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We have said this in previous blogs – B2B buyers are now expecting the same online buying experiences that they get in their personal lives. So if you have a B2B business and you sell online, you need to make your customers’ digital experience convenient, easy, seamless and fast and what better way to do that than to offer them a mobile App? Here we list our top 5 reasons why you need a B2B ecommerce mobile App.

1. B2B buyers expect a mobile App. With the boom of digital savvy Millennials entering senior positions with purchasing responsibilities, a mobile App is essential. The oldest Millennials were in their early teens during the rise of online market places in the mid 1990’s, so they grew up with the internet and are very comfortable making large B2B purchases online. This generation in particular is demanding an omni-channel experience, including the option to make convenient and quick purchases from an App on their phone or tablet. The great thing is, B2B buyers are not necessarily always looking for the best price, in the way that B2C buyers do. What they do expect though is the buying experience to be effortless, and an App offers them the perfect solution.      
2. B2B Apps improve cart abandonment rates. B2B customers expect the buying process to be quick and very importantly easy. Gone are the days of having limited options of placing an order over the phone (although you should still provide that too as part of your omnichannel offering), or filling out complicated or long order forms. With a well-designed B2B mobile App customers can quickly open up their App, see all the information they need on the product page, view live stock information, add their products to their cart and can check out, with all their delivery details stored ready for them. If the App has a feature which allows your customers to scan a product barcode and add it to their cart, they can build up extensive orders with ease, eliminating the likelihood of cart abandonment vs if they were shopping around online.
3. An App encourages repeat purchases and customer loyalty. One of the great benefits of having a B2B mobile App, is that if a customer takes the time to download your App, it’s extremely likely that they are planning to buy from you and will do so again and again (if the purchasing experience is enjoyable). And similar to reason number 2, with their delivery information handily stored in their App, it makes it so easy for customers to come back time and time again. This is especially true if they are able to view their order history and purchase products again with just a few clicks. If the App has a marketing push notifications feature you can send out discounts and offers and new product launches straight to your customers’ phone or tablet, encouraging repeat business.
4. An App can help you to stand out against your competitors. If your competitors don’t have an App, but you do and your customers like using it, then of course they will come back to your business to make repeat purchases. With B2B buyers demanding more ways to buy online, seamless buying journeys and their overall need for ease and convenience that they are constantly exposed to in their personal lives, it’s becoming almost essential for B2B businesses to have a mobile App.
5. The ROI for an App is much higher for a B2B business. The great news is that it’s much easier for a B2B brand to get a ROI than B2C brands, as B2B buyers make much larger purchases and they do so more often. So if you have a B2B ecommerce website and you are on the fence about getting a B2B mobile App, here’s your sign to invest in your business and offer your customers even more opportunities to buy from you.

We have created our Gob2b Customer App with all of the above in mind. The GOb2b App:

• Mirrors your GOb2b website, giving your customers a familiar look and feel
• Integrates with your accounts system (including Sage and Pegasus Opera)
• Comes personalised with your company branding
• Is free for your customers to download from the Apple App and Google Play Store
• Comes with a handy barcode scanner, using the camera on their phone or tablet
• Has the ability to send marketing push notifications.

If you have a GOb2b ecommerce website (or are thinking of getting one) and are interested in seeing a demo of our Customer App, please get in touch.