Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) | The Future of B2B E-commerce
It’s time to dive a little deeper into the options for creating a B2C-like e-commerce experience for your B2B customers. We’ve looked at the unique needs of your B2B customers. Addressing those needs means offering strategic “self-service” options—your B2B customer wants to be able to find product availability, shipping offers, order status, quick ordering (and re-ordering) processes, integration with shipping partners and a full service payment gateway.
Now, how do you make all of that happen? What is a manageable solution for the ever-changing and complex needs of your B2B customers? Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) solutions are becoming an increasingly popular option. They allow you to introduce new features on an as-needed basis, update functionality without starting over, and are designed to customize to various customers and internal requirements—they are flexible and changes are quick-to-deploy.
PaaS Advantages: Customization & Integration
PaaS systems offer two important elements for supporting B2B e-commerce:
- Quick to-deploy, API-first platforms support customization — these platforms support modern technologies and enable developers to develop custom user interfaces.
- Customized User interface — You may have a variety of customers with different pricing contracts, product selection and purchasing processes. If so, you need to customize the user interface based on customer type and industry. A modern PaaS platform makes it easier for developers to meaningfully customize and create the most relevant user experience.
- Personalized experience — Tailoring merchandising and promotions is facilitated by PaaS systems built for customization. They allow you to create the personal touch B2B users have come to expect.
- Easy integration
- Integration with commercial applications — Integration capability allows you to offer multiple payment options and to integrate with logistics partners so that it’s easy for customers to do business with you.
- ERP and back-end database integration — PaaS can offer integration with virtually any existing system, software, and data source so back-end needs are also managed seamlessly.
Streamlining updates and add-ons with a PaaS system allows you to focus on meeting the rapidly progressing needs of your B2B customers.