In the B2B world, it’s all about building long-term relationships with customers and offering personalized solutions that meet their unique needs. It should come as no surprise that pricing plays a key role in this. While B2C is fortunate to have a fixed price that is publicly advertised on the website, B2B companies have pricing agreements tailored to each customer group—and often even to specific customers. Customized pricing is complex, but it offers many benefits!
B2B is not B2C
Take, for example, a manufacturer of building materials that supplies various contractors. One contractor buys in large quantities and therefore gets a lower price per unit, while another contractor only needs small quantities and therefore pays a higher price per unit. Or how about a wholesaler that supplies various retailers? A retailer who places orders regularly often gets a better price than one who only orders occasionally. But the combination of items can also play a role in pricing. For example, a B2B company might offer a discount on a specific product when it’s purchased together with another product.
ERP as a Source for Your Pricing
An important source of information for determining customer-specific prices is a ERP system. These often specify contractual pricing agreements and volumes, and the system can automatically apply the correct prices when placing orders. A well-integrated e-commerce platform can use this information to seamlessly display customer-specific prices online. This saves time and prevents errors that can occur when prices have to be adjusted manually. Furthermore, this information can also be used to support targeted marketing efforts by offering special promotions and prices based on the needs of individual customers.
Integrated e-commerce platforms
How do you manage all those different pricing agreements and discounts online? It requires an e-commerce platform that can handle this! And that’s no small feat, because thousands of customers multiplied by thousands of items in all kinds of combinations—each of which affects a customer-specific price—require a system that’s advanced enough to keep track of it all.
Fortunately, there are e-commerce platforms who specialize in handling complex pricing structures. Sana Commerce offers a platform that integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Dynamics 365. This allows B2B companies to easily publish their pricing agreements online and provide their customers with a seamless experience through Microsoft’s ERP. The composable platform from Propeller displays agreed-upon prices that take into account complex rules regarding customer groups, catalogs, promotions, order volume, and real-time ERP data. These are just a few examples of the many solutions available to help B2B companies manage their customer-specific pricing and create a successful e-commerce strategy.
What are you waiting for?
So, B2B companies, put those customer-specific prices online and build strong relationships with your customers. Because the right price at the right time can make the difference between a satisfied customer and a lost customer. Choose the best systems and ensure seamless integration with other business processes. This way, your B2B company can increase efficiency and improve customer satisfaction.
