You’re on the search for a new agency partner to help grow your B2B ecommerce operation. You might be just getting started on your ecommerce operation, or maybe your operation is well established, but you’ve outgrown your current agency partner. Where do you even start?
At Xngage, we’ve worked with more than 60 manufacturers and distributors to help establish and grow their ecommerce operations, so we wanted to share our top tips for finding an ecommerce agency that meets your company’s unique needs.
B2B Ecommerce Expertise
There are tons of agencies that can implement and manage an ecommerce operation, but if they don’t specialize in B2B ecommerce, they likely won’t understand the unique challenges you face. As a B2B operation, you have very different processes and priorities than B2C companies. The core processes are completely different between B2B vs. B2C: regulations, the buyer journey, the customer base, the ordering, fulfillment, and shipping processes, and more.
If your agency doesn’t have a wealth of B2B experience and expertise, you’re likely not going to get the best guidance or experience when it comes to your ecommerce operation. They won’t come to the table with innovative solutions to your toughest problems because they won’t understand those problems to begin with.
Innovative Mindset
Implementing an ecommerce operation is just the first step. Your customers' expectations are always evolving, so constant innovation and optimization is required to stay ahead of your competition.
Your agency partner should always be thinking about what’s next. What problem can they help you tackle next? How can they further streamline your internal processes with digital means? What can they do to further optimize your operation’s performance? How can they use the latest technology to create an even better user experience for your customers?
If you find yourself constantly probing them to learn how you can improve and grow, they’re not the right fit for your company.
Strong Technology Partnerships
Your new ecommerce agency partner should have solid technology partnerships with prominent solution providers. These strong partnerships demonstrate that their experience and expertise is co-signed by industry leaders.
That said, your agency partner should take your unique needs into account when recommending platforms and solutions – not just defaulting to their biggest partners.
You may search for an agency partner that specializes in your current ecommerce platform, but you may want to keep an open mind. Switching to a new agency partner may provide a great opportunity to explore additional platforms that may better fit your needs or empower you to take your ecommerce operation to the next level. Ultimately, your agency partner will likely have a bigger impact on your ecommerce success than the specific platform you use.
Raving Fans
Your ecommerce agency partner will do more than implement a solution – they’ll become an extension of your team. They should take the time to really understand your company and should be invested in your company’s long-term success. They should be responsive and excellent communicators. And that means they should have raving fans, willing to be enthusiastic references for their past work.
The agency should also be able to provide a list of companies they work with so you can check out their ecommerce sites to see their work for yourself. You should also look for customer testimonials and case studies on their website to learn more about what you can expect from working with them.
Get a Free Ecommerce Assessment from Xngage
We offer a free ecommerce assessment during which our team of experts gets to know your company including your goals, challenges, and opportunities. We audit your tech stack, UX, and analytics to help identify any roadblocks that are impeding your success. Our experts will offer custom recommendations for technology, strategy, and innovation, all with the goal of ecommerce success in mind.
Ready to take your ecommerce operation to the next level?