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B2B eCommerce

June 2020 B2B eCommerce News Roundup: Intermittent Reopening, Case Studies & Ongoing COVID Woes

July 6, 2020 | Oro Team

Against the backdrop of protests, pandemics, and economic contractions, June 2020 made it difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Uncertainties remain about the course of the COVID pandemic, reopening initiatives, and the economic and social consequences that could follow.

So far, we’re seeing a recovery in US consumer spending for two months straight and several multi-million dollar expansion efforts by prominent US manufacturers. As more and more organizations scramble to steer their selling activities into the digital realm, we’re also seeing sustained interest around B2B eCommerce.

In this June 2020 roundup, we’ll be talking about the latest marketing, customer experience, manufacturing, distribution, and supply chain management news. We’ll also share some good news within the industry – from case studies to inspiring stories about succeeding in the post-pandemic environment.

June 2020: Reopening Rollbacks, Uncertainty and B2B eCommerce 

[Podcast] B2B eCommerce: Is it right for your business?

COVID-19 has radically changed the eCommerce landscape, and B2B eCommerce is no exception. Distributors, manufacturers and other B2B brands are posed with a difficult question: “Is B2B eCommerce right for us?” OroCommerce CEO Yoav Kutner and Alpine Consulting’s Director of Commerce Sales Earl Stevens discuss this and more in an informative podcast.

June 2020 B2B eCommerce roundup podcast

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Effect of reopening on B2B eCommerce businesses

Some businesses may be reopening, but uncertainty around “business as usual”, ever-shifting safety standards, as well as the overall state of the economy poses risks to the overall business climate. Our recent post (regularly updated) sheds light on the state of reopening and its effect on B2B eCommerce. 

eCommerce industries reopening

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Digital B2B sales continue outpacing total sales

The 2020 B2B eCommerce Market report by Digital Commerce 360 reveals that digital sales continue to outpace total sales. Data from US distributors W.W. Grainger Inc, MSC Industrial Supply Co, and Watsco Inc demonstrate that B2B eCommerce follows the same trajectory.

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COVID resurgence means reopening is sporadic

States that began reopening are either stopping or reversing their efforts. Governments fear that new cases place strain on hospitals, medical workers, and ICU capacity. Many bars, beaches, cafes, gyms, and nightclubs remain closed, which puts pressure on already battered local economies.

June 2020 Reopening and commerce

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COVID-19: The catalyst B2B eCommerce companies need?

It’s no secret that user experience trends that B2C eCommerce consumers enjoyed are quickly making their way into the B2B space. Other elements such as self-service, personalized customer journeys, and B2B payment options are also making inroads. Here’s how things could be different moving forward.

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[Free Tool] B2B eCommerce ROI Calculator

Determine the costs and benefits of your B2B eCommerce investment opportunity with this free ROI calculator. Designed specifically to evaluate the feasibility of B2B eCommerce projects, this calculator helps you visualize the performance of your investment, the time to ROI, the break even point, and more.

B2B eCommerce ROI calculator

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11 products to help employees in physical businesses stay safe

As reopening continues, personal protective equipment, social distancing equipment, and trackers are gaining in popularity. EHS compiled a list of 11 innovative items that can help manufacturers, distributors and warehouse operators keep their workplaces safe and in line with CDC guidelines.

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Nike aims to sell directly to consumers through online channels

As a way to shift resources and maintain production capacity worldwide, Nike is eliminating the middleman – a move likely to cost thousands of jobs. They are also planning to reinvest away from wholesale operations and sell directly to consumers through their retail and eCommerce channels.

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Marketing and Customer Experience in B2B eCommerce

Marketing and COVID: Best practices

With many in-person events canceled and face-to-face meetings discouraged, B2Bs have no choice but to utilize digital channels for the long-term. There is some good news, however: more than half of US B2B buyers are maintaining spending levels in their business.

June 2020 B2B Marketing Split

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Supply Chain News in B2B eCommerce

3 ways to prepare supply chains for post-COVID rebound

Thomas Insights shares three tips to beef up supply chains that involve diversification, bringing production in-house, and last but not least, addressing supply chain ethics.

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The benefits and barriers to B2B supplier diversification

The pandemic and the economic slowdown are all bringing attention to supplier diversification. While this can be cost- and resource-intensive, it can yield benefits such as entry to new customer segments.

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Despite COVID, packaging moves closer to sustainability

The importance of sustainability is just as important in B2B eCommerce as in B2C logistics environments. This is especially true in B2B2C and D2C eCommerce, where end consumers directly interact with packaging.

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Distribution News in B2B eCommerce

A to-do list for restarting and rethinking plants post-pandemic

It’s expected that distributors and warehouses will need to deal with workplace restrictions such as reduced manpower density and additional PPE requirements. IndustryWeek offers a quick to-do list for physical workplaces such as factories and plants.

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Manufacturing News in B2B eCommerce

B2B eCommerce: Growth potential in manufacturing

Even as technology grows exponentially, many manufacturers are still having trouble attracting customers online. The culprit may be an industry-wide reluctance to address after-sales initiatives.  

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Success Stories in B2B eCommerce

85,000 new online stores in the past four months

The data is in and over 85,000 new B2B, B2C businesses created online or B2B marketplace stores recently. Data gathered by Wunderman Thompson Commerce revealed that B2B online purchases have increased by a quarter (24%) compared to last year.

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Dawn Foods introduces a B2B program for bakeries

Bakery manufacturer and ingredients supplier Dawn Foods moved to B2B eCommerce to make it easier for customers to order, access the products and services of the company. A big reason for the move was to speed up the ordering process and save time.

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Candy supplier runs B2B and B2C websites

Business owners don’t have to limit themselves to one type of selling model. This article from Candy Industry explains how traditionally brick-and-mortar, B2C industries such as candy suppliers are moving towards B2B.

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Chipotle supports small farms with D2C model

Chipotle launched a series of traditional B2B farmer stores that sell ingredients to its products such as the burrito. Consumers are able to find ingredients such as pork, rice, Monterey Jack cheese, and other staples – while supporting small farms in the process.

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Hope You Enjoyed This June 2020 Roundup!

We hope you found our June 2020 roundup valuable and inspiring! If you have a great source or think we missed a newsworthy article or two, let us know on Facebook and Twitter or in the comments below. Keep checking the OroCommerce blog for more updates!

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