The Power of Ecommerce for the Manufacturing Industry: Drive Growth

In today's digital era, ecommerce has become a game-changer for businesses across industries, including manufacturing. The ability to sell products and services online provides manufacturers with unprecedented opportunities for growth, scalability, and customer engagement. In this blog, we will explore how Salesforce Sales Cloud with B2B/B2C Commerce can enable manufacturers to harness the power of ecommerce, to drive business success.

Vertical and Horizontal Scalability

Ecommerce allows manufacturers to scale vertically and horizontally, expanding their reach and customer base. With Salesforce Sales Cloud, manufacturers can easily create and manage their online store, showcasing their products and services to a global audience. B2B/B2C Commerce provides robust functionality, such as product catalog management, pricing and quoting, order management, and integration with back-end systems, enabling manufacturers to efficiently manage their online sales operations. The integration with your commerce solution is crucial to not interrupt the business processes of other departments. The commerce solutions offered give you three great approaches; you can build a low to no code commerce store directly on salesforce, you can do a hybrid store which utilizes some headless features and other pre-built components, or you can go fully headless using business process API’s giving you the power to extend and develop your commerce store without the need to do anything in your back end systems to support it.

Data and Sources:

• According to a report by McKinsey, manufacturers who adopt digital technologies, including ecommerce, can achieve 3-5% higher annual growth rates compared to those who do not. (McKinsey)
• The global B2B ecommerce market is projected to reach $20.9 trillion by 2027. (Grand View Research)

Understanding Buying Trends

Ecommerce provides valuable insights into buying trends, helping manufacturers make data-driven decisions. With Salesforce Sales Cloud, manufacturers can access robust analytics and reporting capabilities, allowing them to track customer behavior, preferences, and purchase patterns. This information can be used to optimize product offerings, pricing, and marketing strategies, ensuring that manufacturers stay ahead of the competition.

Data and Sources:

• 84% of B2B buyers use digital channels to start their buying journey, and 67% prefer to conduct their research and purchase online. (Salesforce)

Improved Customer Understanding

Ecommerce enables manufacturers to gather rich customer data, leading to a better understanding of their target audience. Salesforce Sales Cloud with B2B/B2C Commerce provides manufacturers with a comprehensive customer data platform, allowing them to capture, analyze, and leverage customer data for personalized marketing campaigns, customer segmentation, and targeted promotions. This leads to improved customer engagement and loyalty, driving repeat purchases and brand advocacy.

Data and Sources:

• Salesforce B2B Commerce customers have reported an average of 30% increase in customer retention, 20% increase in revenue, and 25% increase in average order value. (Salesforce)
• Salesforce B2C Commerce customers have reported an average of 22% increase in online revenue, 30% increase in conversion rates, and 20% increase in average order value. (Salesforce)

Enhanced Marketing Campaigns

Ecommerce provides manufacturers with a powerful platform for marketing their products and services. Salesforce Sales Cloud allows manufacturers to leverage customer data from their ecommerce platform to create personalized marketing campaigns, tailored to individual customer preferences and behaviors. With Salesforce Marketing Cloud, manufacturers can automate marketing campaigns, send targeted emails, and deliver personalized content, resulting in higher engagement, conversion rates, and ROI.

Data and Sources:

• 80% of B2B buyers expect a personalized experience similar to B2C when purchasing online. (Accenture)
• Salesforce Sales Cloud, combined with B2B/B2C Commerce, offers seamless integration with Salesforce Marketing Cloud, enabling manufacturers to leverage a comprehensive customer data platform for personalized marketing campaigns. (Salesforce)
• 90 percent of B2B executives cite CX as a very important factor in achieving their organizations’ strategic priorities. That’s up from 86 percent who felt that way two years ago. (Accenture)

One of the key advantages of Salesforce Sales Cloud with B2B/B2C/D2C Commerce is its ability to support both all different models and industries. Manufacturers can easily configure their online store to cater to the unique requirements of B2B customers, such as custom pricing, personalization, and allow you to move towards a more direct model if its in your business' future goals without the need to change platforms. This again will allow your business to focus on vertical and/or horizontal growth to your business.