The 2021 Middle East B2B e-commerce trends are released, and sellers need to work hard in these three aspects!

According to a 2019 digital transformation study by FRX, 58% of respondents said that providing customers with a better purchasing experience is a key goal, and digital transformation is an important part of it. Igor Nikolenko, co-founder and CEO of SupplyMe (a B2B platform for Middle Eastern food), recently publicly discussed the main emerging trends in B2B e-commerce in 2021 and beyond:

1. Use machines to assist and improve efficiency

Improving operational efficiency and providing a better user experience is a major goal when it comes to digital transformation and automation. According to Statista, mobile e-commerce sales will account for 73% of global e-commerce sales by 2021.

Every B2B company has a lot of work processes and procedures. Take the catering industry as an example. Even processing the same orders from repeat customers takes a lot of time to complete. In order to effectively speed up this process, a convenient and immersive customer experience can be provided. B2B companies can consider letting machine learning help complete this task so that the sales team can focus on the business and increase the company's profits. At the same time, this can also allow buyers to have a more convenient purchasing experience.

2. Millennials gradually become the main force, and instant messaging becomes the key

Digital technology, as a communication tool, is also an integral part of the daily lives of millennials, who are gradually becoming management in companies. Data shows that 42% of millennials use instant messaging and social media at work. This means that as B2B buyers, they like to get fast and instant information through omnichannels, providing everything they need in the most streamlined way possible.

According to a 2020 study by McKinsey, more than 75% of B2B buyers said they prefer to shop online and interact with sellers remotely rather than in traditional face-to-face communication. This tendency became more pronounced after the first lockdown of the epidemic, with only 20% of B2B buyers saying they wanted to conduct transactions in a traditional manner. Therefore, in 2021, B2B companies will have to reconsider their sales channels to ensure that they can meet the needs of potential customers.

3. Develop B2B mobile software and provide B2C transaction experience

Today, B2B suppliers are increasingly focusing on providing buyers with a shopping experience similar to that of B2C. As most practitioners are proficient in digital technology, an important step for B2B companies to successfully win and retain customers is to provide added value rather than simply offering lower prices.

This means that B2B sellers and platforms need to think about how to optimize the entire transaction process, and developing a B2B mobile application with the same functions as B2C shopping software is the most effective. This can help sellers open up new and hard-to-reach markets, optimize customer service, reduce operating costs and increase profits.

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