As a manufacturer, you want your e-commerce journey to be enjoyable, so customers will continue to buy parts online, freeing up your team to focus on the business and not taking parts enquiries over the phone.
A positive online experience can be challenging to achieve, especially if you have a generic e-commerce platform. Poor user experience is the most common reason why customers leave and never return to your site. So, how can you avoid this fate?
In this article, we’ll share why manufacturers need an integrated parts ordering platform instead of a generic one-size-fits-all B2B e-commerce platform.
As consumers, we all like to be able to purchase goods online. B2B and B2B2C vendors that offer a similar experience for businesses are opening up new revenue routes for themselves whilst remaining competitive. Afterall, an online ordering platform can open the doors to many global parts ordering opportunities. Choosing an e-commerce system is difficult, however, selecting the wrong one can be worse than not offering an online ordering system in the first place. Here’s how to avoid those costly mistakes.
The #1 customer problem in aftersales is still focusing on correct parts identification. The common problem statement we always hear is, “We want to make it easier for our customers to order the correct parts from us.”
In the summer of 2021, we asked our 30 prospective customers what they had planned to do about their parts ordering challenges. Most customers considered purchasing a B2B e-commerce system to help them build a bespoke parts webshop. One company invested a significant portion of its annual marketing budget into this online ordering experience. The result? Millions of pounds of incorrect orders and irreparable damage to the customer’s relationship with the brand.
A generic e-commerce solution will not solve the issue of parts identification. These e-commerce platforms do not understand parts catalogue systems and complex engineering machinery. For example, while many parts look the same on a web browser, how can you identify the exact one you need if you don’t have a part reference number?
Imagine you’re trying to fix a tractor, and you find a broken screw. You go to the manufacturer’s website and see a flat screen of thousands of different screws. Many of the screws look the same, and it’s impossible to identify the correct one. You either order one that you hope is correct, or you give up and try to contact customer service. Either way, you feel frustrated because your tractor is out of service for longer.
However, imagine if things could be better. What if manufacturers were to offer an e-commerce platform that presents a 3D model (or virtual twin) of the tractor? What if a customer could blow up and rotate the 3D model to find the exact screw they are looking for, add it to the basket, and check out? They would feel comfortable and reassured knowing they ordered the correct part in a fraction of the time.
The emergence of digital twinning has changed the industry for the better. Customers can now view parts in 3D on a smartphone or tablet computer, match them to the right product in real-time, and be sure it’s the right component. So, instead of feeling frustrated and defeated, they now feel confident and happy.