The analytical demonstration of this comes from Salesforce’s latest State of Commerce report, which collected information obtained from more than 1,400 business leaders and over a billion consumers in 40 countries. A fact about all? 68% of consumers surveyed will continue to purchase goods online and, on the other hand, 62% of food & beverage brands are replacing the in-store experience with live chat and virtual (video) experiences.
Password: digital transformation
As anticipated, the first evidence is: the keyword “digital transformation”. Consumers have been forced to use the web and apps to shop, while brands have had to go through a real race to prepare and / or adapt their digital assets. The risk of lagging behind existing and structured competition was too high, so even the smallest retailers had to invest money and resources.
From e-commerce sites to the digitalization of logistics, from the introduction of cashless and contactless forms of payment to the adaptation of points of sale to security protocols, the effort was enormous for everyone. And the brands that were already structured in this sense have refined their marketing strategies by focusing on new forms of content, experimenting with social selling and improving customer support tools.
The Salesforce report, for example, shows that 56% of revenue for the next three years will come from digital channels. Furthermore, orders coming directly from social networks recorded a + 104% from 2019 to 2020, while digital purchases a + 200% between March 2019 and March 2020, as well as a 55% increase in online spending in the third quarter of 2020. Finally, the data indicate a + 90% of contactless payments.
This wave of digital renewal has influenced B2B, albeit to a lesser extent than B2C, and, if the projects are less substantial and perhaps not yet completed, the signal has clearly reached its destination.
The physical store will survive but will have to change roles
In particular, the starting data for B2B show that the average value of self-service orders is generally half that of “face to face” orders. In this sector, therefore, choosing the “digital first” paradigm can be risky, despite a forecast of an increase in online sales of 55% in three years and + 44% growth in online orders between January and August 2020.
Better, it is clear from the responses of the Salesforce panel, to focus on the customer journey of the B2B customer and intervene on the individual criticalities of the path, while not forgetting the prevalence of the physical place in the interaction. Make way for effective CRM or logistics management tools.
In truth, the experience of 2020 has not totally revolutionized the relationship between customer and supplier, even in the case of consumer and brand (B2C), while still maintaining a meaning to the physical point of sale.
The physical place becomes an order sorting center, an experiential place or a pre and post sales support. But, thanks to new forms of content (videos, streaming, podcasts, storytelling, stories, etc.) the virtual is the effective meeting place between brand and consumer, and the privileged assistance center.
Furthermore, the commercial structures of B2B companies with an already active ecommerce have been able to dedicate themselves to more strategic tasks, improving the quality of their work and, thus, convincing themselves that there is a more productive way to work and contribute to the company business.
Ultimately, the path of the B2B market towards the digitization of the relationship with the interlocutor is still long and the Salesforce report predicts that, in this context, 2021 will be a year of further evolution of digital platforms and consumer purchasing habits. and companies.