Moving B2B Business Online
What Organizations Should Know
Accenture Interactive surveyed 50 senior-level digital and eCommerce professionals
at large B2B organizations (revenues at $500 million plus) in order to better
understand the tactics most effective in shifting customers to purchase online,
and the impact digital is making on their business success.
THE CURRENT STATE OF
B2B ECOMMERCE BUYING
90%
ONLINE SALES
$
<10%
86%
IN-PERSON
SALES REP
VIA
WEBSITE
>50%
82%
OVER THE
PHONE
What Percent of B2B Revenue
is Received Online?
B2B is still lagging in driving revenue
from digital commerce.
Half (50%) of those surveyed said their organizations receive
less than 10 percent of their revenue from online sales.
Only 19 percent say that online sales account for more than
half of their revenue.
How Customers Engage: Top 3
Purchasing Channels Available
to B2B Buyers
Many B2B firms struggle to capture
revenue from their websites even though
they are one of the top channels available
to buyers – second only to dealing with
an in-person sales representative.
64%
SALES TEAMS AND EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT
RESISTANCE TO CHANGE
RESISTANT LONG-TERM
CUSTOMERS
X
54%
INCONSISTENT
ONLINE BUYING
42%
CUSTOMERS THAT
BUY ONLINE
CUSTOMERS RESISTANCE
TO CHANGE
X
UNPREPARED TO
SUPPORT ONLINE SALES
3
2
X
= LAGGING FIRMS
2
= DIGITAL FIRST FIRMS
Top 3 Barriers to Driving More
Online Sales
The Correlation Between Resistance
to Change x eCommerce Maturity
Resistance to moving the sales process
online is accountable to both parties,
the customer and the sales organization.
• Long term customers reluctant to change - 64%
The less time a B2B organization has devoted
to eCommerce, the more likely it is to struggle
with resistance to change from customers,
sales teams and executive leadership.
• Customers don’t consistently use online buying
options - 54%
• Sales teams and the executive management at lagging firms
are almost 3x as resistant to change as digital-first firms.
• Sales organizations are resistant to driving customers
online; Organizations are unprepared to support
online sales - 42%
• Customers of lagging firms are 2x as resistant to change
as digital-first firms in the adoption of eCommerce.
• More than 1/2 of the digital-first firms’ customers buy online,
more than 2x the customers that do at lagging firms and more
than 5x that of customers at mid-maturity firms, proving the
payoff in pushing customers online sooner than later.
THE TOP TACTICS FOR MAKING
DIGITAL COMMERCE #1 FOR B2B
92%
86%
EMAIL
MARKETING
MAILERS
LINKING
PRODUCTS
& PROMOS
84%
PHONE
SUPPORT
LET
OUT
30%
UPDATED
ECOMMERCE
WEBSITES
29%
SALE
Top 3 Tactics Organizations Currently
Use to Promote eCommerce
ONLINE
OUTLET
STORES
31%
INTERNAL
SALES
CONTESTS
FREE SHIPPING
FOR ONLINE
ORDERS ONLY
CUSTOM
CLIENTBRANDED
ONLINE
STORES
The 3 Tactics Organizations
Plan to Avoid
CLIENT
BRANDED
ONLINE STORES
Top 3 Tactics Organizations Plan to
Implement in the Next Two Years
49% 43%
EMAIL
WEBSITE
20%
25%
EDITORIAL
CONTENT
SOCIAL MEDIA
45%
EMPLOYEE
OUTREACH
The 5 Most Successful Channels for
Driving Customer Engagement Online
There are a few tactics that B2B organizations
overwhelmingly do not plan to pursue, particularly
those that could interfere with profitability.
FOLLOW THE LEADER:
WHAT THE MOST SUCCESSFUL
B2B FIRMS ARE DOING TO
PROMOTE ECOMMERCE
15%
MORE LIKELY TO
INCENTIVIZE SALES
TEAMS TO BRING IN
ONLINE BUSINESS
20%
OFFER CUSTOMER
SUPPORT THROUGH
MULTIPLE CHANNELS
Top eCommerce Tactics Used
Based on Firms’ Digital Maturity
Great Customer Support,
Incentivized Sales Teams
The more mature a B2B firm’s eCommerce
strategy is, the more likely it is to rely
on specific tactics such as online-only
discounts, online chat tools and clientbranded online stores.
• Happier Sales Teams
Firms that generate a significant portion of their
revenues (more than 20 percent) from online sales
tend to offer customer support through multiple
channels (by a jump of about 20 percent).
• Happier Customers
These organizations are also about 15% more likely
to incentivize sales teams to bring in online business.
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All rights reserved.
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