B2B ecommerce continues to make significant inroads into some of the oldest segments of the industrial United States, says a new research report from Billtrust.
Billtrust provides cloud-based software and integrated payment processing applications. It recently surveyed just over 500 sellers in five established industries:
- Electrical
- General contracting
- Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC)
- Janitorial/sanitation
- Plumbing
In all these industries, ecommerce now accounts for at least one-half of all sales, including janitorial/sanitation at 54%.
“It appears that the days of salespeople making rounds to client branches are being replaced by omnichannel digital experiences where deals are secured via the click of a mouse versus the shaking of hands,” according to the Billtrust survey. “While this shift to online was happening at a steady pace prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the crisis’ onset massively accelerated it.”
The survey also reveals that the vast majority (88%) of wholesalers and suppliers to the contracting, electrical, HVAC, JAN/SAN and plumbing trades have deployed an online ecommerce ordering option.
Billtrust: Top five digital features B2B buyers want
- Ease of ordering (55%)
- Shipping speed (49%)
- Price (49%)
- Product assortment (47%)
- Product availability (43%)
Lower on the list were easy of payment, easy reorder and loyalty programs. Meanwhile, post-purchase support ranked lowest on the list, Billtrust found. Respondents could choose multiple answers to this survey question.
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