Mapping the Customer Journey for B2B Contextual Commerce

Mapping the Customer Journey for B2B Contextual Commerce

The popularity of buying in-the-moment isn’t limited to the B2C world. B2B leaders are seeking to follow suit, but the customer journey looks a lot different for B2B buyers than for everyday consumers.

Start Here

74% of B2B buyers prefer to buy online thru a self-service website

Consumers and B2B buyers both want frictionless, fast experiences and ample amounts of useful content to engage with to help inform a purchase.

But since B2B purchases involve many stakeholders across a corporation, the opportunity for a true impulse buy is unlikely. Most B2B engagement is research for decision-making.

Drive Intent

That presents the key opportunity for contextual commerce: Guiding B2B buyers where you want them to go using shareable materials that require less sales ‘horsepower’:

• Blog posts & site pages
  
• Case studies
• Webinars & podcasts
• Sponsored content
• Technical papers
• Email newsletters
• Reports & buying guides

Contextual commerce allows content to create a sales-free purchasing process:

1. Inform

Use content to give buyers access to every bit of information they need to know to empower a purchase.

2. Interact

Add engagement options to every touchpoint so buyers always know how to learn more.

3. Incite

Create an infrastructure where buyers can act at the exact moment they know enough to decide by making every resource “convertible”

Dodge These Potholes

Don’t distract or divert buyers with a shoddy customer experience.

• Convoluted process can turn off purchase completion
  
• A buggy user experience can engender security fears
• Unmet promises due to out-of-date inventory

A Smooth Journey

Contextual commerce can lessen the pressure of the sales cycle while making buyers’ lives easier. That can increase loyalty and satisfaction — helping you capture more and more of that revenue over time.