Despite an abundance of insights and advice available on how to operate on B2C online spaces, the B2B space has always been underestimated by suppliers, in part due to the lack of data available.
Given that some suppliers see 10+ times more value pass through the online B2B channel versus Online Grocery/Pure Play, getting your strategy right in this space will unlock significant revenue gains.
Our research shows that retail customers are moving the bulk of their order value online but using multiple platforms. It’s crucial to understand the differences of how these platforms are shopped by retailers and reflect these in your B2B eCommerce strategy.
Executive summary
KPI performance
• Retailer web usage pre, during and post-pandemic
• Web v app revenue pre, during and post-pandemic
• Web v app basket size pre, during and post-pandemic
• Share of sessions and revenue through mobile devices
Path to purchase (shopper journey)
• How are retailers using search/barcode scanners?
• The most popular days of the week for web sessions and transactions
• What behaviours will stick post-pandemic?
• What behaviours will fade away?
• Importance of favourites/previous orders – What can FMCG suppliers do to influence?
Category focus
• Last year vs. this year category analysis
• Category advice – are retailers using certain categories more?
• How much time is spent on product pages?
• Is all information needed on product pages?
• How effective are category pages?
• Do retailers engage with category advice pages?
• How has the pandemic changed how retailers search for products?
Promotions and NPD
• How has the pandemic impacted page views for new products?
• How has the pandemic impacted page views for promotions?
• What’s important to retailers when choosing what to buy?
• How has the pandemic impacted page views for new products?
Media and ad placement
• Where should spend on media be going?
• When should you push media for seasonal events?
• What is the key call to action for media and promotional activity?
• What are the most effective conversion techniques?
Future developments
• Four key steps to ensuring loyalty amongst retailers, particularly during periods of high strain on the supply chain.
We have been given unlimited access to the web & app analytics that sit behind several of the leading UK wholesalers’ B2B online portals. Rarely shared, if ever, this data (based on 12 continuous months) allows us to understand exactly how retail customers are behaving, navigating and purchasing through the total B2B space.
