O e-commerce has been challenging the logic of the offline market over the years, since online sales have been growing in the last 6 years. But we're talking about e-commerce for the final consumer, that online appliance store, clothes or even perfumery, just to name a few examples.
We have read that the market is still, but the Brazilian E-commerce grew more than 8% in the first half of 2015 (source: ABCOMM).
Airlocks, years ago, abolished their offline sales. Today, online only, with locator codes replacing physical tickets, tickets.
The shows and shows too. In the big events like the World Cup and the Olympics, sales are already happening online, worldwide, and so we hear on the news, that thousands of tickets run out in a few minutes.
This same culture, practicality, speed and reach has already reached the industries. With the undesirable political and economic crisis threatening the smooth running of business, the industry has seen itself in the obligation to do something to speed up – or maintain – its level of sales. The external sales team, however competent and committed it may be, cannot meet all potential customers, in every corner of the city, the state or even this huge country.
It is in this environment of challenges that the E-commerce B2B, which transforms the experience of buying from industry customers into an experience similar to a purchase of any product on the internet. A friendly, easy, intuitive experience, and with all the commercial and tax characteristics necessary for the industry.
Just to illustrate one of the numerous facilities, a traditional customer of the industry usually enjoys some benefits such as special discount and differentiated billing time. Because this client when “loging” in the E-commerce B2B the system of the Flexy already recognizes it, leaving available on screen, all its facilities, benefits and negotiations to which it does justice.
And therefore, together with this solution that expands or offers another sales channel to the customers of the industries, each company adopts its commercial policy, discounts for customers, commissions for sellers, finally, each company adjusts its project within its needs, without creating channel conflicts and really facilitating the purchase process for its client.
Within an E-commerce B2B project, the Flexy technology automates the entire process, from ST calculations (Tax Replacement) to the logistics of delivery of the goods.
The positive experience – witnessed by several Flexy customers – with E-commerce B2B gives us the certainty that we were right when we decided to invest heavily in the development of a complete, robust and scalable technological solution, which serves not only Industries, but also Distributors, Wholesalers, Franchisers and Shopping Centers online.
In challenging times, such as this and the coming years, all companies that rely on sales performance, whether retail, wholesale, industries, distributors, franchisers or service providers, will necessarily need to review their business process, and if possible deploy an E-commerce, aiming to offer another sales channel to final buyers.
In short, we can no longer afford not to sell on Saturdays, Sundays, holidays and dawns. Harder times require a change in commercial posture. The world has changed fast and the online sales are almost past.
Juarez Beltrão is Director of New Business at Flexy – Digital Business
