Selling online isn’t new in the manufacturing industry, but it is something that many are looking into in 2023 as the economy continues to fluctuate and change. Whether you’ve been selling online, or looking into taking those first steps, there are numerous benefits to selling online. In this post, we’ll highlight some of the key benefits, as well as what to do if you’re already selling online.
Let’s take a closer look!
1. Sell directly to your customers
Are you tired of taking orders by phone, and using outdated systems for customers’ orders?
This is where an eCommerce site can help your business shine!
With an eCommerce site, you can sell directly to your current customers, and provide the opportunity for new customers to buy directly from you online. It goes without saying, but if you’re not selling online, you’re missing out on new revenue streams and new customers.
The benefit of selling online is that it can include your entire product catalog, and it will also eliminate the need to go to third parties for order fulfillment. This can speed up your order processing, and increase customer satisfaction for the timeliness of receiving their orders.
Another benefit to eCommerce, is that you can also integrate into online marketplaces which we’ll cover next.
2. Integrate to marketplaces
The benefit of integrating into online marketplaces is that you’ll be able to reach your customers no matter where they are online. Most eCommerce platforms will allow you to integrate with Amazon, eBay, Google Shopping and much much more. By utilizing these marketplace integrations you can grow your current business in the B2B space, and show up in searches on other sites outside of your own. This is great for someone who is not familiar with your business. They will have the ability to find your business on a marketplace, and order what parts they need. Not to mention, if you’re integrated to Google Shopping you’ll be able to land in Google’s Search Results page (like the below).
No matter where you’re selling online, more visibility is a good thing! Pair this with some solid analytics and data, and you’ll truly be able to scale your business’ growth.
3. Analytics & Data
Having solid analytics and data are another key driver for business growth, and provide a solid way to take a deeper look into how your customers are buying from your business. Fortunately most eCommerce sites do provide you with a solid set of analytics tools to understand how your business is performing online. From products that are selling well, to those that are not, you’ll be able to get a real-time look into this information and make strategic decisions about your business.
Much like your website, the marketplaces will also be able to provide you with data and analytics as well.
You can use this data to find cross-selling opportunities, which we’ll cover next.
4. Cross-Selling
We’ll use this example from Berlin Packaging to show you how effectively they are using cross-selling:
When searching for glass bottles, accessories such as labels and the lids for the bottles are shown on the right hand side of the product page. This is a great, subtle, nudge to your customers to be like, “don’t forget this!”
If you’re selling online already, integrations such as Hawksearch can allow you to do the above, and truthfully, we recommend utilizing integrations for cross-selling products. Not only is it a way to get more revenue coming in, but it provides a better user experience for your customers. It eliminates the frustration of ordering bottles, and then having to buy lids or labels after the sale. It cuts back on their shipping costs as well.
5. Scale your business
Scaling your business when there are economic uncertainties seems tough, right?
This is where eCommerce for wholesale distribution shines.
Sure, there are costs with getting an eCommerce site launched, or migrating your existing site, but it reminds us of the old adage, “you have to spend money to make money.”
Being able to reach a larger customer base online is most-certainly worth it.
Resources:
Manufacturing Marketing Magazine
Manufacturer Ecommerce: A Quick-Start Guide to Set Up Online Operations
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