The most complete guide to B2B ecommerce in Latin America

[jisansorkar12]

The growth of the e-commerce industry continues at a rapid pace. More and more companies are digitizing their sales, and more consumers are willing to buy online. This growth is also reflected in the B2B model.

Initially, business-to-business companies saw e-commerce as an opportunity to reach their end consumer directly; however, they soon began to digitalize their sales to other companies due to the great benefits it entailed for their businesses.

If you are a member of a B2B company that has not yet digitalized its sales, or you are interested in the e-commerce industry, this article is for you. Here you can find all the points to consider, as well as examples of implementation in different industries and countries.

Who is behind this article?
We are specialists in e-commerce, with a special focus on development for B2B companies.

At Riqra, we have helped more than 100 companies in Latin America digitize their sales according to their needs, quickly and easily.

However, this article was not intended to offer our product (although we will tell you about it when necessary), but to contribute to the knowledge about the industry in which we operate, as well as to help those who need to make the leap to digital sales, but who still do not have the necessary guidance.

Without further ado, enjoy this article and start digitizing your sales.

riqra ecommerce b2b for suppliers
What is B2B ecommerce?
b2b ecommerce
If you are new to this industry, you will find many words that might confuse you. Let's start with the most important thing: what is a B2B ecommerce?

We have two fundamental elements for this concept: ecommerce , or electronic commerce, and B2B , or Business to Business.

Ecommerce is the abbreviation for Electronic Commerce , and refers to the exchange of rcs database goods and services carried out over the Internet .

There are different ways to carry out this exchange, for example an online store with brand features, a marketplace like Amazon or MercadoLibre, among others. In this article we will talk about the first option.

B2B or Business to Business refers to the business model in which a company has another company as a client. For example, a beverage manufacturer sells to a chain of convenience stores.

Now, when we talk about B2B ecommerce , we are referring to the exchange of goods between two companies over the Internet. This exchange must be carried out through a platform designed to support these transactions and all the elements that are part of it: an online store.

We are sure that most of the people reading this article have made an online purchase at some point in their lives, so we already have a certain idea of ​​the process.
However, the purchase we made was B2C (Business to Consumer). A B2B purchase involves different commercial agreements, specific to the nature of your business.

We have already mentioned B2B and B2C ecommerce on several occasions, so below we will discuss the main differences between both types of ecommerce according to their target audience.

Main differences between a B2B and a B2C online store
The main difference between B2B and B2C is the customer. In the case of B2C, the customer who will purchase a good or service is the final consumer. However, in B2B, the customer is another company.

These two business models have different characteristics, which will require different functionalities and ways of customizing their ecommerce. Below we show you the main differences between a B2B and a B2C online store.

Purchase frequency
While it takes longer to convert a B2B customer, they will also have a higher purchase frequency than a B2C customer. Recurrence is a characteristic of this business model, so it will be important that the platform you choose has functionalities to facilitate repeat purchases for your customers, such as favorite products or one-click repurchase .
Meanwhile, in B2C, you may have a customer who will make a single purchase and will not return to your store for a long time. In this case, you can use functionalities that promote upselling or cross-selling.