Your eCommerce platform plays a vital role in the success of your online business. Before you set out to build your own eCommerce solution or start shortlisting your favorite platform vendors, you must consider the viability of both options. In our new whitepaper, we help you identify whether you should build an eCommerce platform from scratch or look for a vendor-built solution.
Building vs. buying: why it matters
In the early days of eCommerce, platforms were costly, bulky, home-grown operations created by IT departments, developers, and implementation consultants. Since then, they morphed from unscalable and complex systems into lightweight solutions offered by vendors. Vendors stay on the forefront of technology and feature development and ensure their products integrate with other software in the tech stack.
Although it might seem otherwise, the build or buy decision isn’t so cut-and-dry. In this whitepaper, we analyze the use cases, benefits, pros, and cons of each approach. We also talk about a customized solution without hiring and sustaining a team of engineers.
What’s in this whitepaper?
Our whitepaper, titled Build or Buy? Exploring your B2B eCommerce options explores both approaches in detail, the considerations and resources required for each approach, and whether there is an ideal middle-ground. We’ll share tips on executing this third option and two stories of businesses that made the most of this strategy.
Here’s what’s included:
- When does building a custom solution make sense?
- When should you build and when should you buy?
- Factors to consider when crafting your strategy
- The pros and cons of custom eCommerce solutions
- The pros and cons of vendor-based eCommerce solutions
- Comparing the costs of both options
- Neither option alone is best, but a blend is ideal
- Steps to a customized solution
Who should read this whitepaper?
Sales, eCommerce, marketing, financial, technical, operations, as well as leadership teams will find this whitepaper useful. With a wealth of actionable information and real-life examples, this paper will streamline the task of selecting the best possible eCommerce strategy for your B2B business.
It’s a valuable resource for:
- Sales and eCommerce Managers
- CMOs and Marketing Directors
- CEOs and Leadership Teams
- IT Managers and Technical Teams
- CFOs and Finance Teams
- Business Owners
Learn how to make the best of both worlds
Running a B2B business is a complex endeavor. Every B2B purchasing process is unique. Business owners are under constant pressure to serve their customers, stakeholders, expand into new partnerships, markets, and modernize in the face of the changing competitive environment. They require an eCommerce solution that isn’t the most popular or cheapest on the market but helps them reach the business goals they set out for themselves.
Close to the end of the whitepaper, we’ll talk about how to avoid vendors that aren’t perfect for your needs, and avoid turning your eCommerce projects into money pits. Don’t miss our case studies from companies whose eCommerce strategies got them where they wanted to be.
Ready to start making the right digital strategy decisions for your business?
Download the free Build or Buy? Exploring your B2B eCommerce options whitepaper here.
