Our Favorite B2B Ecommerce Trends and Predictions for 2023

COVID-19 changed dynamics in society maybe forever – That’s old news. What’s still quite new, is how businesses handle their online presence and marketing strategies in this environment.

An overwhelming increase in consumer demand made businesses realize the importance of providing high-quality online services.

What’s next? What’s trending right now?

Here are the current trends and a few predictions about what the future of B2B ecommerce looks like.

B2B ecommerce trends

In 2020 and 2021, 75% of B2B buyers preferred digital interactions to in-person. And last year, it was estimated that 73% of ecommerce sales were from mobile devices. This raises the question, why do people prefer to make purchases on mobile devices vs. desktops? The answer is (yes, you guessed right): ease.

Millennials have been using ecommerce for years now, but as other generations (we’re looking at you Baby Boomers) are catching up and Gen Z is emerging into the market, the ease of mobile shopping can’t be ignored. You can shop on the bus, train, while baking, or even during a meeting, not that you ever would…

B2B ecommerce trend #1: the demand for personalization in the B2B space

We hear you, personalization has appeared on trend lists for a few years now. But this year it’s different, it’s, well, really personal.

B2C experiences are gradually creeping more and more into the B2B sphere, so marketing methods such as ABM (account-based marketing) are on the rise. Account-based marketing, or ABM, uses personalized campaigns to engage each account, and 67% of brands now use ABM, and 64% of those only started within the last five years.

Do you want more proof? 50% of B2B buyers identify customer personalization as a key component when searching online for suppliers, which increases consumers’ spending by at least 48%.

Further reading: Top 10 ecommerce Trends to Watch in 2022.

B2B ecommerce trend #2: The rise of social commerce

True, in the past B2C commerce has dominated social media platforms. But, thanks to recent changes in the market, B2B companies are getting in on the action and getting social on the relevant platforms for their audience.

According to a Gartner study, around 46% of B2B buyers use social media at the start of their buyer journey. Why is it so high? Don’t forget, it’s people at the business who make purchases at the end of the day.

B2B ecommerce trend #3: video content is still growing

Wait, what? Still? Yes, I know. But, we’ve only just touched the tip of the video-berg.

Video content for ecommerce marketing increases engagement and is proven to keep your audience interested and informed. Can video help B2B brands convert prospects into customers? Probably. Can it help upsell current customers? My money is on yes.

Anyway, enough talk. Let us show you.

What’s next?

Augmented reality. Oh, and virtual reality.

Augmented shopping

The stats don’t lie; incorporating augmented reality, or AR, into an ecommerce platform doubles the conversion rates and increases the average checkout cart size.

Hmmm, how would that coffee table look in my living room? Welcome to 2022. With AR now we shoppers can know. By using cell phones and AR shoppers see a 3D model of the product wherever they want.

That’s a huge help to those of us who don’t have an eye for design… and for B2B2C brands.

Pro tip: Use AR to increase your retention rate. Provide fun, engaging, and novel experiences to keep your customers coming back for more.

Virtual stores

We all shop online all the time. Let’s not pretend virtual shopping is a concept we’re unfamiliar with… but think bigger.

AR and VR and customer personalization go hand-in-hand.

Starting to catch my drift?

When businesses combine those three technologies potential customers could enter visual rooms, shop with friends, chat with employees, and more.

Here’s an example. In 2015, North Face, in collaboration with the cinematic company Jaunt, created an immersive tour of Yosemite National Park in California for customers. The brand not only delivered an unforgettable shopping experience but also created an emotional connection for shoppers.

I know, I know. This is not a B2B example. But, remember what we said earlier? It’s employees (aka people) at the brand who make purchases, so your goal is to recreate the feeling North Face gave its customers for the decision-makers in your target businesses.

Get ahead of the curve

Plug your website into our Similarweb Shopper Intelligence Platform and see what’s trending in your space…. And what your competitors are up to so you can increase your traffic share.

FAQ

What are customers looking for in B2B ecommerce?

In the last couple of years, we have seen an increase in personalization and B2C- like experiences. Customers value companies that suggest personalized and tailored content when it comes to emails, purchase suggestions, or processes.

How can I take advantage of the latest trends?

Be vigilant about what your customers are looking for, what are the latest changes in the industry and ecommerce trend data. You can find ways to use the Similarweb platform to understand trend data and analyze and collect all the data you need to build a successful ecommerce strategy.

by Adelle Kehoe

Director of Content Marketing

Adelle is passionate about content and has a strong background in content creation, SEO, and marketing. She has helped companies of all sizes enhance their online presence.