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Special feature on success stories of BtoB (wholesale/corporate) EC sites and key points for success

Many people may imagine that sales on EC sites are for BtoC (sales to general consumers), but did you know that EC sites can also be used for BtoB (business-to-business) transactions? In particular, EC sites can also be used for wholesale sales, where products are sold only to specific companies.

In recent years, many open source and cloud-based e-commerce sites have been released, making it easier to build an e-commerce site than before. However, there are still many people who find it difficult to build and operate a B2B e-commerce site, or to have a dedicated e-commerce staff member in-house, due to the time, cost, and effort involved.

This page is recommended for those who want to know the following points about B2B e-commerce sites:

  • I want to know the advantages and disadvantages of BtoB EC sites.
  • I would like to know examples of BtoB e-commerce sites.
  • I'd like to know more about carts for BtoB.

Related article: 5 BtoB (wholesale and ordering) EC site examples for the food industry! We also explain the key points to consider when building them!

Advantages and disadvantages of BtoB EC sites

merit

・Improved business efficiency

In Japan, in the field of B2B wholesale sales, product inquiries and ordering have been handled mostly by phone, email, and fax. However, this method requires that personnel be prepared in advance according to the volume of work, and there is a high possibility of human error.

However, by building an EC site for BtoB, it is possible to greatly improve the efficiency of operations and reduce human error to an absolute minimum. In wholesale sales, the selling price may vary depending on the business partner, or specific products may be sold only to specific companies.

You will also need to set markup rates and sale prices. By building an EC site for BtoB, you can set even complex information such as sales prices, payment methods, and product information for each business partner in detail.

When making inquiries about products over the phone, the information provided may differ depending on the person answering the phone, and it may take time to confirm product information, which can be very stressful for customers. Therefore, if you post product information and Q&A on your EC site in advance, you can reduce the number of inquiries. Recently, some companies have introduced customer support that uses chat and AI in addition to traditional email and inquiry forms.

・Improved profit margins due to reduced labor costs

With a B2B EC site, you can use the time and effort you spent on inquiries and ordering to focus on sales and marketing to new and existing customers. With an EC site, you can accurately track sales information for each company, and use that information for promotional activities for existing customers.

In addition, by frequently updating information about new products and sale items on your e-commerce site, you can expect to increase sales through your e-commerce site compared to orders placed by phone, email, or fax.

Disadvantages

・The cost of implementing the system is high

Although there are many benefits to building an EC site, there are also disadvantages. The first is the cost of implementing the system.

It is necessary to build an e-commerce site with many functions, such as product information registration, payment, logistics, and workflow.

For companies that handle a huge number of products, the cost of building an EC site will be high. You also need to decide whether to build an EC site in-house or outsource it to an external company.

Customer support is required

Customer support will be necessary as customers who have previously conducted transactions by phone, email, or fax will now be using the EC site. If customers have been using a specific operational flow for a long time, they may be confused by the change in the transaction method.

In that case, you may need to help them create a manual that includes information about products, membership registration, payment, issuing quotes, and ordering methods, or provide instruction on how to operate the demo screen.

Representative success stories of BtoB EC sites

MonotaRO [Industrial indirect materials industry]

Monotaro

Image source: Monotaro

MonotaRO is an online store for industrial indirect materials that handles over 18 million products for B2B. MonotaRO's private brand handles approximately 350,000 products, offering them to customers at low prices.

MonotaRO Features

The categories of products we carry are listed in detail on the left and middle sections of the top page, so you can quickly find the product you want. You can also see special deals such as special pages featuring popular seasonal products and pages featuring products available while stocks last. We have also introduced a "quick order system" that allows you to easily order by entering the order code and quantity listed in the product catalog. There is also a function that allows you to filter similar products and place an order immediately.

Customer inquiries are handled via the web inquiry form, chat, and telephone. In addition, orders placed by 3 p.m. on the same day (except on weekends) will be shipped on the same day at the earliest, providing thorough customer support.

Payment Method

Payment options include bank transfer, credit card payment, regular transfer and direct debit.

Food Fridge [Commercial food industry]

Foods Fridge is a group company of UCC, which is famous for handling coffee, and is an e-commerce site that sells food ingredients for commercial use to restaurants. It sells about 1,200 frozen foods, totaling more than 3,200 items.

Food Fridge

Image source: Foodfridge

Features of Food Fridge

In addition to Fuji Fridge's six in-house private brands, the company also carries products from well-known food manufacturers such as Ajinomoto, Kagome, and Kikkoman.

The site itself has categories such as ingredients, drinks, brands, commercial ingredients, and recommended products, and can be used in the same way as a regular mail order site.

You can purchase and ship as few as one item. In addition to the usual web form, you can also register as a member using methods not available on other EC sites, such as LINE or Amazon account.

By using Food Fridge, you can purchase the ingredients you need efficiently and in the right quantities. Since there is no minimum order quantity, it is a safe BtoB EC site for owners of small, privately run stores such as coffee shops.

Payment Method

Payment methods accepted are credit card, cash on delivery, Amazon Pay, and Portia PAY (payment after invoice).

BtoB NIKURASU [Retail store general merchandise industry]

Living in BtoB

Image source: BtoB nikurasu

BtoB Nikurasu is a members-only wholesale EC site for retailers operated by Fujiei Co., Ltd. We handle furniture such as tables and chairs, detergents, tableware, cleaning supplies, and other general household goods.

Features of BtoB NIKULASU

The BtoB Nikulas site is divided into different brands, product types, and outlet pages. Shop owners can use this site to purchase miscellaneous items to display inside and outside their stores. Clicking on a product category on the left side of the screen will display a list of products in that category on the right side of the screen. Click "Add to Cart" to proceed to the "Order Screen." You can order products in the same way as on a typical online shopping site.

Payment Method

Payment methods accepted are advance payment (bank transfer), credit card, and Paid (post-payment).

ReValue (Inventory clearance industry)

ReValue is a site that purchases surplus and returned products in large quantities and sells them on its B2B e-commerce website.

ReValue

Image credit: ReValue

Features of ReValue

The products they handle include items returned by retailers and manufacturers, outdated home appliances, games, PCs, apparel, watches, etc., and can be purchased at lower prices than at regular stores or online stores. Although they do not have a stable supply of certain products, you can find some great bargains.

Even individuals who do not have transactions with manufacturers can purchase products by registering as a member. Some people use this service not only for their own websites or retail stores, but also for reselling on the Internet.

Payment Method

Payment can be made either by bank transfer or credit card.

Nittoms [Daily necessities and medical products industry]

Nittoms

Image source: Nittoms

Nitoms sells daily necessities such as cleaning tools, hygiene products, storage items, and stationery, as well as medical products, to B2B businesses such as offices, factories, hospitals, and clinics. Their main products are everyday items such as adhesive tapes, including "Korokoro." They also sell their own brand products, such as decolfa, STALOGY, and Colorful.

Nitto's Features

There are two types of BtoB websites: websites for retail stores and websites for offices, factories, hospitals, and clinics. The websites for retail stores have product lineups by brand and can handle small lot orders and credit sales. The websites for offices, factories, and hospitals and clinics have product information for each usage scenario.

The products handled can be ordered 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, just like an online shopping site, and it is possible to purchase even small quantities. In addition to BtoB sites, there are also BtoC sites, so individual consumers can also make purchases.

Payment Method

You can choose from a variety of payment methods, including credit, credit card, and Pay-easy.

Kusuribakku [Pharmaceuticals and daily necessities industry]

Drug Bank

Image source: Kusuribakku

Kusuribank is a BtoB e-commerce site operated by Medicine Plus Co., Ltd.

Features of Kusuribakku

Kusuribank handles products such as medicines, cosmetics, health foods, daily necessities, and health foods for pharmacies and medical institutions nationwide. There are approximately 5,000 drug stores and pharmacies nationwide that handle the products, and the number of products exceeds approximately 35,000.

The company also sells its own product, Vitatorel, a tablet for B2B use that is effective against eye fatigue and stiff shoulders.

Products can be purchased from as little as one item, and can be ordered from a PC or smartphone. The member page also contains sale information and points can be accumulated, making it easy to use in the same way as a regular online shopping site.

To access Kusuribakku, users must register their membership information; pharmacies and drugstores must submit a sales license, and businesses dealing in products other than pharmaceuticals must provide their corporate number when registering.

Payment Method

Payment method is cash on delivery only. We do not accept credit cards or credit card payments.

Super Delivery [Comprehensive site dedicated to BtoB]

Super Delivery

Image credit: Super Delivery

SUPER DELIVERY is a B2B-only e-commerce site that handles a wide variety of products, including apparel, furniture, household goods, food, home appliances, and store materials. There are over 940,000 products and over 1,400 participating companies.

Features of Super Delivery

The top page displays featured products, best-selling rankings, brands, etc., and has a similar design to online shopping sites. To check product prices or make a purchase, you must register as a member and log in.

SUPER DELIVERY also offers a wide range of support services, including a cloud ordering system and a matching service between apparel manufacturers and sewing factories.

Although our services are primarily for domestic use, we also provide support to companies expanding their sales channels overseas. Services such as product export procedures, customer acquisition, translation, and insurance enrollment are also available.

Payment Method

The only payment method available is Paid (credit sale/deferred payment).

Photol Pro, a photography and photography equipment company [camera industry]

Photol Pro

Image source: Photol Pro

Photol Pro is a BtoB e-commerce site operated by Naniwa Shokai, a company famous for selling cameras.

Features of PhotolPro

The store mainly sells camera equipment, camera consumables, office equipment, watches, inkjets, photographic film, and other products at wholesale prices, and carries approximately 10,000 items, including products from major manufacturers such as Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Fujifilm.

Product information can be checked on the member page. Outlet and sale information is also frequently provided.

For consumables that you order frequently, you can register them in your "Favorites" and then complete your order with just a few clicks after logging in.

We handle customer inquiries via telephone, inquiry form, and LINE.

Payment Method

Bank transfer and cash on delivery are available.

Recommended shopping cart systems for building a BtoB EC site

Shopify

Shopify

Image source: Shopify

Shopify is an e-commerce website creation platform (ASP-type shopping cart system) that was released in Canada in 2004. Since it entered the Japanese market in 2017, the system can now be operated in Japanese, and an increasing number of companies in Japan are adopting Shopify.

Shopify Features

Many companies that use Shopify are building e-commerce sites for B2C, but it can also be built as a members-only site for B2B by setting a password to view the site.

With Shopify, even beginners can easily build a website and sell products. You can freely set product variations (type, color, size, model number, etc.), and SEO measures (setting H1 tags, title tags, description tags, meta tags) are also fully implemented.

Shopify Pricing

There are no initial fees, and you can use it for as little as $29 per month. Also, the fees at the time of payment and the number of staff accounts vary depending on the plan.

B Cart

B Cart

Image source: B Cart

B Cart is a cloud service (ASP) based e-commerce site construction service for BtoB, and as it is an ASP system, all operations are carried out online.

B Cart Functions

This cart is an EC cart specialized for B2B transactions. Customer orders and transactions can be confirmed from a PC or smartphone, making it possible to respond regardless of time or place.

You can also manage detailed product information, prices, payment methods, etc. depending on your business partner's track record and conditions.

Another attractive feature of B Cart is that it can be used with other companies' linked services. The following functions can be used in combination.

  • Inventory Management
  • Automated emails
  • Customer Management
  • Logistics collaboration
  • Marketing Support
  • Customer support (email, phone, chat)

In other words, B Cart can handle all processes from customer inquiries to product delivery in one place.

B Cart Fee

There is an initial fee of 80,000 yen. In addition, there are different plans depending on the number of products and trading members, and monthly fees are charged separately.

  • Light: 9,800 yen per month (number of products: 500, number of members: 50)
  • Plan 10: 19,800 yen per month (number of products/members: 1,000)
  • Plan 30: 29,800 yen per month (number of products/members: 3,000)
  • Plan 50: 39,800 yen per month (number of products/members: 5,000)
  • Plan 100: 49,800 yen per month (number of products/members: 10,000)
  • Plan 300: 79,800 yen per month (number of products/members: 30,000)

Easy B2B

Easy B2B

Image source: Rakuraku B2B

RakuRaku B2B is also an EC cart system specialized for B2B business-to-business transactions. It is possible to set detailed transaction amounts and product markups for each business partner. It is also possible to create a "closed site" that displays content only when logged in, so specific product information and prices will not be made known to other companies.

RakuRaku B2B Features

This cart has many functions to streamline operations, including automated order processing, bulk order data creation in CSV, automatic tax calculation function, quotation issuance function, step emails, and step emails are set up.

In addition, the "automatic order form reading function" uses AI functionality to scan invoices and purchase orders and automatically import document information into the system, making operations more efficient.

Of course, it is possible to create not only BtoB websites but also BtoC websites. It also comes with the functionality to set up Google Analytics, Google Ads, Yahoo! Sponsored Search, Yahoo! Display Ad Network, etc.

By introducing Rakuraku B2B, you will be able to efficiently operate your B2B e-commerce site and carry out your business operations smoothly.

RakuRaku B2B Pricing

  • Initial cost: 100,000 yen
  • Light plan: 50,000 yen per month
  • Standard plan: 75,000 yen per month
  • Enterprise plan: 150,000 yen per month

【summary】

We have introduced the advantages and disadvantages of BtoB EC sites and examples of BtoB EC sites. There are many advantages to building and operating a BtoB EC site.

First, you can reduce the amount of work required in your company and make your operations more efficient. Also, by introducing an EC site, you can expect to see an increase in sales.

But above all, it will enable customers to order products easily and purchase them at a good price, allowing us to provide our business partners with satisfying service.

We have a track record of operating many EC sites. We can also provide support for EC site construction, operation support, and consulting. Please contact us first.

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