Typisch B2B:
Quick ordering in B2B Commerce

In this series of blogs, we will highlight the most common B2B commerce features—the features that you could call, ‘typical B2B‘. Today, I’d like to discuss Quick ordering in B2B Commerce and how it enables your customers to order their products quickly and accurately.

When it comes to developing and implementing B2B commerce environments, Madia can call itself a true specialist. Over the last 17+ years, we’ve seen many B2B commerce cases, each with its own unique use cases and requirements.

My name is Falco van der Maden, and I am the founder and CEO of Madia (LinkedIn). With nearly two decades of hands-on experience in the B2B commerce industry, I have worked with a diverse range of businesses, from small enterprises to multinational corporations. My journey in this field has equipped me with an in-depth understanding of the challenges and opportunities that businesses face when making choices in the complex world of B2B commerce.

Throughout my career, I have been dedicated to helping businesses optimize their B2B platforms to drive growth, improve efficiency, and enhance customer satisfaction. I am passionate about sharing my knowledge and insights to help others succeed in B2B Commerce.

What is Quick Ordering in B2B Commerce

Quick ordering is a streamlined process used primarily in B2B (business-to-business) e-commerce platforms that enables customers to place orders rapidly, with minimal effort and time. The focus of quick ordering systems is to improve the efficiency of the ordering process, accommodating customers who already know exactly what they need and want to complete their purchases quickly. This is particularly valuable in environments where time and speed are critical to operational efficiency.

In B2B commerce, many customers have precise requirements. They rely on specific products, parts, components, or consumables—like a particular machine part, a component essential for their product, or a preferred working tool. What ties these diverse items together is that the buyer isn’t looking to be persuaded or inspired; they need exactly what they’re looking for, and no alternatives will suffice. Offering different options not only fails to add value but can also frustrate the customer, potentially driving them to competitors. In the next blog we’ll tell more about this in the topic “Typical B2B: Webshop vs Order Portal”.

When the customer’s needs are crystal clear, the focus shifts from persuasion to:

• Accuracy: Providing a precise and straightforward ordering process is crucial, as errors can be costly.
• Availability: Ensuring products are in stock, especially when their availability impacts schedules in production and service delivery.
• Ease of Entry: Simplifying the ordering process.
• Speed: Enabling customers to place orders quickly, without the hassle of navigating through numerous pages and forms.

Now that we understand the customers needs to provide optimal service, let’s explore how we can implement this.

Key Features of Quick Ordering in B2B Commerce

1. Bulk Ordering Options: Through features such as CSV or Excel file uploads, customers can quickly import a list of SKUs (stock keeping units) and quantities to add multiple items to their shopping cart at once.
2. SKU Quick Entry: Allows customers to enter product codes (SKUs) directly into a quick order form, often coupled with quantity fields, to expedite the process.
3. Reordering: Provides facilities for customers to reorder products from a list of previously purchased items or from a template of frequently ordered products.
4. PunchOut/EDI: Integrates with the customer’s procurement system, allowing them to ‘punch out’ from their system to the supplier’s online catalog. This can streamline the purchase process by automating the transfer of order data back into the buyer’s procurement system. PunchOut and EDI are based on standard data formats (eg. Open Catalog Interface (OCI) and EDI Price/Sales Catalog (EDI 832) ).
5. Product Favorites or Lists: Customers can save frequently purchased items in lists or as favorites, making it easy to find and order these products again.
6. Customized Product Overviews: Displays a personalized custom catalog of products based on the customer’s buying habits, preferences, or most recent orders, facilitating faster and more personalized shopping experiences.

Benefits of Quick Ordering in B2B Commerce

• Efficiency: Saves time by reducing the steps needed to search for and select products.
• Accuracy: Minimizes the risk of errors during the ordering process since it often involves pre-populated forms or previous order data.
• Convenience: Simplifies the buying process, especially for repeat purchases or bulk orders.
• Customer Satisfaction: Enhances the shopping experience by making it quicker and easier, which can lead to increased customer loyalty and repeat business.

Quick ordering systems are especially advantageous in industries where businesses regularly order the same supplies or where quick turnaround is crucial, such as in manufacturing, medical fields, and wholesale distribution.

Conclusion

Quick ordering systems represent a transformative approach in B2B e-commerce, tailored to meet the precise and urgent needs of businesses. By streamlining the process of ordering specific products, parts, components, or consumables, these systems enhance operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. The emphasis on accuracy, availability, ease of entry, and speed ensures that customers can fulfill their requirements without unnecessary delays or errors, which are often costly. Features like bulk ordering options, SKU quick entry, reordering capabilities, and integration with procurement systems like Punchout/EDI, further refine the purchasing process. Moreover, the ability to save favorites and access customized product overviews personalizes the experience, making it even more efficient. Ultimately, quick ordering systems not only meet the immediate needs of customers but also foster long-term loyalty by enhancing the overall purchasing experience, proving particularly beneficial in industries where time and efficiency are paramount.

Madia

Madia is a commerce solution provider for more than 17 years. Our experience in B2B commerceimplementations is extensive. We’ve seen many different use cases and with that, a broad verity of requirements. Our team of experts always, in collaboration with our customer will find the best solution to each of customers needs.

Madia works with the best B2B commerce tools available on the market. Tools that from within the core have been developed to fulfill all the typical B2B needs in commerce.

As a Gold partner of Orocommerce we have, in addition to our experience, one of the best B2B commercesolutions for successfully developing and implementing your B2B commerce platform.

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