The past 18 months have seen an unprecedented shift towards online sales, not just for B2C but also for B2B business models. With change happening this fast, it can be challenging to keep up with technological advancements and constantly evolving customer expectations.
The chances are your competitors are expanding and adapting their eCommerce channel to serve their customers better. A failure to adjust to the new online B2B landscape means you run the risk of your competitors gaining ground and serving your customers better than you. To make sure your business is ready to not just survive but thrive, it’s essential to understand how to bring eCommerce to the forefront of your business. With this in mind, distributors and manufacturers need to answer the following question...
Does my business need an eCommerce solution or an eCommerce service?
Solution or service? What is the difference?
eCommerce Solutions
At ES Tech Group, we define eCommerce solutions as a stand-alone software offering. This type of eCommerce offering provides you with a complex set of tools as well as a manual, leaving you to build your online store and integrate it with your ERP and other business systems. This may be the right approach for larger organizations with internal I.T departments, assuming that you have all the required resources and talent in-house capable of driving the eCommerce solution across the finish line and delivering growth and success.
In these circumstances, businesses need a software platform that is easily adaptable and intuitive, allowing for unique integrations and customizable UX to deliver an eCommerce solution that fits your customers' expectations. In addition, the software needs to be scalable to drive the growth, revenue, and profitability results you need to show a healthy ROI. EvolutionX features a robust API and developer documentation to empower your in-house team with the toolset they need to personalize the customer experience and increase operational efficiencies.
eCommerce-as-a-Service
On the other hand, an eCommerce service package is a fantastic solution for distributors or manufacturers who need a turnkey solution, including additional resources for managing and promoting the webstore.
When internal resources and skills are stretched and the time to train and hire new staff is limited, your business would be better suited to an eCommerce service package. In this scenario, you can lean on the expertise and support of a team of eCommerce experts to help you achieve results fast.
This service offering gives a customer all the help required to integrate with existing business systems, along with the design, marketing and UX support to offer an online store that meets your customers needs and drives revenue growth. An SME needs to think of an eCommerce service provider as a business partner, as an extension of your team that understands the unique requirements of your business and works alongside you to achieve success. 
When deciding if an eCommerce service or solution is the right course of action, another critical factor to consider is cost. If the cost of adapting your business model to incorporate eCommerce is too high, then the pressure for it to succeed quickly to cover the expense can undermine the chance of success before your eCommerce journey has even begun.
At ES Tech Group, we have over 15 years of experience providing eCommerce solutions for manufacturers and distributors of all shapes, sizes, and verticals. Whether you need an eCommerce solution or service, or even a hybrid of both, ES Tech Group is here to help you achieve success.
Book a quick call to get a better understanding of the pathway to online success that suits your business.
Talk to an eCommerce Expert Today
Our team will provide you direction and thoughtful advice.
EvolutionX eCommerce Features & Benefits:
- Product Content Management – Ensures your products have rich content including, multiple images, documents, videos and attributes to help your customers make a confident buying decision.
- Drag and Drop Theme Editor – This allows you to build a customized and optimized online store that drives sales.
- Business Systems Integrations – Turnkey integrations with many ERPs, CRM's and marketing automation systems out of the box, as well as our specialist integration team to help with anything out of the ordinary.
- Specialist B2B Features – Cost center management, product restriction tools, customer portals, authorisation and hierarchy workflows and much more. Give your customers the tools they need to effectively manage their procurement processes.
- Hosting – All our stores are hosted on AWS's fully redundant platform to give you the reliability and uptime you need to ensure you are always open for sale.
- Affordable & Scalable – Fully scalable to meet the demands of your growth with plans that fit your budget regardless of what size of business you are.
- Always up-to-date – Our eCommerce Platform is maintained and updated by us daily. This means there are no version updates required and you will always have the most up to date features and capabilities.
- New Features – We pride ourselves on always being at the forefront of new digital features that businesses want and need. When we add new features, they are instantly made available to you at no extra cost.
- Expert Level Support – Our team of eCommerce professionals is always on hand to offer support and best practice advice.
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