{"id":12305,"date":"2017-08-15T10:26:28","date_gmt":"2017-08-15T17:26:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oroinc.com\/b2b-ecommerce\/blog\/how-to-launch-your-b2b-commerce-site-and-start-selling-online"},"modified":"2023-03-21T02:10:14","modified_gmt":"2023-03-21T09:10:14","slug":"launch-b2b-commerce-site-start-selling-online","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oroinc.com\/b2b-ecommerce\/blog\/launch-b2b-commerce-site-start-selling-online\/","title":{"rendered":"The Beginner Guide to Launching A B2B Commerce Site | OroCommerce"},"content":{"rendered":"

The future is now. The convenience and availability benefits of online commerce have expanded to beyond the consumer market and into B2B, or businesses selling to other businesses. For forward-thinking B2B companies, eCommerce is no longer optional. Rather, it\u2019s a matter of survival. But the key question remains: where do you start? In today\u2019s blog, we\u2019ll identify the key milestones for setting up a B2B eCommerce<\/a> project and discuss how to launch a quality B2B eCommerce site that drives sales and reinforces your brand.<\/span><\/p>\n

Identify Your Goals and Performance Indicators<\/span><\/h2>\n

There are many <\/span>advantages<\/span><\/a> to B2B eCommerce, but going online should not be the goal itself. B2B eCommerce should be the means of reaching your business goal. Digitizing your sales without a clear business objective is like calling a cab without knowing your destination. Define your expectations before building a roadmap to business digitization. Whether you are looking to optimize existing operations, curb expenditures, expand your market or increase your client portfolio, you will need well-defined and measurable goals. <\/span><\/p>\n

After identifying your goals, prioritize them and define the <\/span>key performance indicators (KPIs)<\/span><\/a> to measure progress. To evaluate performance, track such indicators as total sales and online sales share, order size, order frequency, and sales cycle length.<\/span><\/p>\n

Define Requirements for the Minimum Viable Product<\/span><\/h2>\n

Once you\u2019ve identified your business goals, use them to define the requirements for a website that is a minimum viable product (MVP). The MVP is a proven strategy for developing a site with a basic set of features that allows you to decipher your customer\u2019s expectations and factor customer feedback into full site design and development.<\/span><\/p>\n

As far as the MVP is concerned, <\/span>\u00a0<\/span>it’s unreasonable to include every possible eCommerce functionality at once. By rolling out a phased approach you will get your website to market faster which in turn results in a faster ROI. Focus on the essentials and communicate the benefits and value of your brand to the target audience. We suggest including the following: \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Functionality<\/b><\/p>\n

Make sure the initial site version works before you launch. All functions that are necessary to properly support B2B eCommerce transactions should be fully operational before launch. Depending on your niche, these following features may be part of your MVP:<\/span><\/p>\n