2024 E-Connect Europe — Power of 50

The new generation entering the B2B environment consists entirely of digital natives. Most of their time and business is spent online, pushing organizations to adapt their e-commerce operations to meet their standards of excellence. Furthermore, there are efficiencies to be gained within complex B2B ecosystems and product management by providing product information online and thus accommodating the needs of online customers.

How can organizations unlock those efficiency gains and improve the user experience? How can they get to know their customers better and optimize their B2B e-commerce platforms? And how can they create a holistic buyer experience that expedites sales?

At the 2024 E-Connect Europe — Power of 50 hosted in February in Stockholm, keynote speakers from Pressalit, Atlas Copco Industrial Technique, Signifikant, inriver, Honeywell, commercetools, Valtech B2B, ABB Motion Division, Immeo, Coveo, Danfoss, Husqvarna Construction, and Siemens Healthineers gathered to discuss the strategies and solutions that can help organizations build their online sales platform for tomorrow, rather than yesterday. Here are the key points highlighted during the event.

1. Bridging technology, legacy systems, and business growth
The value of B2B e-commerce lies in its ability to streamline purchasing processes for businesses, making it faster, more efficient, and more cost-effective. However, it is impossible to boost online sales when legacy systems are fragmented, customized, and outdated, and every company division has its strategy for e-commerce. Therefore, organizations need technology solutions that can be integrated with their legacy infrastructure and a solid change management program that supports the integration. According to reports, a high-quality e2e online customer experience can be enabled by tech integrations with key systems and applications, transforming the platform into a single source of information, products, and services to facilitate purchasing decisions.

2. Holistic approach for creating seamless e-commerce experiences
80% of companies believe they provide excellent customer journeys, but only 8% of customers share the same opinion. Poor buyer journeys reflect heavily on the organization’s online revenue. If there are too many steps to ordering the product, if they cannot easily determine the right channel to order, if they cannot identify the right product for them, and if they cannot access their order history, customers are likely to get frustrated and churn. To create a seamless e-commerce experience for their customers, organizations need to address challenges ranging from technical issues and legacy infrastructure to organizational silos and sales training. This requires a holistic approach that goes beyond technological capabilities, emphasising adaptability, collaboration, and organizational alignment.

3. Pivoting towards a digital business model
Interactions and sales are moving fast towards a digital go-to-market model. The vast majority of companies are turning to digital sales in the aftermarket to grow their revenue from existing clients while also enhancing efficiency and customer satisfaction. They are looking to invest in customer portals, digital self-service, and e-commerce platforms because they want to offer personalized experiences, onboard more clients and sales, and manage their channels based on smart KPIs. Realizing the diverse range of online customers with different needs for online purchases, some companies are also focused on enabling customer excellence across the board, optimizing their organizational and technical setup to support digital touchpoints such as self-service platforms for customers working in the office as well as mobile apps for professionals working in the field.

Thank you to everyone who attended and made the 2024 E-Connect Europe — Power of 50 a true success!

Sincerely,

Lisa Hellqvist
Managing Director
Copperberg