Opportunities for B2B e-commerce: almost 40% of business Netherlands orders online

Submitted press release

Ede, September 19, 2019 - Nearly 40% from business Netherlands has placed an online order for the company in the past year. Business orderers order online in particular office items, but also product categories that you do not expect so quickly online, such as machines or tractors, are already ordered online for a quarter. This is evident from the first B2B E-commerce Market Monitor, a large-scale study into the behavior and preferences of business online buyers in the B2B e-commerce that Multiscope carried out on behalf of Thuiswinkel.org and PostNL among 5,421 Dutch employees.

“Consumers have been used to making online purchases for years, and this trend is now also spreading to business buyers. Because web stores also professionalize themselves in the B2B field, business buyers can save a lot of time and money by making their purchases easily online. The amounts involved in business purchases require reliable web shops and we see that business web shops have really started a catch-up race in that area. They become faster, smarter and more user-friendly. In addition, we see that many web stores that originally only sold to consumers are now also selling to business buyers and vice versa, "says Wijnand Jongen, director of Thuiswinkel.org."

Profile business orderer is diverse

There are major differences in the extent to which orders are placed online within branches. Business Services orders the most online: 50% of the customers indicate that they have placed an order online. Orders from wholesalers place by far the most online orders: an average of 275 per year. That is more than three times as many orders as other types of companies do. With an average of € 83,568 per year, producers spend the most. This is more than one and a half times more than an average buyer spends at a wholesaler, after producers the ones who spend the most per year. In particular managers (68%) and buyers (65%) order online, but it is striking that operational functions (22%) also place orders online.

More and more large and specialist products are being ordered online

Office items are most commonly ordered online (39% of business online ordering indicates ordering office supplies), followed by computers and peripherals (34%). But the research also shows that large, specialist products such as machines, tools, tractors and means of transport are already ordered online for a quarter.

Business buyers mainly select based on price

Some 70% of business buyers indicate comparing web stores by price. In addition, 59% of business buyers select web shops on aspects such as delivery speed, choice of carrier or delivery at a specific moment.

Opportunities for B2B e-commerce

Saving time is the most important reason for ordering 40% online. But there are also thresholds: one in three customers wants to see and feel the products. Here are opportunities for web stores: correct product information in images and text can still greatly boost online sales. The full study contains many insights with which b2b e-commerce can grow further.

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