. When customers, your support staff and sales teams share information in real time they can work together more effectively. Increasingly, digital transformation is changing B2B operations, with a more agile approach from end to end.

Meet customer expectations with a purpose designed B2B ecommerce platform

Cloudfy is designed for manufacturers, wholesalers, and distributors who must handle complex business to business sales. It’s customizable, mobile-friendly, easy to manage and simple for your customers to use.

Your Cloudfy ecommerce website offers much more than wholesale ordering. It helps increase sales, improve customer journeys and reduce costs. You can automate processes and your international distribution requirements are met seamlessly.

It’s designed as a central hub for your customers to access your product catalog, process their purchases, submit quote requests, and manage their invoices. It’s a one-stop online self-service solution.

Integration with your enterprise (ERP) system allows you to share the latest pricing, product information and inventory levels online. Your registered customers can log-in to review their orders, check their accounts and pay their invoices. Your customer service and sales teams can access accurate information for easy collaboration and customer support.

As a software as a service (SaaS) solution Cloudfy is easy to set up and maintain and is scalable too. It can meet peak demand and provide extra capacity as your business grows. With regular updates in the cloud, you’ll always have cutting-edge B2B ecommerce capabilities.

Your next step

Before making important choices about your next steps in B2B ecommerce we recommend you find out more about Cloudfy. Book a demonstration today.

Frequently asked questions: The future of B2B ecommerce

Is personalization important to B2B ecommerce?

Personalized purchasing in B2B ecommerce is becoming increasingly sophisticated. High quality customer data is the key to providing tailored product recommendations and content personalization. These are important for customer experiences and help improve your conversion rates.

Should B2B sales be omnichannel?

Omnichannel sales provide seamless customer experiences across multiple channels. Already popular in online shopping this approach is now being adopted for B2B ecommerce too.

You can deliver consistent and connected customer experiences for all your customer touchpoints. This is important because B2B buyers look for key information across many different channels during their purchasing journeys.

Do B2B buyers want online self-service?

B2B buyers want to complete most of their purchasing journey online at times and using the devices they prefer. Self-service portals allow them to independently research and compare products and manage transactions. It’s essential to provide tools and the information they need to make informed purchasing decisions without directly contacting you.

The post The B2B ecommerce industry is changing… (Updated) appeared first on Cloudfy B2B Ecommerce Software.