The online channel for industries can be a way of reaching new audiences, as well as making it easier for customers already served by the brand to buy. Through B2B e-commerce, it's possible to customize product offers by type of customer, terms and forms of payment, as well as working with subscription loyalty programs.
On the VTEX platform platform, for example, there are a number of features that enable B2B companies to transform their business.
The main advantage of selling online for many companies is the possibility of having representation in every state when they don't have a sales force in every city. Online provides this opportunity to reach new customers throughout the country and even internationally.
In this respect, the VTEX platform, among other things, enables the special prices for different segmentations and service levels, as well as offering greater flexibility in visual editing and search functions, order managementoffering B2B companies an omnichannel-ready OMS.
How do I set up B2B on VTEX?
First of all, if you already have a B2C store on VTEX, you will need to create a multistore for the B2B operation (check out the article for more information).
You can also find this tutorial on VTEX Help, where there are several easy-to-access steps for store owners and developers.
To activate B2B in your store, you will need to configure the B2B Commercial Policyby filling in the Conditional Rule field to stipulate the users who will be able to browse your site.
Normally, this field is filled in with the value approved="true" where "approved"being the name of a field in the "Customer"entity in Master Data. This allows only authenticated and approved users to browse the site.
Customizing the layout of B2B directories
The VTEX B2B Platform requires authenticated and approved browsing, so anonymous or unapproved users do not have access to commercial product information.
It will therefore be necessary to customize the folders 401 e 403folders, which are added to the system.
Define pre-registration fields
Users who are not registered on the site need an interface to pre-register (a form with information about the user).
You will therefore need to define the fields for this form with customer dataThis form will contain basic information to be filled in, such as name, e-mail address, telephone number, etc.
Create a pre-registration form
After defining the fields, the form must be created in the /system/401 folder. This is the only folder to which the anonymous user will be redirected.
The information submitted via the form will be sent to the CRM via the Master Data APIs. To do this, you will need to develop JavaScript to apply this function.
Operation
Now that the configuration is done and B2B is in production, the shopkeeper's routine depends on what their business has defined as the rules and what their needs are at the moment. With each new registration, it's important to evaluate the user and analyze approval in the CRM interface.
Did you enjoy the tutorial? We hope it helps you start your marketplace strategy. And if you need help, our experts are available to help you boost your e-commerce results. Get in touch today.
