B2B e-commerce best practices include making the customer's job easier through an intuitive interface and streamlined checkout. Most B2B customers use search to find exactly what they need quickly. The product detail page is also important for providing information like specifications and related products. User testing is necessary since all users and sites differ.

1. B2B E-COMMERCE BEST PRACTICES
AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Jiří Šoman, UX Designer#

2. B2B BASIC FACTS
2
• B2B = selling to other businesses rather then directly
to customers#
• ! B2B customers copy B2C in their behavior#
• The biggest difference in B2B is that people that are
visiting your site are doing so because it is their job#
• ! 70% site activity is focused on the process of finding
information#
• ! 50% of customers using search box to find what they
are looking for#
• Mostly the finding process start at search engine like
Google, not at your site.#
• B2B buyers many times know exactly what they want#
• Second most important page is product detail page#

3. B2B CUSTOMERS COPY B2C IN THEIR BEHAVIOR
3
B2B customers copy B2C in their behavior#
#
• ! B2B customers are also B2C consumers#
• Customers expectations followed B2C shopper
practices#
• Two windows phenomenon#
• Intuitive and user friendly interface#
• Personalization and customization#
• Mobile shopping + multi-channel support#

4. B2B CUSTOMERS COPY B2C IN THEIR BEHAVIOR
4
Two windows phenomenon#

5. B2B CUSTOMERS COPY B2C IN THEIR BEHAVIOR
5
Mobile shopping#
Responsive site#

6. B2B CUSTOMERS COPY B2C IN THEIR BEHAVIOR
6
Mobile shopping#
Mobile app#

7. B2B CUSTOMERS COPY B2C IN THEIR BEHAVIOR
WITH MORE USERS ONLINE
THAN EVER BEFORE, BE
SURE THAT E-COMMERCE
PROCESSES ARE SIMPLIFIED#
7

8. B2B ARE VISITING YOUR SITE BECAUSE IT IS THEIR JOB
8
The biggest difference in B2B is that people that are visiting
your site are doing so because it is their job#
#
• Make their job easier#
• Provide them with the right tools and great user experience#
• Streamline and enclose your checkout process#
• Checkout without registration or automatic account
registration#
• Possibility to connect credit card and reuse it time by time#
• Integration to ERPs#
• Punch out shopping#
• Customer specific catalogue and pricing#
• Customer self-service and administration#
• Split shipping#

9. B2B ARE VISITING YOUR SITE BECAUSE IT IS THEIR JOB
9
Customer self-service and administration#

10. B2B ARE VISITING YOUR SITE BECAUSE IT IS THEIR JOB
10
Enclosed checkout process#

11. 70% OF ACTIVITY IS FOCUSED ON FINDING INFORMATION
11
70% site activity is focused on the process of finding information#
#
• Finding information = using navigation, product categories, tags,
filters and search#
• Create an intuitive navigational structure#
• F shape design pattern for usability#
• Categories overview#
• Suggested products#
• Add breadcrumbs navigation#
• Product selectors / wizards#
• Multiple ways to filter and sort#
• Sales statistic for each one product#
• Display ratings#
• Highlight call to actions#
• Avoid 404 pages#
• Product comparison shopping#

12. 70% OF ACTIVITY IS FOCUSED ON FINDING INFORMATION
12
F Shape pattern#

13. 70% OF ACTIVITY IS FOCUSED ON FINDING INFORMATION
13
Categories overview#

14. 70% OF ACTIVITY IS FOCUSED ON FINDING INFORMATION
14
Navigation#

15. 70% OF ACTIVITY IS FOCUSED ON FINDING INFORMATION
15
Navigation#

16. 70% OF ACTIVITY IS FOCUSED ON FINDING INFORMATION
16
Suggested product#

17. 70% OF ACTIVITY IS FOCUSED ON FINDING INFORMATION
17
Breadcrumbs#

18. 70% OF ACTIVITY IS FOCUSED ON FINDING INFORMATION
18
Filtering and sorting#

19. 70% OF ACTIVITY IS FOCUSED ON FINDING INFORMATION
19
Product compare#

20. 70% OF ACTIVITY IS FOCUSED ON FINDING INFORMATION
IF SOMEONE IS BROWSING
FOR CHEESE, PERHAPS
THEY WOULD LIKE CHUTNEY
TO GO WITH IT#
20

21. 50% OF CUSTOMERS ARE USING SEARCH BOX
21
50% of customers using search box to find what they are
looking for#
#
• It’s really important element#
• Easy to use and really quick search option#
• Available on every page#
• Auto complete feature#
• Possibility to buy goods right from here#
• Unit of measure searching#
• Search results, Filtering options and Facet search#

22. 50% OF CUSTOMERS ARE USING SEARCH BOX
22
Search box#

23. 50% OF CUSTOMERS ARE USING SEARCH BOX
23
Search suggestions#

24. 50% OF CUSTOMERS ARE USING SEARCH BOX
24
Example – add to cart button in search box#

25. FINDING PROCESS START AT SEARCH ENGINE
25
Mostly the finding process start at search engine
(Google), not at your site#
#
• Search engine optimization (on-page, off-page)#
• Pay per click advertising#
• Should consider putting product catalogue in front of
login screens to allow indexing#
• ! Google comparison shopping site#
• XML sitemap / XML product feed#

26. B2B BUYERS KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THEY WANT
26
B2B buyers many times know exactly what they want#
#
• The ability to directly enter/search via the code (part
no, SKU code) and quantity#
• Allow B2B buyers to upload excel, xml or csv file with
the codes and quantity#
• Routine/repeat order support#
• Bulk ordering capabilities#
• Competitor cross reference#

27. B2B BUYERS KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THEY WANT
27
Bulk ordering, order repeating#

28. PRODUCT DETAIL PAGE
28
Second most important page is product detail page#
#
• Most traffic comes to this page#
• Quotes#
• Rich description#
• Part no.#
• Images with zoom#
• Technical specs#
• Alternate products#
• Related products#
• Accessories#
• In stock vs. out of stock#
• Sharing of product detail page#

29. PRODUCT DETAIL PAGE
29
Quotes#

30. PRODUCT DETAIL PAGE
30
Images with zoom#

31. PRODUCT DETAIL PAGE
31
Alternate, related products and accessories#

32. PRODUCT DETAIL PAGE
32
Description and technical spec#

33. PRODUCT DETAIL PAGE
33
Product page sharing#

34. And many more suggestions, recommendatios you
already have:#
#
• Summary Webshop UX Analysis and Surveys.ppt#
• recommendation-makro-final.docx#
34

35. ALL WEB PAGES, ALL
WEBSHOPS, USERS, GROUP
OF USERS ARE DIFFERENT
SO WE NEED TO DO TESTING#
35

36. INSPIRATION
36
Cdwg.com#
Amazon.com#
Homedepot.com#
Grainger.com#
Diytrade.com#
Globalsources.com#
Wallmart.com#
Ioffer.com#
Ebay.com#
Alibaba.com#
Dhgate.com#
#
Made-in-china.com#
Quill.com#
Megapixel.cz#
Euronics.cz#
Zappos.com#

37. Jiří Šoman#
UX Designer / Actum#
#
@jirisoman#
jiri.soman@actum.cz#
37

38. RESOURCES
38
AdaptivePath.com#
AlistApart.com#
Baymard.com#
Humanfactors.com#
Lukew.com#
SmashingMagazine.com#
SomethingDigital.com#
Uie.com#
Usabilitypost.com#
Useit.com#
UXdesign.com#
UXmatters.com#
UXmovement.com#
Webdesignerdepot.com#
#
#
ITbusinessedge.com#
NNgroup.com#
Econsultancy.com#
Webdesign.tutsplus.com#
Toprankblog.com#
Browsediet.com#
Bradfrostweb.com#
Kissmetrics.com#
#