In the wholesale eCommerce world, connecting with new customers and helping them place their first order with your brand or agency is a wonderful experience. However, reorders, not one-off purchases, have the biggest impact on year-end revenue. With that in mind, you need to make it easy for retail buyers to place reorders by investing in a B2B omnichannel commerce platform.
Join us as we take a deeper dive into what reorders are, highlight the benefits they provide, and examine why you need a B2B order writing platform and B2B website to simplify the customer ordering experience.
What Are Reorders?
Reorders are orders that customers place with the same products with regularity. However, unlike with subscriptions, retail buyers will need to make periodic adjustments to both their order frequency and volume based on current needs. The per unit cost can vary as well based on a variety of factors.
For instance, let’s say that you provide your retail buyers with gourmet food items such as chocolates and popcorn. Last month, they purchased a relatively small quantity of a food product so they could conduct a trial run. The trial was an overwhelming success, and they would like to place a reorder with their local rep.
The opportunity to save money when buying larger quantities makes placing a reorder more appealing to retail buyers and salespeople can share this feedback with brands if they do not already offer tiered pricing. Likewise, sales agencies and their salespeople prefer reorders because they generate a steady revenue stream and because they’re easier to maintain since a rep is more familiar with their store(s).
However, reorders are not a “set it and forget it” sales solution. The human factor plays a critical role in maintaining positive relationships with retail buyers. Great salespeople can ensure that reorders are structured to meet the client’s needs so that they continue making purchases, as well as ensure that their customer’s order meets evolving retail trends.
Proactive salespeople will also continuously explore opportunities to increase the customer’s average order value by showcasing new products or discussing other offerings that may support their needs. This is especially helpful when a product is discontinued or out of stock and the retail buyer is in need of a viable replacement.
What Is a B2B Omnichannel Commerce Platform?
A B2B omnichannel commerce platform is a unified solution designed for sales agencies, independent reps, and manufacturers/suppliers/brands. These B2B solutions consolidate the company’s data and provide tools for curating the B2B client’s experience. With a B2B omnichannel commerce platform, your organization can manage a variety of tasks, including:
- E-commerce website management
- Sales order writing
- Data management
Perhaps most importantly, a B2B omnichannel commerce platform allows you to create a customer journey that spans multiple channels. According to McKinsey, the average B2B client uses ten or more channels to interact with suppliers.
If you want to encourage recurring reorders and give your clients the freedom to manage their accounts in accordance with their preferences, you need a unified platform that integrates all of these channels.
3 Benefits of Managing Reorders with B2B Solutions
Contrary to popular belief, modern B2B solutions do not spell the end for distributor sales reps. In fact, according to many industry experts, your salespeople are more important than ever. A B2B omnichannel commerce platform allows your salespeople to be more involved in the customer journey.
By empowering your sales team with a B2B omnichannel commerce platform, you can unlock a wide range of benefits, including:
1. Efficiency and Time Savings for the Retail Buyer
B2B solutions streamline communications between salespeople and retail buyers. As a result, buyers will have the ability to frequently consult with their sales rep. The rep will have a better understanding of the client’s needs and can use this knowledge to make tailored recommendations regarding reorders and new products.
A retail buyer will not have to waste countless hours conducting independent product research or managing their reorders. The sales agent can provide more tailored support, thereby saving the buyer time and allowing them to focus on their core business processes.
2. Increased Sales and Better Forecasting
Leading B2B wholesale software like MarketTime includes robust forecasting and analytics tools as well. Your salespeople can use these tools to monitor purchasing trends, track reorder history, and help customers better understand how certain items will perform in their store.
Salespeople can also leverage these analytics tools to help customers find substitute products if an item they typically order is unavailable or discontinued. This capability helps reps keep retail buyers happy and reduces the likelihood of reorder cancellations due to product stockouts.
3. Product Quality and Consistency
Consistency is key to reorders. When retail buyers reorder the same products, they expect consistent product quality on every shipment.
B2B solutions automate many of the tedious back-end processes of managing customer accounts, which means that your salespeople can be more proactive about ensuring product quality and consistency. They can provide samples to buyers or send links to product videos and images directly from the B2B platform. This gives the buyer the opportunity to inspect products before ordering so they know what they are going to receive.
Manage Your Reorders with MarketTime
Want a B2B wholesale platform that incentivizes customers to reorder, consolidates your sales channels, and elevates team productivity? If so, then we invite you to check out MarketTime.
With our Order Writing and Online B2B Webshop solutions, you can automate order writing, connect with customers across multiple touchpoints, and deliver a true omnichannel experience.
Schedule a demo to learn more.
