Written by Godard Abel, Co-Founder and CEO, BigMachines
Submitted by BigMachines

Over the past decade, B2C eCommerce has changed the landscape for selling products as leaders like Amazon.com have brought eCommerce to the mainstream — and the numbers are growing. A 2009 survey of online consumer behavior conducted by Harris Interactive found that 48% of US online adults say that they are now conducting more online transactions than they did in the past. In the UK, the number is even higher as 53% of online adults say they are making more purchases online, with the ability to compare products and prices cited by 74% of these as the main reason.

Businesses still rely primarily on inefficient direct and channel sales strategies supported by legacy selling tools and cumbersome enterprise software tools rather than providing their business customers the same intuitive online experience available to consumers.  We expect that over the next decade businesses will bridge this gap and deliver increasingly intuitive eCommerce tools to their business customers.

B2B eCommerce, by definition, is not a new concept in the business world. Back in 2000, sources like Gartner Research and Forrester Research were predicting explosive growth numbers in the B2B eCommerce world, upwards of $3.95 trillion by the end of 2003. But, to date, B2B eCommerce has not seen the adoption across industries that were initially predicted back in 2000. In fact, over the last decade, while many companies have expressed interest in incorporating web technology into their existing sales platforms, very few have actually implemented it. Based on experience with over 250 companies, BigMachines has found that over 90% of companies still rely on clunky spreadsheets and rigid enterprise software systems to price, quote, and sell products. And while we’ve seen great success with the B2C eCommerce world – everyone from Amazon.com to Dell have become masters in the retail world because of it – B2B eCommerce requires online systems that can support the complex products, contract, and pricing logic often needed to satisfy B2B relationships.

It’s clear that the technology industry has been talking about eCommerce for a while but the question is: Why is 2010 going to be the year that it takes off in the B2B space? The answer is simple. The need is still there, better SaaS technology is now available, and business customers are demanding it. New technology is now available that enables businesses to provide their sales people, channel partners, and B2B customers intuitive online tools that make it just as easy to buy business products and services as consumers shopping online. The B2B eCommerce platforms also support the complex product filtering, bundling, contract management, and pricing rules that businesses need to conduct online commerce. By leveraging Web2.0 technology, B2B eCommerce platforms now offer a much richer, more real-time business shopping experience.

Knowing that B2B eCommerce will start realizing its potential this year, what can you do as an organization to take advantage?

Do your research and find a platform that suits your needs. Make sure the rules engine is complex enough to handle your products and services and pricing. Understand online self-service and its importance to your customers. In essence, B2B eCommerce helps you predict what your customers may want to purchase and when you can predict correctly, you have a better chance of winning that sale.