• by Ray Schultz , April 11, 2019

B2B buyers have been spoiled by Amazon Business.

They now want a personalized digital experience with 24/7 customer service from all their suppliers, according to "Positioning Strategic B2B Ecommerce In A Digital-First World," a study by Avionos.

Of 150 B2B buyers surveyed, 60% demand a seamless customer experiences. And 47% expect suppliers to be responsive to their needs at all times. 

Moreover, 47% want traditional companies to be as agile as digital natives like Amazon and Google. 

When it comes to Amazon Business, 30% are making more purchases through that service. Another 25% feel Amazon Business has not changed their purchasing behavior. And 23% split their purchases between Amazon Business and other suppliers, while 22% buy only from independents.

Personalized products and rate are desired by 31% of first-time purchasers and 28% of repeat buyers. 

But beware: Here are the pain points that have kept buyers from completing a purchase. Don’t make these mistakes in your email:

• Lack of product content specifics (e.g., product characteristics, color, etc.)—46% 
• Incorrect product content—32%
• The product content was not personalized to them/their needs—29%
• Lack of reviews about the product from other customers—29%
• Lack of product mages—24%
• Lack of product videos—19%
• Product content has never stopped buyer from completing a purchase for their companies—16%

Here are some wants that should be incorporated into transactional emails and other forms of communication: 

• Updates on orders and shipments—59% 
• Customer service support—59% 
• Corporate account management (i.e., control over who can make purchase, and which purchases)—55%
• Previous order history—54%
• Information about all available inventory—53%
• Access to customer records—52% 
• Product recommendations and offerings—30%

“For years now the trendy topic of discussion has been the consumerization of B2B commerce,” states Scott Webb, president of Avionos. “But that was just the introduction to what we see now, which is the emergence of the true B2B experience.”

He adds, “It does require a consumer-like ease of use, but more significantly, the experience must respect and incorporate the unique complexities in a business-to-business relationship.”