In B2B e-commerce, too, Black Friday is a day of high sales that online retailers look forward to. The flip side of the coin, however, can be an overload of the e-commerce software when it can no longer cope with the increased traffic due to exploding access rates and transaction volumes. In such cases, online stores react only slowly, sales processes are suddenly interrupted, or websites collapse entirely. This applies in general and beyond Black Friday also to highly complex business scenarios such as D2C (Direct to Customer), B2B2C (Business to Business to Customer), or B2X (Business to Everyone = different target groups).
The poor performance of an online store can damage its reputation, also in the long term, and drive customers into the arms of competitors. After all, e-commerce today is no longer just about the cheapest offer, but also about a smooth shopping experience that meets the ever-growing expectations of buyers. This is where particularly powerful e-commerce platforms that are hosted in the cloud come into play – because they can be scaled without limitations and adapted to any scenario. But it's not just coping with high or highly fluctuating data traffic that distinguishes such high-performance e-commerce solutions. Find out here what other advantages they offer:
Expansion into international markets
Scalability is much more than just adjusting computing power. High-performance e-commerce platforms also enable fast and easy expansion into new international markets thanks to their diverse functionalities – and they hold huge potential, not just on Black Friday. Not only can additional online stores be set up on a single platform in a very short time, but important factors such as languages, currencies, taxes, or legal requirements can also be adapted. Another important aspect is different brands under the umbrella of one company: They can also be managed centrally via a single platform without having to use a separate system for each brand. This saves resources and ultimately increases profit margins.
Tapping into new customer groups through omnichannel strategies
New customer groups can also be tapped through a variety of sales channels and new business models. For example, a direct connection to large digital marketplaces such as Amazon or Alibaba can be implemented easily, and marketing via social media channels such as Instagram or Facebook is also supported. In this way, companies can address groups of buyers in omnichannel scenarios who would not have found their way to their online store on their own. Younger generations in particular who are very active on social media channels, can be reached much more easily in such scenarios.
Direct sale by manufacturers and wholesalers
Likewise, direct sales and sales via intermediaries offer great opportunities. In such D2C and B2B2C scenarios, manufacturers and wholesalers can set up online stores for their retail customers on their own e-commerce platform and adapt these to the wishes and ideas of their customers. The individual stores then resell the manufacturers' or wholesalers' products directly to end customers, with the entire sales process handled centrally via their own high-performance e-commerce solution. The retailers pay a fee for this, but increase their revenue via increased sales volume through the online store, so both sides benefit.
Boost sales with mobile commerce
The trend towards mobile devices has been unbroken for years, and online purchases are also increasingly being made via smartphones or tablets. The keyword is therefore mobile responsiveness, and not just on Black Friday. Accordingly, high-performance e-commerce platforms are optimized for mobile use. This ensures that the website or application offers an intuitive and seamless shopping experience on different devices and screen sizes. The platform recognizes on its own which type of device is contacting it and adapts automatically. Technologically, the so-called Progressive Web App (PWA) makes this possible.
Speed always counts
A high-performance e-commerce platform offers a user experience with short page load times, fast search results, smooth navigation, and a simple checkout – not only on Black Friday. On the technology side, this is ensured by a software architecture that neatly networks all the system components involved and is designed to integrate new components optimally. Self-service options also help ensure that shoppers can easily reorder items once they have purchased them before based on their order history. The same applies to invoices, discount agreements, payment targets, or authorizations for different buyers or purchasing departments in B2B.
Adaptability and flexibility for fast responsiveness
Extremely powerful e-commerce platforms offer flexibility and customization options to meet the individual needs of companies at any time. This includes the ability to optimally adapt the user interface, design, product catalog, pricing and discount rules, payment methods, languages, currencies, authorizations, advertising campaigns, and many other aspects of the platform to specific requirements – on Black Friday, for example. The same applies, of course, to special and highly complex workflows in all industries and to configurations for business communication with suppliers and partners.
Do you want to massively increase the performance of your e-commerce platform to not only easily cope with the rush on Black Friday, but also to move into completely new dimensions overall in terms of sales and profits? Then find out in detail in our best practice e-book about high-performance e-commerce platforms. Because the focus of all considerations regarding digital commerce is always on the customer with his constantly changing wishes and needs. That's why creativity and the will to change are essential if you don't want to be left behind.
