Enterprise Cloud for B2B E-commerce Industry

If you take the corporate world, they are on individual paths to digitization, with each firm at a different stage than the next. As many firms are struggling to get off paper and manual process, though it is a tough challenge. Nevertheless, the rise in B2B e-procurement and e-commerce is lending a hand in terms of helping entities make the initiative to going digital.According to CloudCraze, implementing digital commerce solutions can initiate broader advances in technological adoption overall, says a pymnts.com report.Marilena Conforti, Alliances Director at CloudCraze told pymnts.com, “That was the idea behind the company’s new partnership with Deloitte Digital, which, can help joint business customers go digital in their commerce processes and beyond. B2B can be that driver that leads a broader digital transformation. B2B e-commerce is one component of a whole digital transformation strategy that companies are implementing today.”Complex JourneyBut when the digitization process is focused on B2B e-commerce itself, it is clear that even this one area of going digital and high-tech is on its own complex journey says the report. The tune of B2B e-commerce over the last few years has been filled with references of providing business buyers with a B2C-like, Amazon-like experience.“Today the seismic shift in B2B e-commerce means buyers are going more digital and we are seeing consumerization out there. People want to purchase online, even within the B2B space”, Conforti told pymnts.com.Eric Marotta, CloudCraze head of product marketing, told PYMNTS, “There are other, more advanced, trends in B2B e-commerce today that are starting to dominate the conversation about enterprise digitization on a broader scale.”

Cloud“The cloud is appealing to firms, because it allows them to focus on the customer, as against the legacy platforms that require an IT and development focus. Many B2B entities are seeing the benefits of shifting to the cloud sooner rather than later”, Marotta pointed out.The cloud is more agile than on-premise tools, even if they are offered in an as-a-service business model, he continued. Plus, cloud technology can cut down on the cost and time it takes not only to implement these capabilities but to see a return on investment, the report said.“The ability of the cloud also empowers B2B businesses to embrace change by making platform iterations and adaptations fast and simple. Such agility allows businesses to continually adjust to market conditions and a consumer need, which reduces internal costs, accelerates deployments and improves efficiency across the entire B2B business ecosystem”, Marotta added.It’s not a stretch to see how the deployment of a cloud-based B2B e-Commerce platform, through which companies can buy and sell, would be a critical stepping stone to adopting other cloud-based technologies across the enterprise. This pattern will likely emerge on multiple fronts as, according to Marotta, the B2B eCommerce space sees even more advanced technologies and innovations driving the industry.“B2B enterprises are shifting toward as-a-service business models, which enables them to sell their services on a recurring pricing structure,” he said of some of the newest trends impacting B2B e-Commerce. “These new models require a platform that supports the business’ need to adapt and create new business models.”