Disruption
has been the “new normal” since 2020. Despite businesses facing some level of
constant change, COVID-19 has affected the world in ways that no one expected.
This object will discuss how the current situation has forced manufacturing
companies to sit down and rethink their relationship with their end clienteles.
In the
pre-COVID era, traditional B2B industrial companies worked with distributors
and customers differently. The B2B manufacturing organization has always been
at arm's length from the end user and the reseller has been managing the
customer experience. Distributors were considered direct customers of the
organization and acted as employees, governed by contracts. But the current
shift toward digitization has challenged this thought process, forcing
companies to re-evaluate their direct relationships with their customers and
reform their day-to-day business operations.
Now
translate this problem into technical language. New age B2B manufacturers will
need to think like their resellers by adopting and leveraging multi-channel
e-commerce solutions that will expand their market presence across B2B, B2C and
B2B2C channels.
It's time to
rethink and take the manufacturer-customer relationship to the next level with
user-centric, technology-enabled B2B2C e-commerce platforms. Let's look at the
top 3 imperatives driving this change in the marketing function of all
manufacturing companies:
Customer
buying behavior: The advent of e-commerce has caused a massive change in
customer buying behavior. While this shift is prevalent for small to medium
value consumer products, there are notable shifts in customer expectations for
industrial goods. Repeating the ever-present B2B consumer e-commerce experience
and expensive B2C purchases will quickly become an absolute necessity for
manufacturing companies.
Personalized
Digital Marketing - Marketing specialists in manufacturing companies will now
have to focus on improving digital customer trips. They will create and
influence digital content based on marketplace trends and end-user expectations
of a particular product. Digital content, such as diaries, articles, white
papers, videos, testimonials, and user reviews, will help the buyer gather the
necessary information about the product, leading to brand recognition and
subsequent loyalty to the OEM. Providing the customer with a highly
personalized digital experience is now a priority for ambitious manufacturers.
For example, manufacturers that previously relied on older forms of marketing,
such as trade shows, magazine publications, and field marketing, can reach a
broader market through targeted advertising and social presence.
Reconfiguring
the full digital shopping experience - Previously, agents, distributors, and
sales teams were the most important points of contact for customers,
representing the original equipment manufacturer and contributing significantly
to the overall shopping knowledge. However, any lack of product-specific
practical knowledge among the members of this team would mean losing customers'
attention and ultimately affect the lowest line. But with the introduction of
digital tool, it has develop easier for sales teams to recreate an immersive
customer experience using 3D models and product simulators that support
augmented reality and virtual reality. For example, companies organize shopping
experiences that explain the technical capabilities of a product in
communicable and consumer-friendly language.
Now that we
understand the three fundamentals driving the shift to e-commerce. Let's take a
look at what manufacturers need to do to adopt a unified digital marketing
experience:
Deliver a
superior customer experience compared to the market by enabling features like
self-service options, intuitive search experiences, and more.
Sale of
products related to high and / or cross sales.
UX-based
product documentation with smart search integration for faster access to
information about your products.
Graduated
prices and immediate stock availability with real-time order tracking, among
other features,
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